Philosophy of Mind
Code
711031057
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas
Department
Filosofia
Credits
6
Teacher in charge
Nuno Carlos Venturinha
Weekly hours
4
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
1. Gain general information about the fundamental problems currently dealt with in the philosophy of mind.
2. Relate the problems of current philosophy of mind to some of the traditional questions of the theory of knowledge and philosophical psychology.
3. Understand the problems of the brain/mind relations in the light of the most recent data of neuroscience.
Prerequisites
Not applicable.
Subject matter
Concepts of Mind
The concept mind has a history in the Western tradition which needs to be appreciated if one wants to understand current issues in the philosophy of mind and psychology. We shall begin with classic views about psyché paying particular attention to Aristotles De anima. We shall then move to Descartes reflections on the workings of the mind (mens), especially in the Meditations on First Philosophy. We shall then see how Husserl´s phenomenological psychology responds to Cartesian dualism in the Cartesian Meditations. The final stage of the course will be devoted to other criticisms of Cartesian dualism, namely Ryle´s in The Concept of Mind and Wittgensteins in his post-metaphysical philosophy of psychology, each of which has exerted a profound influence on contemporary approaches to the phenomenon of mind.
Bibliography
ARISTÓTELES, Peri psyches / On the Soul, in On the Soul Parva Naturalia On Breath, tr. W. S. Hett, Aristotle in Twenty-Three Volumes, vol. VIII, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 1936, pp. 1-203; Sobre a Alma, tr. A. M. Lóio, Obras Completas de Aristóteles, vol. III, t. I, Lisboa, Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda, 2010.
DESCARTES, R., Meditationes de prima philosophia, OEuvres de Descartes, vol. VII, ed. C. Adam / P. Tannery, Paris, Vrin, 1973; Meditations on First Philosophy, tr. M. Moriarty, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2008; Meditações sobre a Filosofia Primeira, tr. Gustavo de Fraga, Coimbra, Almedina, 1992.
HUSSERL, E., Cartesianische Meditationen und Pariser Vorträge, ed. S. Strasser, Husserliana, vol. 1, The Hague, Martinus Nijhoff, 1950; Cartesian Meditations, tr.D. Cairns, The Hague, Martinus Nijhoff, 1960; Meditações Cartesianas e Conferências de Paris, tr. P. M. S. Alves, Obras de Edmund Husserl, Lisboa, Centro de Filosofia da Universidade de Lisboa, 2010.
RYLE, G., The Concept of Mind, 60th Anniversary Edition, London, Routledge, 2009.
WITTGENSTEIN, L., Letzte Schriften über die Philosophie der Psychologie / Last Writings on the Philosophy of Psychology, 2 vols., ed. G. H. von Wright / H. Nyman, tr. C. G. Luckhardt / M. A. E. Aue, Oxford, Blackwell, 1982-1992; Últimos Escritos sobre a Filosofia da Psicologia, tr. A. Marques / N. Venturinha / J. T. Proença, Lisboa, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 2007.
Teaching method
The method adopted for the class will combine exposition of the readings and commentaries on them along with discussion of student papers.
Evaluation method
Besides a final exam (60%), each student is required to write a paper to be presented and discussed in class (40%).