Metaphysics and Philosophy of Mind

The course gives an introduction to metaphysics and philosophy of mind. Metaphysics concerns the fundamental nature and structure of reality. Philosophy of mind addresses basic questions about consciousness, thought, emotions, etc.: both concerning what the phenomena of mind are in the their own right, and how they relate to physical reality.

Metaphysics have been a central philosophical discipline since Antiquity. Metaphysics seeks to answer, among other things, whether reality merely consists of particulars, or whether it also contains universal traits; how things persist over time, and the nature time itself, e.g. whether the temporal dimension of reality is fundamentally like, or unlike, spatial dimensions. Other topics in metaphysics include the nature of causal connections and laws of nature, and the possibility of free will.

Philosophy of mind has been a highly active field of philosophical research over the last five decades, in part because the relation between consciousness and physical reality has been regarded as a still-to-be-resolved scientific riddle, and because the seemingly inevitably subjective character of consciousness amounts (some would argue) to an obstacle in the way of an objective study of consciousness.

According to the course curriculum, a candidate who passes this course is expected to have the following learning outcome (defined as knowledge and skills):

Knowledge:

• has knowledge of, and a basic understanding of, selected metaphysical issues, concepts, views, and theories.
• has knowledge of, and a basic understanding of, central questions in the philosophy of mind, and representative theories or views on these matters (e.g physicalism, functionalism, and different versions of dualism).
• has knowledge of, and a basic understanding of, how metaphysical and philosophical questions concern the basis for, or the possibility of, a scientific exploration of reality, in general, or of consciousness, in particular.

Skills:

• can read professional-level philosophical writings within metaphysics and philosophy of mind, with a basic understanding of the conclusions these writings seek to defend, and the arguments they present.
• can ask metaphysical and philosophical questions, can identify relevant issues or considerations bearing on such questions, and has a basic ability to critically evaluate metaphysical and philosophical arguments presented in philosophical writing.
• can write texts that present metaphysical or philosophical questions and present or evaluate arguments for candidate answers to such questions.

Lectures and self-study.

In order to sit the exam, a multiple-choise test must be approved. For more information on the obligatory activity, see the Learning Management System. The obligatory activity can only be approved during the semestere the course is taught but is valid for this and the subsequent semester.