B027811 - ADVANCED TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY OF MIND

italian or english upon request of the students.

Mind and Nature

What is a mental state? What is its place in nature?

The class aims at introducing students to naturalism in philosophy of mind. Notably, students will be trained to categorize theoretical problems concerning the naturalization of the concept of mental states as understood by several philosophical traditions of the past 30 years.

Articles among those that will be introduced during classes. The articles will be available starting from the first lesson.

Knowledge: the course aims to provide students with an adequate knowledge of the basic concepts and problems of philosophy of mind, with a particular focus on the aim and scope of naturalism in philosophy of mind.

Competence: students will develop the ability to comprehend problems concerning the ontological status of intentional phenomena. They will sharpen their capacities of analysis and interpretation by comparing different theoretical frameworks.

Skills: successful students will become familiar with the contemporary philosophical language, as well as with valuable bibliographic resources, crucial for understanding the debate in philosophy of mind about practical knowledge.

For students that do not know the basic notions of philosophy of mind, the following handbook are recommended:

Di Francesco, M.; Marraffa, M.; Tomasetta, A. (2017) Filosofia della Mente. Corpo, Coscienza, Pensiero. Carocci.
or in English
Kim, J. (2011) Philosophy of Mind (third edition), Westview Press.

Classes with open discussion on relevant topics (the active participation to the discussion is strongly encouraged). There will be the possibility to write a short essay on selected topics.

The final examination aims at ascertaining the student's actual level of knowledge and understanding. This is a conversation with the teacher without books and notes of about 30 minutes, focused on various topics related to the content of the course (see learning objectives). Particular attention will be addressed to the assessment of the student's abilities of contextualization and critical analysis of philosophical problems and solutions. A short essay of about 5000 words concerning a selected topic will be part of the student assessment. Through the essay the students should be able to demonstrate their capacities of analysis and interpretation by comparing different theoretical frameworks. The essay should be submitted a week before the examination date.

The course program divides into the following parts:

1) naturalism as a research program

2) intentionality: what is its place in nature?

3) intentions as biological functions

4) the enactivist's view

5) contemporary issues