Download paper-topics-phl-220 - Barbara Gail Montero

Final Paper Topics and Grading Rubric
PHL 220
For your final paper, please choose one of the below topics. Papers should be 6-8 pages, 12 point
font double spaced. They should be emailed to me by 6pm on 12/14. (I’ll be adding a couple
more as the semester progresses.) My grading rubric is as follows:
1. Does the paper have the basics: descriptive title (5), right length and font size (10), free from
excessive careless errors (10)? 20 points
2. Has the student answered each part of the question? 15 points
3. Does the essay reveal an understanding of the topic? Does the essay indicate that the student
has done the assigned readings and thought about them and understood them (10)? Does the
essay include at least one quote from each of the readings with a citation, and are those quotes
introduced and explained (10)? 20 points
4. Is the essay well written? Is the first sentence engaging (5)? (5) Does each paragraph have a
point? (10) Does each sentence make sense? (10) 25 points
5. Does the student provide reasons and/or facts in order to support his or her claims? 20
TOPICS and READINGS
1. The Mind Body Problem and Dualism
Question:
What is the mind-body problem? How does Descartes solve it? Explain one of his arguments for
dualism and analyze its strength. Is it valid? Is it sound? Explain your answer. What is Princess
Elizabeth’s criticism of Descartes’ argument? How does he respond? Is his response adequate?
Why or why not?
Readings:
Reread my chapter 1 and 2.
Read Descartes’ 6th Meditation. You can find both the 5th and 6th at the link below, but you need
only read the 6th: http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/descartes1641_3.pdf
Read Princess Elizabeth’s correspondence with Descartes. I’m linking to a page with many of
her letters, but you need only read the letter under “Elisabeth writes on 10.vi.1643” and
Descartes’ response to it. (Her letter starts on page 4 of the document/ page 7 of the PDF):
http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/descartes1643_1.pdf
Listen to a BBC radio program on the Mind-Body Problem:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003k9b8
2. The Problem of Other Minds and Behaviorism
Question:
What is the problem of other minds and why, according to Ryle, does dualism lead to it? Is Ryle
right about this? Why or why not? How is behaviorism a solution to the problem of other
minds? Is the solution worth the cost? (In other words, is accepting behaviorism perhaps worse
than accepting that there is a problem of other minds?) What is Russell’s solution to the problem
of other minds? Is it any good?
Readings:
Reread chapter 2 of my book.
Read Chapter one, from The Concept of Mind. Here is a link to the entire book, but you need
only read Chapter one:
http://s-f-walker.org.uk/pubsebooks/pdfs/Gilbert_Ryle_The_Concept_of_Mind.pdf
Read about some problems for Behaviorism:
http://www.philosophyonline.co.uk/oldsite/pom/pom_behaviourism_problems.htm
Listen/watch a video on Ryle’s “Ghost in the Machine”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCCnCdNNR3g
Read Bertrand Russell’s “Analogy”:
http://michaeljohnsonphilosophy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Russell_analogy_anglais.pdf
3. Can Science Explain Consciousness?
Question:
What is consciousness and could there ever be a scientific explanation of it? Does introspection
tell you all there is to know about consciousness or only part of the story? Or might it be that
introspection is entirely misguided and consciousness is an illusion?
Readings:
Reread Chapter 6 of my book.
Read “The Puzzle of Conscious Experience” by David Chalmers:
http://consc.net/papers/puzzle.pdf
Read “Eliminative Materialism” by Paul Churchland:
http://philosophyfaculty.ucsd.edu/faculty/rarneson/Courses/churchlandphil1reading.pdf
Listen/Watch: David Chalmers’, “How do you explain Consciousness”:
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_chalmers_how_do_you_explain_consciousness?language=en
Listen/Watch: Daniel Dennett’s, “The illusion of consciousness”
https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_dennett_on_our_consciousness?language=en
4. Can Computers think and understand?
Question: Some have thought that if a computer can pass the Turing test, then it can think and
has understanding of language. What is the Turning test? And is passing the Turing test suffient
for showing that a computer can think? Explain and discuss John Searle’s Chinese Room
argument and it’s relation to the Turing test. Is his argument valid? Is it sound? Explain what he
refers to as the “systems reply.” Explain and discuss Searle’s response to it. If computers do
have thoughts and understanding should we be worried that they could get smarter than we are?
Might this lead to any ethical problems?
Read:
Reread Chapter 7 of my book
John Searle’s “Minds, brains and programs”:
http://cogprints.org/7150/1/10.1.1.83.5248.pdf
Marcus du Sautoy’s Can computers have true artificial intelligence?
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-17547694
Listen/watch Nick Bostrom’s What Happens When Computers get smarter than we are?
https://www.ted.com/talks/nick_bostrom_what_happens_when_our_computers_get_smarter_tha
n_we_are
5. What is matter?
Question: Philosophers have long been puzzled about how the mind could fit into the material
world. But what exactly is the material (or physical) world? What was Descartes’ answer to this
question? And why do we no longer accept it? What, if anything, has replaced it? Discuss the
different ways we use the term “matter” in every day contexts, scientific contexts and
philosophical contexts. What is Hempel’s dilemma for those who define matter in terms of what
physics tells us about the world? Is this dilemma fatal?
Read:
Reread chapter 8 of my book
Read the power point slides of my talk, “What is Matter?”
Read “The Body Problem” (email me for access).