Overview
The foundation and development of modern philosophy of mind and language in the second half of the twentieth century, and the radical effects these developments have had on modern analytic philosophy.
This paper introduces students to some of the most important concepts, problems, and theories that have shaped philosophy over the last century. Specifically, this paper introduces students to the main issues in the philosophy of language and mind that have been much in vogue since the early 20th Century.
About this paper
| Paper title | Philosophy of Mind and Language |
|---|---|
| Subject | Philosophy |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 1 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $1,040.70 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- One PHIL paper or 72 points
- Restriction
- PHIL 224, PHIL 302, PHIL 306, PHIL 324 and PHIL 333
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music
- Contact
- More information link
View more information on the Philosophy Programme's website.
- Teaching staff
- Paper Structure
PHIL 233 comprises a combination of lectures and seminars. Topics covered may include:
Mind
- Physicalism and its rivals
- Perception and thought
- Intentionality and consciousness
- Mental causation
- Other minds
- Self-knowledge
- The mind-body problem
- Theories of the mind (including dualism, materialism, functionalism and eliminativism)
- Whether the human mind can be regarded as a kind of computer
- Theories of mental representation
- Physicalism and consciousness
Language
- Meaning, connotation and reference
- Analyticity
- Singular terms: definite descriptions, proper names and indexicals
- Natural kinds
- Indeterminacy of translation and meaning
- Pragmatics and speech acts
- Expressive Language
- Metaphors and figurative language
- Teaching Arrangements
Two classes per week: one 2-hour lecture and one 1-hour lecture.
The classes mix more formal lecture components with less formal seminar components.
- Textbooks
Tim Bayne, Philosophy of Mind: An Introduction (Routledge 2021)
https://www.routledge.com/Philosophy-of-Mind-An-Introduction/Bayne.Tim Crane, The Mechanical Mind: A Philosophical Introduction to Minds, Machines and Mental Representation (3rd Edition Routledge 2016).
Saul Kripke, Naming and Necessity: 50th Anniversary Edition, Wiley Blackwell (24 December 2024).
Saul Kripke, Reference and Existence: The John Locke Lectures, Oxford University Press (2013).
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Ethics, Research, Self-motivation.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
The goals for the first half of the paper are:
- Understanding, and skilled appraisal, of the main physicalist accounts of the mind, shown in a research essay or exam answer
- Understanding of, and skilled response to, key issues concerning consciousness or intentionality, shown in a research essay or exam answer
- Understanding of, and skilled response to, key issues concerning perception, thought, mental causation, other minds, and self-knowledge, shown in a research essay or exam answer
The goals for the second half of the paper are:
- Understanding of, and skilled response to, some of the central developments in the philosophy of language (including theories of reference, meaning and pragmatics) shown in a research essay or exam answer
- Engagement with PHIL 233, demonstrated in written work through engagement with lecture handouts
- Assessment details
Internal Assessments
- Short Tests = 20%
- Long Test 1 = 40%
- Long Test 2 = 40%