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2023/2024

Philosophy of Mind

Code: 100316 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500246 Philosophy OT 3 1
2500246 Philosophy OT 4 1

Contact

Name:
Olga Fernandez Prat
Email:
olga.fernandez@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject. Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2023.


Prerequisites

None.


Objectives and Contextualisation

This is an introductory course that covers a good part of the basic questions of the philosophy of the contemporary mind. The course encourages students to take a critically reasoned theoretical position.

Students will have the opportunity to think, discuss and write about fundamental issues in the philosophy of mind like:

1. Which is the relation between mind and brain? 

2. Is mind identical to the brain o is it something else? 

3. How are we able to have thoughts with causal efficacy? 

4. How can we explain our conscious experiences in terms of processed information? 

5. Could a computer think?

6. Are animals selfconscious?  


Competences

    Philosophy
  • Analysing and summarising the main arguments of fundamental texts of philosophy in its various disciplines.
  • Recognising and interpreting topics and problems of philosophy in its various disciplines.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Thinking in a critical and independent manner on the basis of the specific topics, debates and problems of philosophy, both historically and conceptually.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Ability to maintain an appropriate conversation.
  2. Analysing and summarising information.
  3. Applying philosophical rigour in a written text following the international quality standards.
  4. Carrying out a planning for the development of a subject-related work.
  5. Carrying out oral presentations using an appropriate academic vocabulary and style.
  6. Correctly, accurately and clearly communicating the acquired philosophical knowledge in oral and written form.
  7. Discriminating the features that define the writer's place in the context of a problem and reorganising them in a consistent diagram.
  8. Distinguishing and outlining the fundamental content of a philosophical text.
  9. Effectively communicating and applying the argumentative and textual processes to formal and scientific texts.
  10. Identifying the main ideas of a related text and drawing a diagram.
  11. Reading basic philosophical text thoroughly.
  12. Relating the characteristic elements and factors of the philosophical tradition.
  13. Solving problems autonomously.
  14. Submitting works in accordance with both individual and small group demands and personal styles.
  15. Using suitable terminology when drawing up an academic text.

Content

 

1. What is Philosophy of Mind? Its connection with mind sciences. 

2. Intentionality nd mental states: thoughts, experiences and emotions.

3. Classical Cognitive Science.

4. Philosophy of Mind, its main problems:

            4.1. The problem of mind-brain relation.

            4.2. The problem of consciousness.

            4.3. The problem of non-human minds.

5. Embodied and enactive approaches to cognitive science.


Methodology

The sessions will be of two types. In some, the teacher will present the theoretical contents necessary to introduce themselves to each one of the subjects that will be treated. Others will have a seminar form where it will be discussed the compulsory readings of the course. These readings will be available in the Campus Virtual.

In order to increase the rigor of the discussions and that the students acquire competences related to the oral activities, each one of the students will have to present one of the readings (according to the number of registered ones it is possible that there will be group presentations).  

It is also required that the rest of the students have read the paper before attending the seminar. Each of the readings is closely related to the topics exposed in class and are fundamental in the subject that is studied.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures. 26 1.04 2, 8, 11, 12, 13
Presentation of one of the required readings. 21 0.84 2, 6, 8, 9, 5, 15, 10, 11, 1, 12
Type: Supervised      
Preparing oral presentation. 23 0.92 2, 6, 8, 4, 9, 10, 11, 1, 14
Type: Autonomous      
Required and supplementary readings. 76 3.04 2, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13

Assessment

Continuous assessment:
										
											The continuous assessment will be based on (i) the grade obtained in an exam (test or short answer (40% of the final grade), (ii) the grade obtained in an exam of the compulsory readings (45% of the final grade), (iii)
and (iii) class attendance for take the practical classes that will consist of reading and commenting on texts and/or making small essays. In order to have the possibility of obtaining 15% of the grade, you must attend a minimum of 90% of the practices.
										
											
										
											Exam dates will be communicated in the Moodle calendar with sufficient time. Students who, for ANY reason, cannot attend the tests during the course, will take the reassessment exam directly.
										
											
On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place. 

Spelling will be assessed. The repetition of spelling or grammatical errors (minimum four) will result in a penalty of 10% of the grade of the test taken.
In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student
will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

Students will obtain a "Not assessed/Not submitted course grade unless they have submitted more than 1/3 of the assessment items.
The reassessment exams are (i) and (ii) and will have the same format and weight as the course examinations (40%, 45%). 
 
Single assessment:
										
											The single assessment will be based on (i) the grade obtained in an exam test or short answer (40% of the final grade), (ii) the grade obtained in an exam of the compulsory readings (45% of the final mark), (iii) the mark obtained
in a text commentary (15%).
										
											
Spelling will be assessed. The repetition of spelling or grammatical errors (minimum four) will result in a penalty of 10% of the grade of thetest taken.
										
											
										
											In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student
will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.
Students will obtain a "Not assessed/Not submitted course grade unless they have submitted more than 1/3 of the assessment items.
The same reassesment method will be applied as continuous assessment will be used; including the format and weight of examinations (40%, 45%)



 
 

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Activities in the classroom. 15% 1 0.04 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 4, 9, 5, 15, 10, 11, 1, 14, 12
Examination on the mandatory readings. 45% 1.5 0.06 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 5, 10, 11, 1, 14, 12, 13
Test or short answer examination. 40% 1.5 0.06 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 4, 9, 15, 10, 11, 14, 12, 13

Bibliography

Bechtel, William. (1988). Philosophy of mind: An overview for cognitive science, Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Dennett, Daniel C. (1991) Consciousness Explained, Little, Brown and Co. (v.c. La consciencia explicada Barcelona: Paidós, 1996).

Campbell, Keith (1984) Body and Mind, Chicago: University of Notre Dame Press. (v.c. Cuerpo y mente. México: UNAM, 1987).

Chalmers, David (1996) The Conscious Mind, Oxford: Oxford University Press (v.c. La mente consciente. Barcelona: Gedisa, 1999).

Churchland, Patricia (1989), Neurophilosophy: Toward a Unified Science of Mind-Brain, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Churchland, Paul (1988) Matter and Consciousness, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. (v.c. Materia y conciencia. Barcelona: Gedisa, 1992)

García-Carpintero, Manuel (2000) ‘Las razones para el dualismo’, a P. Chacón Fuertes y M. Rodríguez González (eds.) Pensando la mente. Madrid: Biblioteca Nueva.

Gregory, Richard L. (director) Diccionario Oxford de la mente. Madrid: Alianza, 1995.

Lowe, Edward J. (2000), Filosofía de la mente, Barcelona: Idea Books.

Pineda, David (2012), La mente humana. Introducción a la filosofía de la psicología, Madrid: Cátedra.

Searle, John (1997) The Mystery of Consciousness, New York Review of Books. (v.c. El misterio de la conciencia: intercambios con Daniel C. Dennett y David J. Chalmers Barcelona: Paidós, 2000).

 

Recursos electrònics:

Stanford Enciclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/

David Chalmers Philosophy of Mind WebPage: http://consc.net

Dictionary of Philosophy of Mind: http://philosophy.uwaterloo.ca/MindDict/

Mind and Body: From Descartes to James: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/Mind/Table.html

 

 

 


Software

None.