| Teaching Assistant | Course Description | Course Requirements |
| Exam Procedures | Course Schedule | Electronic Reserve |
| Paper-Writing Tips | Sample Paper Topics | Final Paper Rubric |
Teaching Assistant: Adam Pringle
Office address and phone: DuSable 146, 753-0418
Office hours: W 3:30-4:45 and F 12:00-1:15
E-Mail: apringle@niu.edu
An historical survey of attempts to solve the traditional mind-body problem, which concerns the nature of the relation between mental and physical phenomena. We will critically evaluate proposed solutions to this problem by examining their treatment of the phenomena of consciousness, subjectivity, and the qualitative character of experience.
Plagiarism Statement: "The attempt of any student to present as his or her own work that which he or she has not produced is regarded by the faculty and administration as a serious offense. Students are considered to have cheated if they copy the work of another during an examination or turn in a paper or an assignment written, in whole or in part, by someone else. Students are guilty of plagiarism, intentional or not, if they copy material from books, magazines, or other sources or if they paraphrase ideas from such sources without acknowledging them. Students guilty of, or assisting others in, either cheating or plagiarism on an assignment, quiz, or examination may receive a grade of F for the course involved and may be suspended or dismissed from the university." Northern Illinois University Undergraduate Catalog.
All readings are available through Electronic Reserve (password-protected link above). Assigned readings are to be completed for the date indicated, not for the following class period. Dates are links to password-protected lecture notes for that day's class.
| M 8-22 | Introduction (no reading) |
Dualism
| W 8-24 | Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy, First and Second Meditations; Principles of Philosophy, First Philosophy, secs. A and F. |
| M 8-29 | Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy, Sixth Meditation; Principles of Philosophy, First Philosophy, secs. L, M, P, and T. |
| W 8-31 | Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Book II, chaps. I (secs. 1-13), II, III, V, VI, VII (secs. 1-6), XI, and XX (sec. 1) |
| M 9-5 | NO CLASS |
| W 9-7 | Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Book III, chaps. I, II, III (secs. 1-8), and IV |
Philosophical Behaviorism
| M 9-12 | Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, secs. 243-316 |
| W 9-14 | Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, secs. 243-316 |
| M 9-19 | Ryle, The Concept of Mind, Introduction and Chap. I |
| W 9-21 | Ryle, The Concept of Mind, Chap. V (secs. 1-4) |
| M 9-26 | EXAM |
| W 9-28 | Ryle, The Concept of Mind, Chap. VI (secs. 1-5) |
| M 10-3 | Ryle, The Concept of Mind, Chaps. II (sec. 5), VII (secs. 1-2), and VIII (secs. 1-4) |
The Identity Theory
| W 10-5 | Place, "Is Consciousness a Brain Process?" |
| M 10-10 | Smart, "Sensations and Brain Processes" |
| W 10-12 | Smart, "Sensations and Brain Processes" |
Functionalism
| M 10-17 | Armstrong, "The Nature of Mind" |
| W 10-19 | Lewis, "Mad Pain and Martian Pain" |
Eliminative Materialism
| M 10-24 | Rorty, "The Antipodeans" and "Mind-Body Identity, Privacy, and Categories" (secs. 1-3) |
| W 10-26 | EXAM |
The Challenge to Materialism
| M 10-31 | Nagel, "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?" |
| W 11-2 | Jackson, "Epiphenomenal Qualia" |
The Functionalist Response
| M 11-7 | Lewis, "What Experience Teaches" |
The Eliminativist Response
| W 11-9 | Churchland, "Reduction, Qualia, and the Direct Introspection of Brain States" |
| M 11-14 | Churchland, "Reduction, Qualia, and the Direct Introspection of Brain States" |
| W 11-16 | Jackson, "What Mary Didn't Know" and Churchland, "Knowing Qualia: A Reply to Jackson" |
| M 11-21 | Dennett, "Quining Qualia" |
| W 11-23 | NO CLASS |
| M 11-28 | Dennett, "Quining Qualia" |
Mysterianism
| W 11-30 | McGinn, "Can We Solve the Mind-Body Problem?" |
| M 12-5 | EXAM (2:00-3:50 p.m.) |