PHIL 308: Metaphysics and Mind
Syllabus

Spring 2004: MWF 2:40 - 3:55, Humphrey House Lounge
Instructor: Dr. Ashley McDowell
Office: 202 Humphrey House
Office phone: 337-7077
email me
Course Website: http://kzoo.edu/~mcdowell/M&M.htm
Office Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 4 - 5, Tuesdays & Thursdays 3 - 5
and by appointment
(unless a change is announced)
M&M coffee: Thursdays, 9-10 am, The Daily Grind

Textbooks:
· Brian Cooney: The Place of Mind, 2000: Wadsworth (TPM)
· Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett: The Mind's I, 1981: Bantam (TMI)
· (optional, but recommended) Peter van Inwagen and Dean Zimmerman: Metaphysics: The Big Questions, 1998: Blackwell (MTBQ)

Course Description
This course is about philosophical issues in the areas of metaphysics and philosophy of mind, and at their intersection. Metaphysics is the study of the nature of reality, and philosophy of mind studies metaphysical issues having to do with minds. A philosophical study of these topics is one in which we give thoughtful reasons for positions on various issues. In this course, through lecture and discussion, you will learn about the views of prominent historical and contemporary philosophers on some key issues in metaphysics and mind.

In particular, we will focus on four main topics. The first issue is that of "identity" and "personal identity." This involves questions of what makes an object, and in particular a person, "the same" over time. If we replace every plank on a ship gradually, is it the same ship at the end of the process? Every molecule in your body is replaced about every seven years - are you a new person after the last molecule goes? If not, what does make you the same person - your memories, personality, a causal link to the past, or what? The second issue we'll discuss, the "mind/body problem," involves questions about the nature of mind and its relation to body. Is the mind a nonphysical soul-like entity, or is the mind the brain, or is it the software that runs on the brain's hardware, or is it something else? The next issue is really a subissue of the mind/body problem: the "problem" of consciousness. Can the qualitative part of our experience - the part involving what it feels like to be in various states - be captured in purely physical terms, or is it inescapably nonphysical? The final issue is that of free will. Does modern scientific knowledge entail that none of our actions is really free? What is it for an action to be free, anyway? What kinds of restrictions might there be on our freedom - for example, if time travel is possible, are we free to change the past?

In studying these issues we will be doing a variety of readings. Most of them will be academic philosophical articles, although some from The Mind's I will stray into supporting material from literature and science fiction. The ideas and arguments in all of the readings will be deep and challenging. You should expect to do most readings more than once. As we will discuss, there will be important interconnections and dependency relations among the readings, so you must also keep up with the reading assignments.

The class will be a combination of lecture and discussion, and all students will be expected to contribute. In-class discussions will be conducted with respect and a mutual interest in solving these problems, so that all views will be open to thoughtful criticism. We will be approaching other views - and our own - with an open-minded but critical eye. The focus will be on providing and assessing arguments for positions, to try to come to the most thoughtful position possible on these questions. Students will be evaluated on how well you have learned the views and arguments of the authors studied, and how well you formulate original arguments for your own positions.

Class Format
This class will consist of a combination of lecture and discussion. I will spend time every day taking your questions about the reading and the previous class's material, and we will then go over and talk about the current day's material. I will generally assume that you have understood the material, unless you indicate otherwise. I welcome questions, as they are one of the only ways for me to know what is unclear to you.

You will be responsible for completing the readings before each class, and for being prepared to discuss those readings. Give yourself plenty of time to do these readings carefully - again, they can be quite difficult. I may give you occasional in-class or out-of-class assignments, which will rely upon sincere attempts to understand the readings. In addition, you will write short (one-page) essays weekly, and these will be graded largely on the basis of how much you have genuinely grappled with the course material.

I expect regular attendance in this class. Although attendance makes up no official percentage of your grade, missing class will negatively affect it. Repeatedly missing class may result in a substantial lowering of your grade for the course.
There will be two avenues for further discussion of class materials: office hours and weekly lunches. Office hours are held for purposes such as discussing course materials, helping you understand readings, working on philosophical skills, and going over drafts of assignments. Please take full advantage of them. Additionally, I will be in The Daily Grind for a "Metaphysics and Mind" coffee hour every Thursday morning from 9 to 10. This weekly coffee hour is for us to informally discuss ideas brought up in class, perhaps in more depth than we can manage during class hours. Please feel free to drop by - caffeinate and philosophize yourself.

Course Requirements and Grading Scheme

Papers (75%)
You will be writing three papers for this course, of approximately 8 - 10 pages each. You will have the opportunity to choose three of four possible papers to write: the due dates will be in weeks 4, 7, 9, and 11 (exam week), and will be on topics centered around the four main segments of the course (identity, mind/body, consciousness, free will). You may only turn in three papers. Each paper will be worth 25% of your grade.

