Joe Lau

PHIL2220 The Mind

This page is under revision.

2008-9 Semester 1 (Thursdays 8:30 - 10:20 am) Room M167

Announcements

  • [16 Jan 2009] You can get your essays back from Loletta now.
  • [9/12] I have added $40 to the $10 mobile phone fine and donated the money to Fu Hong Society. Receipt here.
  • [30/10] Someone asked about mid-term grade distribution. Here it is: 28+ (70%+) 12.5%, 24-27 (60-69%) 21%, 20-23 (50-59%) 12%, 16-19 (40-49%) 37.5%, below 16 (<30%) 17%. Note that the final grade will be scaled in accordance with Arts Faculty recommendations.
  • [26/10] Essay topics have been posted.
  • [12/10] No lecture during reading week.
  • [3/10] The quiz will be graded by Dr. Inglis and we hope to return your scripts after reading week.
  • [26/9] Here is the list of questions you should prepare for the coming quiz. You will be asked to write on about 4 of them. You will have 30 mins and you are expected to write at most two pages for each question. What is important is that you write clearly, accurately and precisely!
  • [12/9] The quiz will cover only these four required readings by Churchland, Ludlow, Block and Lycan.
  • Tutorial signup will begin Monday 8 Sept after 2pm. Please see Loletta in the department general office to sign up. tutorial schedule
  • Course tutor: Dr. Kelly Inglis. Contact her if you have any questions - kellyinglis@yahoo.com
  • Please read: General information

mobile phone fine: $10

Course schedule

  1. Introduction - The varieties of mental states and the mind-body problem
  2. Substance dualism - Do we have a soul?
  3. The medium of thought - Do we think with language or pictures?
  4. Various concepts of consciousness
  5. Consciousness as internal monitoring - Can computers be conscious? + quiz
  6. The knowledge argument? - Can there be a physical explanation of consciousness?
  7. Physicalism - Can a useful and coherent definition be given?
  8. Emotions - What are they?
  9. Freewill - What is freewill? Does freewill exist?
  10. Splitbrain - Two minds in one body?
  11. Active externalism - Does the mind extend beyond the body?

Assessment

  • 100% coursework = 25% quiz + 65% final essay + 10% tutorial participation.
  • The quiz (about 30 mins) will be given during lecture #5. It will be about a list of assigned readings for lectures 1 to 5. A list of questions will be given to you beforehand, and the quiz will contain questions chosen from the pre-seen list and some unseen questions.
  • You must sign up with a tutorial group, each group meeting three times over the semester.