Philosophy of mind is one of the central areas in philosophy and has been a major focus of attention in recent years. Students become familiar with some of the major historical and contemporary debates in this field of philosophy, such as whether or not the mind is physical in nature. The unit surveys a variety of competing theories such as behaviourism, mind-brain identity theory, functionalism and dualism. The answer to this debate helps determine the issue of whether one can build a machine that has a mind. Of course, this raises questions about what it is to have a mind. Must there be some rudimentary intelligence? If a machine can play chess, does it have a mind? Does a mind (or its... -- Course Website
Instructor: Assistant Professor Miri Albahari
Prerequisites: any Level 1 Philosophy unit or PSYCH1101 Psychology: Mind and Brain