The point of these papers is to construct and present a philosophical argument for a thesis. One goal is to apply for yourself the principles of reasoning, insight, philosophical writing, and argumentation modeled and taught in this class. The other goal is to craft a carefully considered position on an issue, grappling with fundamental problems in your own way. These will not be research papers, and I actively discourage you from looking at sources other than those assigned in class.

I will be able to look at rough drafts, either turned in or during office hours; I will let you know details as the time gets nearer. I also encourage you to run rough drafts by each other or your peers at the Writing Center.

Weekly essays (15%)
Every Monday, you will turn in a one-page (double-spaced) typed essay on a topic I will give you by Friday of the previous week. These papers will generally involve you thinking about the material we've been discussing or reading in a personal way, either grappling with your own view on a topic or applying ideas from the course to things in your own life. These papers may be shared with the class, unless you ask me (on the paper) not to do so.

The point of the essays is to integrate your academic learning of the material into your personal life and thinking, and to have the experience of constructing statements of your own reactions to the topics studied. They are meant to help you see the material as relevant to your life, and to see yourself as able to take a place in the ongoing debate about philosophical issues. I will grade these on the basis of how well I see you trying to do those things, not on the basis of your ability to regurgitate facts from the readings, or parrot back to me thoughts I or the philosophers studied have expressed.

Participation and occasional in-class or out-of-class assignments (10%)
This will be a participation-intensive course. In a philosophy class of this kind, discussion is absolutely essential, and may be the way you learn most about the material. I know that participation is difficult for some people, but you can consider this a safe place to practice contributing to a group discussion, which you will surely need to do throughout your life. I will require and ensure that conversation in class, although probably critical of ideas, will not be critical of people. I expect that we will get to know each other well enough to feel comfortable talking relatively quickly. I also intend to make it apparent that you will not be thought worse of for saying anything, as long as you are speaking respectfully.

I will keep general track of your contributions in class. Keep in mind that contributions can take various forms, including asking for clarification, participation in group discussion, and giving helpful examples. Keep in mind also that more does not necessarily mean better: those who excessively dominate discussions, speak disrespectfully, or otherwise use their voices in a negative way may be penalized for doing so. If you are in doubt, ask me.

I may occasionally ask you to do an in-class or homework assignment, designed to help facilitate learning and/or discussion. I will let you know details of such assignments as they come up.

Class conduct
Class conduct does not carry an official weight in this course, but will be taken into account at final grade time. Your conduct in this class includes improvement and effort. It also includes issues of respectful behavior, such as tardiness, distracting behavior, or disrespectful behavior towards members of the class or me.

Assignment responsibilities
All assignments must be turned in as hard (paper) copies - no emailed assignments will be accepted except by special permission. It is your responsibility to retain copies of all assignments you turn in, in a reliable format. Late assignments will be assessed a grade penalty of half a grade for each day late, except in the most extreme extenuating circumstances (for instance, severe illness). The formal requirements for all assignments will be announced in detail well ahead of time, either in class, by email, on the website, or all three.

A note on changing grades: if you feel you have been assigned a grade unfairly or inaccurately, you should by all means talk to me about it. My only requirement is that you prepare an argument (a set of reasons and facts) before you do so.
A note on reading: don't succumb to the misconception that in order to read something you only have to move your eyes over the lines, or "read it out loud in your head," so to speak. What I expect is that you will read the material in a more sophisticated way, thinking as you go. You should be asking yourself the main points, making sure you understand the structure of the reading, thinking about how this reading relates to others you've done, and otherwise working to comprehend the material, not just to complete a technical "reading" of it. You might try highlighting, underlining, making marginal notes, or outlining - whatever helps you focus and understand. By the way, don't forget to read the footnotes or endnotes as well as the main text in your readings; and to read any reflections, introductions, and review questions that directly accompany the readings.

Grading scheme:
Papers: 25% each (75% total)
Weekly essays (average of all): 15%
Participation and other assignments: 10%

Academic integrity and the Honor System
"It is always important to think of the intellectual world as a community of mutual dependence, mutual helpfulness, mutual protectiveness, and common delight. We take ideas from others and we give them to others. We are indebted to others, and others are indebted to us. In sharing and acknowledging the community, we define ourselves more certainly as individuals. The ability to describe our sources is also an ability to define our own originality and our own selves. All communities depend on generosity, trust, definition, and the proper use of sources is part of the mortar that holds the community of the mind together."
- Richard Marius, Expository Writing Program, Harvard University

In this class, as in all classes at Kalamazoo College, we will be operating under the Honor System. It is important that you familiarize yourself with that system, and so I am attaching a copy of the College's statement of it. You should also familiarize yourself with proper procedures for collaborating, doing research, and citing sources. Should you have any questions about citations, plagiarism, or honor system issues, please visit or contact me.
Any assignment you turn in that I find to violate academic integrity, either through dishonesty, plagiarism, lack of appropriate citations, or unauthorized collaboration, will receive a grade of 0. Any further instance of a violation of academic integrity will be punished by a failing grade in the class as a minimum sanction.

