| Credit |
6 points |
| Availability |
Semester 2 (see Timetable) |
| Old unit code |
130.265 |
| Outcomes |
This unit is normally available every year. 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 owner) have to house the capacity to feel such things as pleasure and pain? Must it be able to think—indeed what is it to have a thought about something such as a unicorn? Can we ever tell if a machine is conscious—and what is consciousness? Must something be conscious for it to have a mind? Consciousness is one of the biggest remaining mysteries in the world today and this unit addresses questions which enable us to think about the issue more clearly. |
| Content |
This unit is an introduction to the philosophy of mind. It looks at different theories of how the mind stands in relation to the body and brain—is it a part of the physical body or of a different substance altogether? Is there a soul? This impacts on whether machines can think and indeed, on the very nature of mind. Could we tell if a machine were conscious or feeling pain? What, indeed, is consciousness—can it be fitted into a scientific picture of the world? |
| Assessment |
This comprises a 1000-word précis of a specified significant journal article, a 1600-word essay, tutorial contribution, and a two-hour examination comprising two questions. No overlap of topics is allowed.
Supplementary assessment is not available in this unit except in the case of a bachelor's pass degree student who has obtained a mark of 45 to 49 and is currently enrolled in this unit, and it is the only remaining unit that the student must pass in order to complete their course. |
| Unit Co-ordinator(s) |
Dr Nin Kirkham |
| Location |
UWA (Crawley) |
| Mode |
on-campus |
| Unit Rules |
| Prerequisites: 12 points of Level 1 philosophy or a credit grade or higher in PSYC1101 Psychology: Mind and Brain and 12 points of Level 1 units in any other Arts discipline |
Contact hours—lectures: 2 hrs per week; tutorials: 1 hr per week for 10 weeks
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- The availability of units in Semester 1, 2, etc. was correct at the time of going to press but may be subject to change.
- Assistance with study skills, including English language skills, is available free of charge from Student Services for all enrolled students (see http://www.studentservices.uwa.edu.au/ss/learning). Student Services location: Second Floor, South Wing, Guild Village; telephone: 6488 2423.
- Books and other materials wherever listed may be subject to change. Book lists relating to 'Preliminary Reading', 'Recommended Reading' and 'Textbooks' are, in most cases, available at the University Co-operative Bookshop (from early January) and appropriate administrative offices for students to consult. For first-year units the Bookshop will endeavour to make available photocopies of book lists for individual units. Books marked with an asterisk (*) are available in paperback.
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