Orientation This page was last updated on the 28th of April 2020.
Now that all on-ground classes at MTSU have been moved to remote learning contexts, this page and its links will serve as our primary vehicle for
conducting our scholarship in the weeks ahead. As you are doubtless aware, we are aiming at a moving target at the same time that the sands
are shifting beneath our feet. Unlike the attention we are all able to give one another during a regular class period, our foci may be
distracted occasionally by the exigencies of daily life in a time of pandemic plague. Even so, it is worth remembering that even in the best
of times, the vast bulk of our learning happens outside the meagre fifty-five minutes we share on any given day. Class lectures are like bread
recipes: they specify ingredients and provide some direction for mixing, kneeding, and baking; but you are, and have always been, your own bakers.
The modules to which you will be directed as we proceed will simply approximate the lists of ingredients and specific instructions you would have
otherwise encountered in class. Of course, this is less than ideal, but let us remember that every idea, every text, every insight we will be
studying throughout the rest of this term was created, polished, and disseminated long before the advent of video conferencing and the instant karma
we collect on cell phones; we'll be fine without the bells and whistles; after all, most learning since the dawn of the written word was remote.
The syllabus for this class, then, will remain essentially unaltered; only the methods of intellectual exchange will have changed. To consult
the original main syllabus page and its links, direct your browser here:
Original Course Syllabus
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Objectives | Texts | Topics | Assignments | Grades | Disabilities | Annotations | Calendar |
Intended to stand in for one class period each, the topic modules below will provide you with: (a) A short introductory text and/or 5 minute audio digest (b) Extensive lecture notes and/or a 15-20 minute podcast (c) Reminders and assignments for the next module
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COURSE OBJECTIVES The course will provide an overview of traditional and contemporary problems in the philosophy of mind. While various philosophical projects are treated, emphasis is placed on tracing the philosophical implications of contemporary research in neurobiology, cognitive psychology, and the behavioral sciences. Topics in both classical philosophy of mind and applied philosophical psychology will be covered; after considering three broad philosophical theories of mentality, students will be encouraged assess and critique the applicability of philosophical theory to conceptual problems derived from the special sciences of mind. |
Required Texts The following texts will figure prominently in class discussion; a thorough familiarity with their contents is advised:
Course Downloads |
Recommended Texts The following texts are recommended as ancillary; a limited supply of them should be available in local bookstores:
Course Links
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(1) ON THE MARRIAGE OF TRUE MINDS |
Consciousness and the Mind/Body Problem: Three Philosophical Perspectives |
Readings: Dennett, Kinds of Minds
Chalmers, The Conscious Mind Churchland, Neurophilosophy |
(2) SOUL SEARCHING |
Passions, Proofs, and Personalities: Three Philosophical Problems |
Readings: Damasio, Descartes' Error
Hacking, Rewriting the Soul Changeux & Connes, Mattière à Pensée |
(3) CURING THE COMMON CODE |
Models, Machines, and Mentality: Three Philosophical Puzzles |
Readings: Calvin, The Cerebral Code
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A calendar of readings, discussion topics, and written assignments is provided below. Since the readings will serve as the primary springboard for discussions, it is vital that you be familiar with whatever texts are appropriate to a
topic BEFORE that topic is covered in class. Class discussion will approximate seminar format, so joint inquiry will generally take precedence over ex cathedra lecture.
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There will be three (3) written assignments (none to exceed ten double-spaced typed pages), as follows. |
(1) Theoretical Analysis. Outline the essential features of a contemporary theory of consciousness; include some discussion of the metaphysical assumptions, methodological practices, and substantive claims that characterize
the theory in view. (2) Applied Analysis. Various arguments are presented in the texts for the second part of the course (Soul Searching), many purporting to have solved or dissolved some classical philosophical problem or other (e.g., memory & personality, sense & reference, knowledge & perception, etc.); examine and evaluate one such argument. (3) Experimental Analysis. Devise a thought-experiment to test an hypothesis derived or derivable from a specific (biological, computational, mechanical, etc.) model of mentality.
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Ten percent of the final grade will reflect class participation. The remaining ninety percent of the final grade will be based on the following division (total possible points = 90):
(a) Theoretical Analysis: 30 pts. |
If you have a disability that may require assistance or accommodation, or you have questions related to any accommodations for testing, note takers, readers, etc., please speak with your instructor as soon as possible. Students may a lso contact the Office of Disabled Students Services (898-2783) with questions about such services. |
The following markers are designed to index problems in essay work. They are NOT arranged in order of severity. They do NOT necessarily correlate with grade assignments. |
*****SYNTAX***** (1) Spelling error here. (2) Noncritical weakness in sentence structure. (3) Critical weakness in sentence structure. (meaning lost). (4) Punctuation not clear. *****SEMANTICS***** (5) Term or phrase unclear or unexplained. (6) Term or phrase ambiguous. (7) New paragraph warranted here. (8) Circumlocution here; simpler expression available. *****ANALYSIS***** (9) General structure of this argument unclear. (10) Conclusion does not follow without unstated assumptions. (11) Relevance of this point to your argument is not clear. (12) This assertion is questionable and requires further support. (13) Further consequences of this claim are unmentioned but relevant. (14) This inference is formally invalid. |
DATE |
MATERIALS COVERED |
DATE |
MATERIALS COVERED |
J. 22 |
Introductory; Syllabus |
13 |
Spring Break: No Classes |
24 |
Dennett, Chapters 1-2 |
16 |
Hacking, Chapters 1-3 |
27 |
Dennett, Chapters 3-4 |
18 |
Hacking, Chapters 4-6 |
29 |
Dennett, Chapters 5-6 |
20 |
Hacking, Chapters 7-9 |
31 |
Chalmers, Chapters 1-2 |
23 |
Hacking, Chapters 10-12 |
F. 03 |
Chalmers, Chapters 3-5 |
25 |
Hacking, Chapters 13-15 |
05 |
Chalmers, Chapters 6-8 |
27 |
Hacking, Chapters 16-18 |
07 |
Chalmers, Chapters 9-10 |
30 |
Changeux & Connes, Chapters 1-2 |
10 |
Churchland, Chapters 1-2 |
A. 01 |
Changeux & Connes, Chapter 3 |
12 |
Churchland, Chapters 3-5 |
03 |
Changeux & Connes, Chapter 4 |
14 |
Churchland, Chapter 6 |
06 |
Changeux & Connes, Chapter 5 |
17 |
Churchland, Chapters 7-8 |
08 |
Changeux & Connes, Chapter 6 |
19 |
Churchland, Chapter 09 |
10 |
Changeux & Connes, Chapters 7-Epilogue |
21 |
Churchland, Chapter 10 |
13 |
Calvin, Chapters 1-2 |
24 |
Damasio, Chapters 1-2 |
15 |
Calvin, Chapters 3-4 |
26 |
Damasio, Chapters 3-4 |
17 |
Calvin, Chapters 5-6 / Applied Analysis due |
28 |
Damasio, Chapters 5-6 / Theoretical Analysis due |
20 |
Calvin, Chapters 7-8 |
M. 02 |
Damasio Chapters 7-8 |
22 |
Calvin, Chapters 9-10 |
04 |
Damasio, Chapters 9-10 |
24 |
Calvin, Chapter 11 |
06 |
Damasio, Chapters 11-Postscriptum |
27 |
Ford, Chapters 1-9 |
09 |
Spring Break: No Classes |
29 |
Ford, Chs. 10-17 / Experimental Analysis |
11 |
Spring Break: No Classes |
M. 04 |
Final Examination Period: 9:30 - 11:30 |