NEUR 362 - Philosophy of Mind

Materialism, rather than solving the problem of mind, consciousness and intentionality, has spawned numerous philosophical perplexities. This course will examine a variety of philosophical problems associated with contemporary models of the mind (mind/body dualism; mind/brain identity theories; behaviorism; functionalism and artificial intelligence; eliminative naturalism and folk psychology; biological naturalism). The course will also look at contemporary philosophical accounts of personhood and personal identity, particularly narrative accounts of the self. Readings will typically include Paul and Patricia Churchland, Antonio Damasio, Daniel Dennett, Owen Flanagan, Derek Parfit, Marya Schechtman, John Searle and Kathleen Wilkes. Alternate years. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor (4 Credits)