PHIL3109 - 01 - Philosophy of Mind

This course will begin by discussing the problem of how mental phenomena fit into a physical universe. The past century's most influential responses to the problem will be discussed: behaviorism, the identity theory, and functionalism. Next, topics such as whether computers could ever have thoughts or consciousness, the extent to which our thoughts and experiences depend on the nature of our environment, and how it is that the mental causally interacts with the physical, will be discussed. Additional questions to be explored include: What is consciousness? What is the mind-body problem? Are mental states identical with neural states? Is there something it is like to be in a mental state? What is the problem of mental causation? We will consider some of the most important historical answers offered to the topics and questions above, as well as some of the views philosophers have developed in response to the contemporary sciences of the mind.