Assignment: Longer Paper

Philosophy 355: Philosophy of Mind and Metaphysics

 

Tim Black

California State University, Northridge

Spring 2004

 

1. The problem of qualia (see Kims Philosophy of Mind, pp. 172-4) is supposed to establish a form of dualism, namely, property dualism. You may write a paper in which you determine whether the problem of qualia does in fact establish property dualism.

 

2. The problem of qualia (see Kims Philosophy of Mind, pp. 172-4) is supposed to establish a form of dualism, namely, property dualism. You may write a paper in which you determine how property dualism fares with respect to a problem associated with substance dualism, e.g., the problem of mental causation.

 

3. The Psychoneural Identity Theory (PIT) maintains that mental states (and mental events) are identical to physical processes in the brain. We can understand the PIT either in a weaker waytoken physicalismor in a stronger waytype physicalism. The problem of multiple realizability, however, is supposed to show that we should reject type physicalism. You may write a paper in which you determine whether the problem of multiple realizability does in fact show that we should reject type physicalism.

 

4. The Psychoneural Identity Theory (PIT) maintains that mental states (and mental events) are identical to physical processes in the brain. We can understand the PIT either in a weaker waytoken physicalismor in a stronger waytype physicalism. In class, well discuss some problems with token physicalism (and see p. 61 of Kims Philosophy of Mind). You may write a paper in which you determine whether these problems do in fact show that we should reject token physicalism.

 

5. One implication of functionalism (and, in particular, machine functionalism) is that a digital computer running an appropriately complex program would have genuine mental states and properties. In Computing Machinery and Intelligence, Alan Turing proposes the famous Turing Test for determining whether a computer has genuine intelligence, but in Minds, Brains, and Programs, John Searle criticizes the Turing Test as failing to offer a sufficient condition for mentality. You may write a paper in which you determine whether Searles criticisms do in fact show that the Turing Test is flawed.

 

6. You may write a paper in which you determine whether a well known criticism of functionalismin papers like, for example, Ned Blocks Troubles with Functionalism, Thomas Nagels What Is It Like To Be a Bat?, and Frank Jacksons Epiphenomenal Qualia and What Mary Didnt Knowdoes in fact show that functionalism (or that physicalism in general) should be rejected.

 

 

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