The Philosophy of Mind (PHIL20033)

Intended learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this subject will:

• possess a broad knowledge and understanding of issues in the contemporary philosophy of mind, including an understanding of the major theories minds and mental states including dualism, behaviourism, identity theory, functionalism, eliminativism and interpretivism;
• engage critically with existing philosophical conversations about the nature of mental states and develop the capacity for critical and creative interventions in those discussions;
• discern the relevance of philosophical ideas about minds and mental states for practical and moral quesitons about whether which organisms or artificial systems have minds and are deserving of moral consideration;
• come to appreciate how empirical discoveries in psychology and neuroscience can challenge our common sense understanding of mental states and our ability to know about them;
• appreciate how issues in the philosophy of mind intersect with broader philosophical questions about metaphysics, epistemology, and the philosophy of language;
• demonstrate a high-level of fluency in communication and collaboration skills, including oral and written presentation of arguments and effective work in small and large groups;
• be prepared to engage with the possibility of radical critique of critique of their own suppositions and commitments about the nature of the mental.