Subject Matter

This course is an introduction to many of the central issues in a branch of philosophy called philosophy of mind. Some of the questions we will discuss include the following. Can computers think? Is the mind an immaterial thing? Or is the mind the brain? Or does the mind stand to the brain as a computer program stands to the hardware? How can creatures like ourselves think thoughts that are "about" things? (For example, we can all think that Aristotle is a philosopher, and in that sense think "about" Aristotle, but what is the explanation of this quite remarkable ability?) Can I know whether your experiences and my experiences when we look at raspberries, fire trucks and stop lights are the same? Can consciousness be given a scientific explanation?

Prerequisites

None. Be prepared, though, to absorb a lot of unfamiliar technical vocabulary in a short space of time.

Texts

Chalmers, David, ed. Philosophy of Mind: Classical and Contemporary Readings. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN: 0195145801.

Armstrong, D. M. The Mind-Body Problem. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1999. ISBN: 0813390575.

In addition to these books, some readings will be available on the Web.

Reading Assignments

There is a reading assignment for each class meeting, typically a paper or two from the Chalmers collection, and a selection from Armstrong's book. Armstrong's book is relatively easy going, but the readings in the Chalmers collection are often very difficult: expect to read everything at least two or three times. They require close study, and you should not postpone them. If you have trouble understanding what an author says, or any other question concerning the course, please do not hesitate to ask.

Papers

Two five page papers, the first of which will be initially submitted in draft, and then rewritten to respond to comments. Late papers will be penalized.

Problem Sets

There will be a weekly problem set, handed out in Friday recitation, and due on the following recitation. Late problem sets will be penalized. Some of the questions on the weekly problem sets will be multiple choice, others will require "essay type" answers of a page or so. In addition to the problem sets, there will be occasional pop-quizzes in recitations: these will count towards the class participation portion of your grade. You must complete all the problem sets and the two papers to pass the course.

Exams

There is no midterm or final exam.

Plagiarism and Collaboration

You are encouraged to discuss the problem sets (and, of course, also the reading assignments) with each other. Collaboration on the problem sets is fine, but must be explicitly stated on your answers. You should not use quotations or quotations masquerading as proper paraphrases: a statement of the ideas of one of the authors you've read must be couched in your own words. Plagiarism will result in a grade of F. (See the section on Academic Misconduct and Dishonesty from MIT's Policies and Procedures.) Do not use any footnotes. There will be no prizes for writing in anything other than plain English.

MIT's academic honesty policy can be found at the following link: MIT Policies and Procedures.

Grading

20%: recitation. Your recitation grade will be based on attendance in both recitation and class, preparation, contributions to discussion, and pop-quizes. 40%: two 5 page papers. 40%: problem sets. See MIT's explanation of letter grades.

Class and Recitation Participation

This is encouraged (and counts toward 20% of your final grade). Talking about philosophy is one of the best ways of doing it. It is much better to say something you later realize is mistaken or confused than never to say it at all.

Getting Help

The instructor and teaching assistants are here to help you. Feel free to email us with any questions about the material or the problem sets, or come and visit us (making an appointment first via email is probably best).

Web Resources

On writing, see Jim Pryor's Guidelines on writing a philosophy paper, and Strunk's Elements of Style. Useful glossaries are Jim Pryor's Philosophical Terms and Methods and the Dictionary of Philosophy of Mind. David Chalmers' Web resources relating to consciousness, and such is well worth browsing, as is his Web site. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP) is excellent, but far from complete. The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (REP) has many helpful articles, some of which will be supplied as optional reading. See the MIT philosophy page for colloquia dates, other philosophy subject information, etc.