Syllabus - Philosophy of Mind 2021 Fall.docx

Course Description

“Siri, what is a molecule?” We are surrounded by devices to which we can talk, getting relevant answers to interesting questions. People commonly call these things “smart,” but do they think? Could a computer think? There are parallel questions about nonhuman animals. Butter, my family’s dog, hears my spouse’s car pull up in front of our house and walks to the front door, waiting for my spouse to enter. How does Butter manage to do this? What is going on in her mind? Surely, doing this requires having a mind of some sort, right?  Believe it or not, there are also parallel questions about plants. Watch a time-lapse video of the roots of a typical plant. They grow downward into the soil, and when impeded, they turn laterally, until they manage to grow downward again. How do they do this? Must they figure out something? Mustn’t they perceive what is where? By inquiring into these three varieties of “other minds”—computer minds, animals minds, and plant minds—this course will introduce you to contemporary philosophical discussions about the mind, which are interwoven with several empirical sciences.

Goals

-improve your ability to read philosophical texts

-improve your ability to identify, construct, clarify, and assess arguments

-learn significant concepts, claims, and arguments in contemporary philosophical debates about “the mind”

Office Hours

I will be available to meet with you on Mondays and Fridays, 11:30a – 1:30p. Feel free to stop by, but the best way to be sure I’m available is to schedule a meeting, using Calendly: https://calendly.com/maherc-1/office-hours. If you are not available during these times, please let me know and we can arrange something else.

Texts

4

Tim Crane, The Mechanical Mind, 3rd Edition, 978-1138858350

Kristin Andrews, The Animal Mind, 2nd Edition, 978-1138559578

Chauncey Maher, Plant Minds, 978-0367258467

Reading Expectations

For each meeting, I have assigned roughly 15-30 pages for you to read. I expect you to spend roughly 1 hour on 10 pages. I expect you to read in a way that prepares you to discuss the reading with others. I expect you to take notes while you read, marking parts that surprise or perplex or otherwise interest you. Some passages you will need to re-read, perhaps many times. To help focus your attention, for each reading, I’ve posted on Moodle a list of important terms.

Evaluation

Participation in Class, 25% of the Final Grade

This course centers on discussion. These discussions will help you understand the issues that arise in the texts we read. Typically, I will give a short presentation to initiate and anchor discussion. Your engagement in discussion is vital to the success of the course. Discussions that go well are among the most exhilarating experiences you can have.

Proper participation centrally includes asking questions of the following sort:

                            What does Andrews mean when she says X?

                            Why does Andrews say X? What are her reasons?

Proper participation also includes responses to those questions, as well as similar questions directed at the claims of the rest of us in class. Those are just important examples; there are other ways to participate properly. In every case, I expect you to be ready to explain your own thinking when asked.

Each time you properly participate, you earn 1 point. You can earn no more than 1 point per meeting. You need 20 points to receive an ‘A’ for participation. I will track this on Moodle each week. You are responsible for checking regularly to be sure that this record is accurate. Please email me immediately if you notice a discrepancy.

Essays, 75% of the Final Grade

A goal of this course is to improve your ability to take a well-reasoned position on an open or unsettled substantive question. You will do so by writing three short, argumentative essays.

Essay #1               Due 5 October                            20% of the final grade

Essay #2              Due 16 November              25% of the final grade

Essay #3              Due 13 December              30% of the final grade

Schedule of Readings (tentative)