How effective is it as an argument against physicalist theories of the mind & consciousness?
One (1) “Original Post” addressing one of the three question choices. Minimum of 250 words. Your Original Post must answer the question fully in all its parts and address possible objections to your reasoning. You must also connect your Original Post to the course by having at least one full sentence quote and citation from one of the Required Readings of the week. The quote should be word for word and contained inside quotation marks and then followed by an inline citation. Once you quote something or even reword something you did not originally write then you need to have it in a reference section at the end of the post (again in MLA format). Please refer to the following resources for help on MLA citation.
· Do not cite or use internet sources other than those provided under the Readings and Learning Materials. In other words, use only the learning materials and links provided in this course.
· DISCUSSION QUESTION CHOICE #1: Philosophical Zombies? Consider David Chalmer’s Philosophical Zombies Argument (Reading 5.2, pp. 96-102; also supplemental online material). How effective is it as an argument against physicalist theories of the mind & consciousness? Use your knowledge of the required readings, supplemental material, your own experiences and judgments to make your argument. Make sure to address possible objections to your reasoning.
· DISCUSSION QUESTION CHOICE #2: What is it like to be a Bat? Consider Thomas Nagel’s argument for the subjective nature of consciousness. (Reading 5.2, pp. 91-5; also supplemental reading of the original Nagel article and supplemental online material) How effective is it as an argument against physicalist theories of the mind & consciousness? Use your own experiences, knowledge of the readings, supplemental material, and your own judgments to make your case. Make sure to address possible objections to your reasoning.
· DISCUSSION QUESTION CHOICE #3: Mary’s Room Thought Experiment. Analyze Frank Jackson’s Mary’s Room thought experiment more in depth. (Reading 5.2, pp. 102-8; also Supplemental Online Material) How effective is it as an argument against physicalist theories of the mind & consciousness? Use your own experiences, knowledge of the readings, supplemental material, and your own judgments to make your case. Make sure to address possible objections to your reasoning.
Extra readings
1) “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2020)
A basic summary of the anti-physicalist conclusions of Thomas Nagel’s 1974 paper “What is it like to be a Bat?” with respect to explaining consciousness.
(2) Kind, Amy, “Qualia.” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Iep.utm.edu (2020)
A good overview of the definition and uses of qualia in philosophy and in theories of consciousness, including a good summary of the “hard problem” of consciousness.
(3) Tye, Michael, “Qualia.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Plato.stanford.edu (2017)
A good overview of the definition and uses of qualia in philosophy and in theories of consciousness. Article focus on linguistic uses of the term and their implications.
(4) Van Gulick, Robert, “Consciousness.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Plato.stanford.edu (2014)
An excellent overview of the concepts covered this week, in addition to several which are not touched upon, or only superficially.
