Themes in Contemporary Philosophy of Mind - AFSV00131

• Title: Themes in Contemporary Philosophy of Mind
• Guaranteed by: Institute of Philosophy and Religious Studies (21-UFAR)
• Faculty: Faculty of Arts
• Actual: from 2013
• Semester: summer
• Points: 0
• E-Credits: 6
• Examination process: summer s.:
• Hours per week, examination: summer s.:0/2, Ex [HT]
• Capacity: unknown / unknown (unknown)
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: not taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Additional information: http://Mind, consciousness, evolutionary theory
• Note: can be fulfilled in the future
• Guarantor: prof. James Hill, Ph.D.
• Class: Exchange - 08.1 Philosophy

Annotation

Themes in Contemporary Philosophy of Mind

Mind, Consciousness and Evolution
This course will be centred around the controversial new book by Thomas Nagel, "Mind and Cosmos", 2012. In it, Nagel develops themes which have been present in his work on mind for more than thirty years, including the irreducibility of consciousness and the rejection of materialism. A particularly important theme is his critique of a reductive materialistic theory of evolution. Nagel does not, of course, deny that the human mind has emerged from the process of evolution, but he understands the evolution of mind in a way that is significantly different to the prevailing neo-Darwinist orthodoxy. We will also pay careful attention to the neo-Darwinist view, particularly as it is expressed by Daniel Dennett and Richard Dawkins. Students should expect to come away from this course informed about contemporary philosophical debate on mind and consciousness, and about their relation to evolutionary theory.

Last update: UFRHILL (25.01.2013)

Course completion requirements

Completion of the course, and eligibility for a grade, involves two basic requirements:

(1) Attendance at the seminars each week (only three absences will be acceptable).

(2) A short essay (2,000 words minimum) on a topic from the course, the subject of which will be agreed with myself by April 22nd, and which will be handed in by June 3rd. The essay should be delivered as hard copy (electronic versions sent by e-mail are not acceptable). The essay can be written in either English or Czech.

Last update: UFRHILL (25.01.2013)

Literature

Bibliography

 

Key texts:

Nagel, Thomas, Mind and Cosmos, Oxford University Press, 2012

Dennett, Daniel, Darwins Dangerous Idea, Penguin, 1995

 

Also of interest:

Bergson, Henri, l'évolution créatrice, 1907

Dawkins, Richard, The Blind Watchmaker, Penguin, 1986

Dennett, Daniel, Conscousness Explained, Penguin, 1991

Jonas, Hans, The Phenomenon of Life, Northwestern University Press, 1966

Nagel, Thomas, Mortal Questions, CUP, 1979

Nagel, Thomas, The View from Nowhere, OUP, 1986

Nagel, Thomas, The Last Word, OUP, 1997

Michael Ruse, Darwinism and its Discontents, Cambridge University Press, 2006

Strawson, Galen. ‘Real Materialism’, In Antony and Hornstein (ed), Chomsky and His Critics, pp. 49-88

 

Last update: UFRHILL (25.01.2013)