PHIL1012 Mind and knowledge: an introduction to philosophy

General information

Course description: This course is an introduction to philosophical issues about mind and knowledge. These include metaphysical questions about what minds are, such as whether the mind is something non-physical or whether it is some kind of computer, and questions about what knowledge is and how we can obtain it. We also address epistemological questions about the limitations of human knowledge, such as whether we can really know what other people's experiences are like or whether God exists.
Assessment: 100% coursework. See below for details.
Timetable and classroom: See http://philosophy.hku.hk/?n=main.courses
Dr. Lau will be teaching the first half of the course. Dr. Michael Johnson will teach the second half.

Announcements

Students should check announcements regularly.

[3 Dec] The deadline for handing in the hardcopy of the final essay is 9am 18 Dec. Do not be late!
[28 Nov] The questions for the last essay assignment is online at Dr Johnson's website. Please note that you only need to write on only one of the topics. The deadline is Monday 17 Dec.
[15 Nov] Course evaluation will be conducted during the last lecture. HKU has asked us to do an online evaluation. Please bring a laptop or a mobile device to the lecture. (It should have a wireless connection.)
[30 Oct] I have added some guidelines about the first short essay. Please read.
[29 Oct] For those who missed the in-class test: If you have submitted a medical certificate, you will be given a mark based on your first essay. Other students will get zero marks except for some special cases.
[26 Oct] Model answers for the in-class test. The two versions are basically the same. The order of the questions are different and a few words have changed
[21 Oct] I have changed the required reading for consciousness: read all of chapter 11 instead of just some of the sections. Please read chapter 12 also.
[11 Oct] About the in-class test: Make sure you bring a pen or pencil and your student ID card. The details of the test are as stated below. The test is more about understanding the main concepts and arguments. It is not about testing whether you can remember the details of a certain paragraph somewhere in the readings.
[8 Oct] Copies of Ravenscroft's book are now available in the HKU bookstore.
[8 Oct] Please remember that tutorials are compulsory and you might be penalized for not attending. If you are absent due to illness please provide a medical certificate.
[6 Oct] 3 copies of the course text are now available at the HKU Main Library for a 2-hour loan.
[3 Oct] New book borrowing rules with effect immediately
[3 Oct] location of tutorial rooms
[21 Sept] Tutorial signup begins 7pm Monday 24 Sept . See below for details.
[18 Sept] About the course text: The HKU library does not have a copy of the course text. It has been ordered. There is a book with the same name by Feser, but it is not what you should read. What you can do: (1) Buy a copy from the HKU bookstore. (2) See if you can read parts of the book on the Amazon website. (3) There is one copy you can borrow from the Philosophy Dept Office. You need to show your student ID card to Loletta in the General Office and you can keep the book for one day (i.e. return on Wed if you borrow on Tue, and return on Monday if you borrow on Friday). If you damage the book or fail to return the book on time marks will be deducted from the final grade.

Schedule and readings

Course text for the first half of the course: Ian Ravenscroft (2005) Philosophy of mind : a beginner's guide. Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press. (Amazon link) You can buy a copy from the HKU University Bookstore (Swindon). Also see the schedule below for additional readings.

Powerpoint files for the first half can be downloaded here: https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B-RFWAiAO7x3RFlTRzlsQ09wLTg/edit (Each file is finalized on the Friday before the corresponding lecture.)

Note: [#] means optional but recommended reading. All others are required readings.

Introduction - What is philosophy and what is this course about?
- Online notes from Jim Pryor (NYU): http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/vocab/index.html, http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/reading.html.
- Ravenscroft - Introduction
- http://philosophy.hku.hk/think/arg/ Tutorials A1-A04
Substance dualism - Do we have a soul?
- Ravenscroft - All of chapter 1 except sections 1.4 and 1.5.
- About brain scans: http://www.economist.com/node/21534748, a recent experiment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsjDnYxJ0bo
- [#] William G. Lycan. (1987) Giving Dualism its Due. Australasian Journal of Philosophy. Volume 87, Issue 4, pages 551-563. Online version here: http://www.unc.edu/~ujanel/Du.htm
- [#] Using magnets to change how people make decisions. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/211122/20110909/magnetic-pulses-to-the-brain-make-it-impossible-to-lie.htm
- [#] Recreating out-of-body experiences: a video, BBC article
Identity theory and functionalism
- Ravenscroft - Sections 2.1 to 2.3; 3.1 to 3.4; chapter 4.
- [#] Brain plasticity: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12301-man-with-tiny-brain-shocks-doctors.html
- [#] Koch on the internet: http://tinyurl.com/buwda5w
The computer model of the mind
- Ravenscroft - Chapter 6
- John Searle (1990) "Is the brain's mind a computer program" In Scientific American. Jan 1990 issue. There are various online copies, e.g. here.
- [#] Turing, A.M. (1950). Computing machinery and intelligence. Mind, 59, 433-460. http://www.loebner.net/Prizef/TuringArticle.html
The problem of consciousness
- Ravenscroft - Chapters 11 and 12.

Dr Johnson will be teaching the second half of the course. Schedule and readings:

http://michaeljohnsonphilosophy.com/phil-1012-mind-and-knowledge

Assessment

100% coursework (including one in-class test but no official final exam).

Tutorial attendance : 5%. Tutorial participation: 10%
Short in-class test: 15% (at the end of the 4th lecture)
- Closed-book exam. About 10-15 minutes.
- Part A: Short questions about online tutorials A1-A04. You need to know the definitions of validity and soundness, and be able to evaluate the validity of an argument. You do not have to remember the names of the argument patterns.
- Part B: Short questions about the required readings for the first three lectures. These are questions that test your understanding of the basic core concepts and not your memory of detailed passages.
- If you are absent for medical reasons, get a doctor's letter certifying that you are unfit to attend the test.
Short paper due around reading week: 30%. Details here.
A longer term paper: 40%. Due 17th Dec. More details later.
Late policy: -20% for each day that is late.
Writing tips: Check the appendix, glossary, and "some useful resources" of the course text. Be sure to read this.

Tutorials

Tutorial signup begins 7pm Monday 24 Sept on moodle.
Check the tutorial time slots and choose your group: Courses.2012aPHIL1012tutorials (first come first served)
You must signup before 7pm 3 Oct .
Marks will be deducted if you fail to signup or have to change your group after the signup period.
location of tutorial rooms