Short paper #1
- Deadline: Monday 5 Nov 2012. You must submit an online copy to http://www.turnitin.com before 10pm 5 Nov 2012. Class ID = 5720696, Enrolment password = pw1012.
- You must also submit a hardcopy to the philosophy dept before 9am 6 Nov 2012. A collection box will be placed outside the dept office after office hours on 5 Nov. Staple all sheets together. Save paper and don't use a cover sheet.
- Use 11 or 12 point times font. Single spacing with normal margins.
- Write down your full name, student ID, and the name of your tutor. You will get zero marks if you still do not know your tutor's name.
- Late submission: -20% for each day that is late (i.e. -20% one hour after the deadline, -40% if two days late, ...)
- Citation format: Use either the American Psychological Association or Harvard author-date format. (one of them but not both!)
Instructions about how to use turnitin - http://www.lib.hku.hk/turnitin/students.html
Essay questions
- Write on all three parts.
- NO NEED to copy the questions onto your answer sheets.
- Minimum 4 pages and maximum 6 pages for part 2 and part 3 combined, excluding references.
Part 1. Give a one-paragraph summary of John Searle's Chinese Room argument using LESS THAN 200 words. Provide a word count of your paragraph.
Part 2. Discuss and comment on this passage:
The Chinese Room argument fails to show that computation cannot produce language understanding. Imagine that a clever person in the Chinese Room trying to figure out what it is that the program does. After a while he might come to realise that the program does language processing. When he has more time to read through the program he might be able to find out what the different symbols mean and come to understand Chinese as a result. This shows that a computer program can produce Chinese understanding after all.
Part 3. Explain what is meant by "phenomenal consciousness" and "self-consciousness". Is it possible for a creature to have one without the other?
Suggestions - please read
Write simply and clearly. Reread and rewrite after you are done to make it better.