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The Mind-Body Problem in 20Th Century Philosophy Filz2123 Lecturer: Artis Svece

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The Mind-Body Problem in 20Th Century Philosophy Filz2123 Lecturer: Artis Svece The mind-body problem in 20th century philosophy Filz2123 Lecturer: Artis Svece February 10 – April 6, 2016 Wednesdays, 08:30-10:00 + 10:30-12:00 Aspazijas boulevard 5, Room 503 Credit points 2 ECTS credits 3 Total contact hours 32 Number of hours for lectures 20 Number of hours for seminars and practical assignments 12 Independent study hours 48 Course abstract The aim of the course is to introduce students to one of the perplexing problems of contemporary philosophy. Although the question of to what extent mental qualities of living beings depend on physical ones is consedered to be one of the "eternal" questions of philosophy, recently this question has become a subject of particular interest among philosophers, scientists and even general audience. Most likely one of the reasons for such a popularity is the development of neural sciences in the last couple of decades. The aim of the course is to show the difficulties that are encountered both by those who try to reduce mental phenomena to physical ones and those who argue that such a reduction is impossible. The material of the course is based on the discussions that are characteristic in the so called Anglo-American tradition of contemporary philosophy. Learning outcomes Understanding of the basic issues in one of the most active area of contemporary philosophical debates. Understanding about the main theoretical approaches in the philosophy of mind and difficulties representatives of each theory encounter. Know main concepts of the philosophy of mind, capacity to analyse text of the philosophy of mind. Skills necessary for the analysis of philosophical texts. Discussion skills. Requirements for awarding credit points The grade of the course consists of active participation in discussions during seminars 35%, a written mid-term test 30%, written essay/exam at the end of the course (35%). Course plan 1. Introduction. Mind-body problem. L 2 2. Dualism. Descartes 2. Meditation S 2 Lit.: Dekarts “Otrā meditācija” no Meditācijas par pirmo filosofiju. Izvēle: Bernard Williams “The Real Distinction” no Descartes Dekarts “Sestā meditācija” no Meditācijas par pirmo filosofiju. 3. Descartes and Ego. L 2 Izvēle: P. F. Strawson “Self, Mind and Body” 4. Identity of I (sem.) S2 Lit.: Derek Parfit “Reasons and Persons” (fragments) 5. Analytical behaviouralism and the problem of reductivism. L 2 Izvēle: Gilbert Ryle “Descartes Myth” no The Concept of Mind 6. The Will. Gilbert Ryle. The Concept of Mind (sem. ) S 2 Lit.: Gilbert Ryle “The Will” (pirmās trīs apakšnodaļas) no The Concept of Mind Izvēle: Daniel Dennett “Willing” no Content and Consciousness 7. Identity theory. L 2 Izvēle: U. T. Place “Is Consciousness a Brain Process?” W. V. Quine “States of Mind” 8. Artificial intelligence. L 2 Izvēle: Tim Van Gelder “What Might Cognition Be, If Not Computation?” 9. Turing test. L 2 Izvēle: Alan Turing “Computing Machinery and Intelligence” John Searle “Minds, Brains, and Programs” 10. Functionalism. Hilery Putnam. (sem.) S 2 Lit.: Hilary Putnam The Nature of Mental States 11. Property dualism L 2 Izvēle: Donald Davidson “Mental Events” Donald Davidson “Material Mind” (krieviski) 12. Non-reductable residue (sem.) S 2 Lit.: Tomass Neigels “Kā tas ir – būt sikspārnim?” Izvēle:Douglas R. Hofstadter “Reflections” 13. Folk psychology. L 2 Izvēle: Paul Feyerabend “Mental Events and the Brain” Terence Horgan and James Woodward “Folk Psychology is Here to Stay” 14. Intentional strategy. (sem.) S 2 Izvēle: Daniels Denets Īstenticīgie Stephen P. Stich “Dennett on Intentional Systems” 15. The problem of representation. L 2 Izvēle: Ruth Garrett Millikan “Biosemantics” 16. Mystery of mind-body relationship. L 2 Izvēle: Colin McGinn “Can We Solve the Mind-Body Problem?” John Searle “Consciousness and Its Place in Nature” no The Rediscovery of the Mind .
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