Special needs
If you have any special needs that I can accommodate, please let me know as soon as possible.

Office hours
My office hours are posted above. They will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis, unless you make a prior appointment with me. I am also available at other times by appointment. You should feel absolutely free to come to them and discuss the course, the material, the assignments, or philosophy.

I request that each of you take a few minutes to visit me during my office hours sometime in the first week of classes. It will be an opportunity for us to chat one-on-one for the first time, and to get to know each other a bit more.

Schedule of Readings

This schedule is tentative. Any changes will be announced in class and by email, and most likely on the website as well. The reading assignments listed for each day must be completed before that class. Readings are found in your textbooks as indicated, or will be made available by handout or on the Internet.

WEEK ONE
M 3/29 Introduction to Class, Metaphysics, and Philosophy of Mind

PART ONE:
IDENTITY AND PERSONAL IDENTITY

W 3/31 Dennett, "Where Am I?" and Hawley, "Where Was I?" (TMI 13 & 14)
F 4/2 Borges, "Borges and I" (TMI 1) and Chisholm, "Identity Through Time" (MTBQ 19)
WEEK TWO
M 4/5 Locke, "Of Identity and Diversity" (TPM 29)
W 4/7 Parfit, Selections from Reasons and Persons (TPM 31), and Quine, "Identity" (MTBQ 21)
F 4/9 Lewis, "In Defense of Stages," Geach, "Some Problems about Time," and Lewis, "The Problem of Temporary Intrinsics" (MTBQ 22, 23, and 24)
WEEK THREE
M 4/12 Dennett, "Why Everyone Is a Novelist" (TPM 33)
W 4/14 Lem, "The Princess Ineffabelle" (TMI 6) and Shoemaker, "Self and Substance" (TPM 34)

PART TWO:
THE MIND/BODY PROBLEM

F 4/16 Descartes, from Meditations (TPM 1), and introduction and postscript to Ryle, "Descartes' Myth" (TPM 2)
WEEK FOUR
M 4/19 Elizabeth of Bohemia, from correspondence with Descartes (handout), and Smullyan, "An Unfortunate Dualist" (TMI 23)
W 4/21 Place, "Is Consciousness a Brain Process?" and Smart, "Sensations and Brain Processes" (TPM 5 and 6)
F 4/23 no class - Dr. McDowell out of town - but read Cooney, "Brain Events" (TPM 4)
WEEK FIVE
M 4/26 Rorty, "Mind-Body Identity, Privacy, and Categories" (TPM 8)
W 4/28 P.M. Churchland, "Eliminative Materialism" (TPM 9)
F 4/30 Armstrong, "The Nature of Mind" and Fodor, "Materialism" (TPM 10 and 11)
WEEK SIX
M 5/3 Hofstadter, "Prelude…Ant Fugue" (TMI 11)
W 5/5 Searle, "Minds, Brains, and Programs (TMI 22)

PART THREE:
THE PROBLEM OF CONSCIOUSNESS

F 5/7 Nagel, "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?" (TPM 22; also read reflections in TMI) and Jackson, "Epiphenomenal Qualia" (TPM 24)
WEEK SEVEN
M 5/10 P.S. Churchland and P.M. Churchland, "Functionalism, Qualia, and Intentionality" (TPM 25)
W 5/12 McGinn, "Can We Solve the Mind-Body Problem?" (TPM 26)
F 5/14 Chalmers, "Facing Up to the Problem of Consciousness" (TPM 27)
WEEK EIGHT
M 5/17 Loar, "Phenomenal States" (TPM 28)
W 5/19 (Day of Gracious Living? If not, adjust schedule accordingly)

PART FOUR:
FREE WILL AND DETERMINISM

F 5/21 Lewis, "The Paradoxes of Time Travel" (MTBQ 17) and Prior, "The Notion of the Present" (MTBQ 7)
WEEK NINE
M 5/24 Dawkins, "Selfish Genes and Selfish Memes" (TMI 10)
W 5/26 Hobart, "Free Will as Involving Determination and Inconceivable without It" (MTBQ 39)
F 5/28 Chisholm, "Human Freedom and the Self" (MTBQ 40)
WEEK TEN
M 5/31 Memorial Day Holiday - no class
W 6/2 van Inwagen, "The Mystery of Metaphysical Freedom" (MTBQ 41)
F 6/4 O'Connor, "The Agent as Cause" (MTBQ 42)