Philosophy of Mind

Philosophy of Mind
Question: Do we have good reason to think that consciousness is not physical?
Answer with reference to one of the following arguments: Nagel’s ‘what it is like’ argument, Jackson’s knowledge argument, or Chalmers’ zombie argument.

Suggested structure:
• Choose one of the three arguments against physicalism studied in class: Nagel, Jackson, or Chalmers
• Give an outline of the argument
• Identify one or more objection to the argument (either objections you have identified yourself, or objections that someone else in the literature has identified)
• Clearly state the nature and implications of the objections, evaluating their impact on the argument
• Anticipate what counter arguments could be offered by the argument’s proponent, and evaluate them
• State your conclusions

Approach:
• You must engage with your chosen argument as put forward in the original paper (all three are on SmartSite): your outline of the argument must be based on what its proponent actually wrote, rather than on secondary sources (other reading, the class slides).
• You must demonstrate your understanding of the argument: do not rely on direct quotes from the original paper. If you quote material you must analyse it to show that you have understood it.
• The objections you consider need not be original: you can engage with an objection made in the literature, as long as you demonstrate your understanding of what the objection is and how it causes a problem for the argument.
• Whether you focus on one objection or more will depend on which argument you’re focusing on, and which objections. Don’t try to cover more than one objection if you don’t have the space to do so adequately.

Help with writing a philosophy paper
The following websites give excellent advice on writing philosophy papers.
http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/writing.html
http://www.sfu.ca/philosophy/resources/writing.html
http://philosophy.fas.harvard.edu/files/phildept/files/brief_guide_to_writing_philosophy_paper.pdf
http://www1.cmc.edu/pages/faculty/AKind/Intro01s/writing.htm