Spring, 2006

Mind-Body Dualism

Contact information

Office hours:Wednesdays, 1:30 - 4:00 p.m., or by appointment; Caldwell Hall 215B.E?mail:ujanel@isis.unc.edu. Web site:www.unc.edu/~ujanel/.

Written work

One short paper (1000-1250 words) on a topic of your choosing, due February 14.One term paper, due April 25.

Syllabus

[Bracketed items are recommended only.]

January 17:What is Dualism?The “Body problem.”Varieties of Dualism.Recent “naturalistic Dualism.”Reading:[Lycan, “The Mind-Body Problem,” <http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~stich/104_Master_File/104_Readings/Lycan/Mind_Body_Problem.doc>.]

Rebutting objections

January 24:Cartesian Dualism and the standard objections. Reading: Lycan, Consciousness, pp. 2-3; P.M. Churchland, Matter and Consciousness, pp. 18-21; E.W. Averill and B.F. Keating, “Does Interactionism Violate a Law of Classical Physics?” (go to http://consc.net/biblio/3.html#3.3d and click on the title there).[David Papineau, “The Rise of Physicalism,” <http://www.kcl.ac.uk/ip/davidpapineau/Staff/Papineau/OnlinePapers/Risephys.html>.]

January 31:Non-interaction; Epiphenomenalism. Reading:Jackson, “Epiphenomenal Qualia,” pp. 444-46; W.S. Robinson, “Causation, Sensations and Knowledge” (go to http://consc.net/biblio/1.html#1.4f and click on the title there).

A few Dualist arguments

February 7:Revisiting Kripke. Reading: Kripke, Naming and Necessity, pp. 329-34; Lycan, Consciousness,Ch. 2; T. Polger, Natural Minds, Ch. 2.

February 14:Jackson-Chalmers; matured Chalmers.Reading:Lycan, “Vs. a New A Priorist Argument for Dualism,” <http://www.unc.edu/~ujanel/AgAPrism.htm>; Chalmers, “Mind and Modality,” <http://consc.net/papers/mm.html>, Lecture 1; Chalmers, “Materialism and the Metaphysics of Modality,” <http://consc.net/papers/modality.html>, sec. 3.[Chalmers, “Consciousness and Its Place in Nature,” <http://consc.net/papers/nature.html>.]Short paper due.

February 21:Rosenberg.Reading: Gregg Rosenberg, A Place for Consciousness, Chs. 2 and 3.

The “naturalistic” turn

February 28:Non-Dualist quantum weirdness.Reading:Henry Stapp, “Why Classical Mechanics Cannot Accommodate Consciousness But Quantum Mechanics Can,” <http://psyche.cs.monash.edu.au/v2/psyche-2-05-stapp.html>;Kirk Ludwig, “Why the Difference Between Quantum and Classical Physics is Irrelevant to the Mind/Body Problem,” <http://psyche.cs.monash.edu.au/v2/psyche-2-16-ludwig.html>; Michael Lockwood, “Consciousness and the Quantum World: Putting Qualia on the Map.”[Quentin Smith, “Why Cognitive Scientists Cannot Ignore Quantum Mechanics.”]

March 7:Panpsychism: Chalmers, Galen Strawson.Reading:Chalmers, The Conscious Mind, Ch. 8; Lycan, “Recent Naturalistic Dualisms,” <http://www.unc.edu/~ujanel/RecDuMat.htm>; Strawson, “Realistic Monism: Why Physicalism Entails Panpsychism.” 

Nonstandard Dualist arguments

March 21:The temporal anomalies. Reading: Dennett, Consciousness Explained, Chs. 5 and 6.

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March 28:“Filling in.”Reading:V.S. Ramachandran and R.L. Gregory, “Perceptual Filling-in of Artificially Induced Scotomas in Human Vision,” <http://psy.ucsd.edu/chip/pdf/Percpt_Fill_In_Artfcl_Sctma_Nat.pdf>; Dennett, Consciousness Explained, Ch. 11.

April 4:Intentionality!Reading:Millikan, “Biosemantics,” <http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-362X%28198906%2986%3A6%3C281%3AB%3E2.0.CO%3B2-9>;  Peacocke, A Study of Concepts, Ch. 5.

April 11:Personal identity across time.Reading:Chisholm, Person and Object, selections from Ch. III; Madell, The Identity of the Self, Chs. 4 and 5. 

April 18:Freedom of the will.Reading:Clarke, “Toward a Credible Agent-Causal Account of Free Will,” < http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0029-4624%28199306%2927%3A2%3C191%3ATACAAO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-E>; O’Connor, Persons and Causes, Ch. 4.

April 25:Problems for a science of consciousness.Reading:Alvin Goldman, “Science, Publicity, and Consciousness,” < http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0031-8248%28199712%2964%3A4%3C525%3ASPAC%3E2.0.CO%3B2-H>.Term paper due.