Philosophy of Mind

PHIL60071 Philosophy of Mind 15 Semester 1 Postgraduate Taught Level 7 Stephen Ingram Unit coordinator Philosophy 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Masters/Integrated Masters P4 ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 7.5 This course introduces several key topics in the philosophy of mind. Questions covered include:What kinds of state or capacity are distinctive of mental life, and how exactly should they be understood? How, for example, can we understand pain, desire, belief, and emotion? And how should we think about the precise nature of personhood, rationality, and conscious experience?How, for that matter, is the mind related to the body? Can mental states be identified with physical states of the body, or brain? If so, how exactly? If not, what are the philosophical implications of this? And how do non-physical mental states cause physical effects, such as the movement of one's body? This course introduces several key topics in the philosophy of mind. Questions covered include:What kinds of state or capacity are distinctive of mental life, and how exactly should they be understood? How, for example, can we understand pain, desire, belief, and emotion? And how should we think about the precise nature of personhood, rationality, and conscious experience?How, for that matter, is the mind related to the body? Can mental states be identified with physical states of the body, or brain? If so, how exactly? If not, what are the philosophical implications of this? And how do non-physical mental states cause physical effects, such as the movement of one's body? The unit aims to:<ul><li>Guide students' development in thinking philosophically about issues in philosophy of mind;</li><li>Familiarise students wtih some important writings in contemporary philosophy of mind;</li><li>Enhance students' ability to present and discuss philosophical issues orally, and their ability to present philosophical ideas and arguments in written work.</li></ul> Students should be able to:<ul><li>Identify key issues in philosophy of mind;</li><li>Evaluate philosophical problems concerning the mind;</li><li>Accurately analyse and employ the special concepts used in philosophy of mind, such as supervenience, intentionality and phenomenal consciousness.</li></ul> Students should be able to:<ul><li>Construct detailed lines of argument relating to some philosophical problems.</li></ul> Students should be able to:<ul><li>Use research tools to effectively select resources in the preparation of assessments;</li><li>Clearly communicate ideas about philosophy of mind.</li></ul> Seminars (10 x 2 hours) Each seminar will be focused on a key text, and will comprise group discussion of the week’s reading and topic. This discussion will be facilitated by a set of questions given to the students each week. The seminar will be led by the course convenor, but the students will be encouraged to debate each other in a respectful manner. Questions A set of questions will accompany each week’s reading which will help students to read the text in a critical manner. Students will be asked to convey their answers in the seminars. These questions will be provided at least a week in advance.E-learning will be integrated throughout the module using digital tools and digital library resources.  0 Other 100% Essay (3000 words) 100% Feedback will be provided via Speedgrader in 15 working days. MA Political Science MA Pol Sci - Phil & Pol Theory PGDT Taught Component Optional MA Political Science MA Pol Sci - Phil & Pol Theory PGDT Taught Component Optional MA Philosophy MA Philosophy PGDT Taught Component Optional MA Philosophy PT MA Philosophy PT PGDT Taught Component Optional Y <ul><li>Corns, Jennifer. 2013. “The Inadequacy of Unitary Characterizations of Pain.” Philosophical Studies 169, 355-378.</li><li>Gregory, Alex. 2017. “Might Desires be Beliefs about Normative Reasons?” In J. A. Deonna and F. Lauria (eds.), The Nature of Desire. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 201-218.</li><li>Goldie, Peter. 2002. “Emotions, Feelings, and Intentionality.” Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 1, 235-254.</li><li>Macpherson, Fiona. 2011. “Taxonomising the Senses.” Philosophical Studies 153, 123-142.</li><li>Menkiti, Ifeanyi. 1984. “Person and Community in African Traditional Thought.” In R. Wright (ed.), African Philosophy: An Introduction. 3rd Edition. New York: University of America Press, 171-181.</li><li>Aranyosi, István. 2011. “A New Argument for Mind-Brain Identity.” British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 62, 489-517.</li><li>Lowe, E. J. 2006. “Non-Cartesian Substance Dualism and the Problem of Mental Causation.” Erkenntnis 65, 5-23.</li></ul> Seminars 20 0 130