PHIL 205

PHIL 205: Philosophy of Mind
Instructor: Tugba Yoldas

Course Description:

What is it, exactly, that is doing the thinking to write these lines at this moment? Where do the thoughts come from? In other words, what is a mind? How is it related to the brain and to the world out there? Can it exist in a different kind of body like in machines and artificial intelligence systems? Can it extend beyond the boundaries of a body? How does the brain give rise to subjective experiences like sensations, pains and pleasures? What is consciousness? Where do mental states get their content?

This course is designed to introduce and systematically think about basic questions such as these in the philosophy of mind. We will begin with asking general questions about the nature of the mind, the relation between bodies, minds and the physical world. We will proceed to explore the nature of consciousness by discussing a selection of theories of consciousness and, particularly, we will try to understand how purely physical processes give rise to subjective experiences. Finally, we will investigate the distribution of consciousness through the topic of artificial intelligence, and we will end our inquiry by looking at some theories of intentionality that explain where mental states get their content from.