0 or 3 credits
Fall 2025 Lecture Departmental CreditLower Division
This will provide an introduction to foundational topics in the philosophy of mind. We will consider the relationship between the mind and the body, and the mental to the physical more generally. We'll ask, and look at some candidate answers to, questions like "What is a mind, and what are its component parts? How does a mind work? How are minds related to brains, and to the physical bodies that they seem to animate and control? How do minds represent the world around them? What is a self? What is the nature of consciousness and subjective experience? Could other animals, aliens, computers, robots or other types of entities have minds, or be conscious? How would we know? How can empirical efforts like the cognitive sciences help shed light on these questions? Could scientific theories of the mind supplant our intuitive conceptions of the mind? If so, what would be the implications?"
Learning Outcomes1Analyze the main arguments for different theories in the philosophy of mind, such as dualism, behaviorism, and functionalism.
2Develop original arguments that apply concepts from class to real-life current events.
3Evaluate the implications of different theories for ethical, political, and social issues.
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