Philosophy 1320: Theories of the Mind, §D1

Russell Marcus, Instructor. Email me.

Stern College, Spring 2007

Syllabus (Click here for a pdf of the hard-copy syllabus) (Here's a revised version, 3/26/07)

Updated March 26, 2007


Meeting Times and Place:

  • Mondays 1:25pm - 2:30pm
  • Wednesdays 1:25pm - 2:50pm

Required Text:

  • Peter Morton, A Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind, Broadview Press

Recommended Texts:

Note: Both textbooks are available at Barnes & Noble on Fifth Avenue and 18th Street. The Morton should be shelved in the back room in the Stern College section. The Churchland may be in the front room in the regular philosophy section.

Requirements:

  1. All the readings listed below.
  2. Attendance and Participation (10%).
  3. Two short essays (30% each) Tentative due dates:
  4. Final Exam (30%)

Notes:

  • Late papers will be accepted, but penalized.
  • Rewrites of the first paper may be accepted, but only after consultation with me.
  • More information on course requirements, including detailed paper assignments, will be available here.
  • The weights for each assignment above are tentative. If I feel the need, I may give some short quizzes at the beginning of classes, and adjust the weights for each assignment. Quizzes, if there are any, will be announced.
  • There is no specific attendance requirement, though attendance is strongly recommended, and there will be no make-ups for any missed quizzes.

Tentative Schedule:

January 15:

  • Introduction

January 17 - 22:

January 24 - February 7: (See the Reading Guide for the suggested order of these readings)

  • Galileo, from The Assayer; pp 57-9.
  • Descartes, from The World or Treatise on Light, Principles of Philosophy, Meditations on First Philosophy, and Discourse on Method; pp 60-2; 75-88; 102-3.
  • Arnauld, from "Objections to Descartes' Meditations", pp 104-7
  • Descartes, from "Reply to Arnauld", and Principles of Philosophy, pp 108-14.
  • Locke, from An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, pp 114-6.

February 12-28:

  • Hobbes, from Leviathan, pp 129-133.
  • Locke, from An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, handout.
  • Berkeley, from The Principles, pp 134-40.
  • Berkeley, from the introduction to The Principles, handout.
  • Berkeley, from Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous, handout

February 26:

  • First Paper due

March 5-12:

  • Skinner, from Science and Human Behavior, pp 160-3.
  • Hempel, "The Logical Analysis of Psychology," 164-73.
  • Ryle, from The Concept of Mind, pp 187-97.

March 12-21:

  • Armstrong, "The Nature of Mind," pp 225-233.
  • Smart, "Sensations and Brain Processes;" pp 233-242.
  • Kripke, from "Identity and Necessity," pp 243-250.

March 26-28:

  • Turing, "Computing Machinery and Intelligence," pp 265-282.
  • Putnam, "The Nature of Mental States," pp 320-327.
  • Fodor, from "Something on the State of the Art," pp 328-333.
  • Fodor and Block, "What Psychological States Are Not," pp 333-4.
  • Searle, "Minds, Brains, and Programs," pp 282-296.

April 16-18 :

  • Rorty, from Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature, pp 351-354.
  • Patricia Churchland, from Neurophilosophy: Toward a Unified Science of the Mind-Brain, pp 355-366.

April 23:

  • Second Paper due

April 23 - 25:

  • Nagel, "What is it Like to Be a Bat?" pp 391-400.
  • Jackson, "Epiphenomenal Qualia," pp 401-408.
  • Dennett, "Quining Qualia," pp 409-434.

April 30 - May 2:

  • Reading Week

Final Exam: Monday, May 14, 9:30am - 11:30am.

 

Notes:

  • Page numbers refer to the Morton collection
  • Reading guides will be available for all assigned readings.
  • The page numbers listed above refer to the source as it appears in the Morton collection. Morton also provides introductory passages which you may find useful. I will indicate those passages I find most important in the lecture notes.
  • If there is time, if we move more quickly thanI predict, at the end of the term I might assign additional readings from the Intentionality section of the Morton collection