V83.0015
Session:
Summer Session 2 (June 30-
Time:
Room: Silver Center Room 707
Instructor: Jonny Cottrell
E-mail: jdc372@nyu.edu
Office:
Office hours: Tues and Thurs,
Could man-made machines—in particular, computers—have mental
lives at all like ours? Are our own minds (or brains) themselves computers?
This course will approach central topics in philosophy of mind and psychology
by way of these questions. Along the way, we will consider: Could
computers ever be intelligent? How do we represent the world in language
and thought, and could computers be capable of either? What is the
relation between those aspects of our minds we are aware of, such as our
beliefs, desires and experiences, and the subconscious neural processing that
takes place in our brains? Is it anything like the relation between
software and hardware? What is the nature of consciousness
experience? And what are we, ourselves—are we computers, or computer
programs? Or are we animals of a certain biological species?
Topics will include:
Braddon-Mitchell,
D. and
This is available from the NYU Bookstore. You might also look online for cheaper second hand copies—but make sure you get the second edition.)
Other assigned readings will be available online, or will be provided in hardcopy.
I don’t require that you buy any of the following, but you might find it useful to browse through them.
Most of these will be available on reserve at Bobst Library.
The course grade will be based on the following assignments:
This course will presuppose no background in philosophy. But some of the readings (especially those later in the course) will be difficult. I advise that students who would like to acquire some background should read over the first three chapters in BMJ, follow up any references that sound interesting to them, and/or peruse any of the recommended texts, again following up references to the topics on the schedule.
The following policies will be enforced during the course:
For a definition of ‘plagiarism,’ students should consult: http://www.nyu.edu/cas/ewp/html/policies___procedures.html (section on Academic Integrity). For further guidance, please consult the College of Arts and Sciences webpage on Academic Standards: http://cas.nyu.edu/object/bulletin0608.ug.academicpolicies.html (section on Academic Standards and Discipline).
Schedule
(this schedule is tentative, and readings are subject to change)
For most topics, a background reading is assigned from BMJ
(normally a chapter). In class, we’ll focus on the daily readings, which
will by and large be excerpts from BMJ, and from classic papers in the
philosophy of mind, psychology, and artificial intelligence.
Part One:
Introduction
6/30: Introduction
BMJ pp.3-9, 10-23, 32-35.
Optional: Smullyan, ‘An Unfortunate Dualist’ (B).
Part Two:
Behaviorist Approaches
Background reading: BMJ Ch. 2
7/2: The Turing Test
A.M. Turing, ‘Computing Machinery and Intelligence,’ sections 1-3 (pp.433-436 in JStor version), and s.6.5 (‘Arguments from Various Disabilities,’ pp.447-450); BMJ pp.114-122 (‘Blockhead’).
Turing’s paper is also available here, for those without JStor access.
7/3: Logical
Behaviorism
Part Three: The
Identity Theory and Functionalist Approaches
Background reading: BMJ Chs.
3 and 5
7/7: The
Identity Theory
J.J.C. Smart, ‘Sensations and Brain Processes’ (B); BMJ pp.49-52.
FIRST
PROBLEM SET DUE 7/7.
7/8: Introduction to Functionalism
BMJ Ch. 3, esp. pp.48-58 (have a look at—but don’t worry if you don’t understand—the starred (*) sections at pp.58-59).
7/9: Troubles with Functionalism
BMJ pp.107-110 (‘The China Brain’); BMJ Ch. 5.
Optional: Block, ‘Troubles with Functionalism,’ selections.
7/10:
Functionalism and the Identity Theory
Optional: BMJ
Part Four: The
Computational Theory
Background reading: BMJ Chs. 5 and 10; Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, entry on The Computational Theory of Mind
7/14:
The Computational View of the Mind I
Sterelny, ‘Representation, Computation and Implementation,’ pp.42-49 (B)
SECOND
PROBLEM SET DUE 7/14.
7/15: The Computational View of the Mind II
Block, ‘The Mind as the Software of the Brain,’ section 1.
Optional:
Sterelny, ‘Representation, Computation and Implementation,’ pp.49-60 (B)
7/16:
The Language of Thought Hypothesis
BMJ Ch. 10; Fodor, ‘Why There Still Has to be a Language of Thought’ (B)
7/17:
Modularity
Fodor, The Modularity of Mind, selections: pp.38-46, 64-73, 101-108 (B)
(If you would like to chase up references to other parts of Fodor’s book, you can do so online from an NYU terminal.)
Part Five: Problems for
the Computational View
Background reading: BMJ Chs. 12 and 14, selections
7/21: The Chinese Room Argument
Searle, ‘Can Computers Think?’ (B); BMJ pp.110-114 (‘The Chinese Room’)
THIRD PROBLEM
SET DUE 7/21.
7/22: The Frame Problem
Dennett, ‘The Frame Problem for AI’ (B)
7/23: Eliminative
Materialism
Churchland, ‘Eliminative Materialism and the Propositional
Attitudes’ (B); BMJ
7/24: Connectionism
Sterelny, ‘Connectionism’ (B)
Part Seven: Consciousness
Background reading: BMJ Ch. 8
7/28: Nagel’s objection to reductive approaches
T. Nagel, ‘What is it like to be a bat?’ (B)
FOURTH
PROBLEM SET DUE 7/28.
7/29: Is there more
than one kind of consciousness?
N. Block, ‘Some Concepts of Consciousness,’ (B)
7/30: The ‘Knowledge Argument’
F. Jackson, ‘Epiphenomenal Qualia’ and selections from ‘What Mary Didn’t Know,’ (B)
7/31: Functionalist and Physicalist responses to the objections from consciousness
D. Dennett, ‘Quining Qualia’ (B)
Part Eight: Functionalism and The Self
Background reading: John Perry, A Dialogue on
Personal Identity and Immortality
EXAM STUDY GUIDE
8/4: The Functionalist view of personal identity
Optional: ‘A Materialist’s Account’ section 4.
8/5: The Animalist
view
8/6:
‘Split-brain’ patients and the unity of consciousness
T. Nagel, ‘Brain Bisection and the Unity of Consciousness’.
8/7:
Dennett on Self-Location
Dennett, ‘Where Am I?’ (B)
TAKE HOME EXAM
DUE 8/8 AT HIGH NOON.
Jim Pryor’s Philosophical Terms and Methods
Guidelines on Reading Philosophy
Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy Paper
Although no term paper will be required for this course, the writing guidelines will help you excel in the Problem Sets; I too will be looking for clarity and straightforwardness in your writing.
You might also find the following links useful: