PH 170: Philosophy of Mind

As the scientific study of the human mind, psychology arose from philosophy. In this course, we will study the historical background and current broader context for psychology by examining philosophical views of the human mind. We will focus on (1) the nature of the self, including the mind-body problem and personal identity, (2) the selfs ways of knowing and communicating, including sensation, perception, imagination, understanding, thinking, and language, and (3) the self's awareness, that is, consciousness. What is the human mind? How does the human mind know? What does human language reveal about the human mind? What is human consciousness? These are the primary questions we will consider in reading traditional and recent works in philosophy of mind.