Philosophy 3

Human beings have minds, and probably so do many non-human animals. But things like rocks and rugs do not. Why are minds distributed throughout the world in this way?

The course will explore different answers to this question. In the first block, we will ask whether the mind is its own substance, distinct from the physical world; and we will subsequently consider what kinds of configurations of physical substance might be correctly identified with the mind. In particular, we will ask whether the mind is most plausibly identified with physical, behavioral, or functional states.

In the second block, we will first focus on questions of personal identity and its relation to the mind. Are you (just) your mind? What are the mind’s identity conditions? Then we will discuss knowledge of other minds, looking at both practical and theoretical approaches to this question. The final topic will be animal minds; discussion will center around animal consciousness and reasoning.