Mind n Morality (1 Viewer)

[LiveUrLife93]

Hey guys

Anyone doing mind n morality 2009?

if so what school?

 

[LiveUrLife93]

umm feb i think n at north sydney girls

any tips?

 

[lyounamu]

here's a basic summary of the course - the topics we worked on every couple of weeks:

1.Mental States
2.Cartesian Dualism
3.Materialism and Numerical Identity
4.Locke on Personal Identity
5.Psychological Continuity vs Bodily Continuity
6.Essences and Functions
7.Identity Theory vs Functionalism
8.Artificial Intelligence
9.Ethics, God and Self-Interest
10.Metaethics and Cultural Relativism
11.Cultural Relativism Assessed
12.Hume, Reason and Passion
13.The Natural and The Good
14.Kant’s Ethics
15.Kant, Consequentialism and Non-consequentialism
16.How Moral Should We Be
17.Ethics in the Media

and some example essay questions:

1st Essay Questions
1) What reasons do we have for believing that our mental states are actually physical brain states? Do dualists have good arguments against materialism? Is dualism or materialism the more plausible theory of mind?

2) Cartesian dualists claim that even though mental states have no spatial location, they cause our bodies to move around. Why is this claim controversial? Is there reason to believe that the Cartesian dualists' claim is true?

3) How have dualists tried to explain the apparent two-way causal interaction between mind and body? Which version of dualism – Cartesian dualism, parallelism, or epiphenomenalism – is the most plausible theory of mind?

4) Some dualists suggest that as we get better at neuroscience and physics we will discover evidence that dualism is true or evidence that it is false. What evidence are they talking about? Other dualists say that there is nothing neuroscientists or physicists could discover that would show that dualism is false, and hence dualism is not scientifically testable. What justification could they have for making this claim?
Which of these two stances should dualists adopt?


2nd Essay Questions
1. What is Locke's theory of personal identity? Why and how does Parfit revise Locke's view? Does Parfit's version escape the objections raised by Reid and Butler?
2. In so-called 'body swap' scenarios, do persons really swap bodies? How else might the event be described? Which description is the right one? (if you like, choose a fictional example of a so-called body swap to illustrate your argument.)
3. If your know you have severe Alzheimer's that will destroy your memories and other distinctive mental states, how do you regard the person who will inherit your body? Is that person you? What does this reveal about philosophical theories of personal identity?
4. Imagine that you are asked to take Britney's CD "Hit Me Baby One More Time" and the Mona Lisa with you in a teletransporter to Xanex. Would you survive the journey? Would the song survive the journey? Would the Mona Lisa survive the journey?
5. Scientists claim that water = H2O. Suppose that a neuroscientist claimed that pain = the firing of c-fibres. How would a functionalist argue against the neuroscientist's claim? What does this dispute reveal about the essence of mental states?
6. What is the inverted spectrum argument, and why is it taken to be an argument against functionalism? How should functionalists respond?
7. Could a robot possess genuine understanding and intelligence? Discuss with relation to Searle's Chinese Room thought experiment.

i'm sorry but i really can't be bothered typing out the possible questions for essay 3 tonight coz there's about 10 of them. anyway, if you want anything else, just let me know
__________________

This is a "brief" lecture that Rebekkie sent through private message about the Mind and Morality program.

Have a read, I think this explains what Mind & Morality is very well.

 

[imsopostmodern]

glad to see they keep the notes exactly the same each year. LOL. i have further lecture notes and essays that got 80+% if people are interested.

liveurlife - are you an nsg? if not, the nsg's doing m&m next year are pretty cool so talk to them (and don't be like my lot where our first term was REALLY awkward and almost no one talked to anyone else from outside their school)

 

[LiveUrLife93]

wow thanks lyounamu vbmenu_register("postmenu_4016977", true); n sikhman you guys were heaps helpful now i know who to ask if i get a bit stuck lol. My bro bought me the book Sophie's world its like an introduction into philosophy...you guys read it?

ohh n i got to PLC so dnt reli know anyone at NSG but have a couple of mates at NSB..but thanks for the advice il make sure i talk even though im a bit

 

[chichichip]

Blah. I was going to do Mind and Morality, but thought it was a waste of time and money because I had absolutley ZILCH intention of doing an arts degree at usyd...
And btw liveurlife, I go to NSG if that helps...

 

[chichichip]

you can use it in other degrees

and i reckon you could get the credit transferred to other unis anyway...

and plus....philosophy is interesting

Meh, too late anyway.

 

[Misericorde]

I'm doing it at NSG. A lot of my subjects (English, Ancient History, VA) are very analytical and essay-based, so I think it'll be useful.

 

[LiveUrLife93]

Blah. I was going to do Mind and Morality, but thought it was a waste of time and money because I had absolutley ZILCH intention of doing an arts degree at usyd...
And btw liveurlife, I go to NSG if that helps...

ohh reli! any of ur mates doing it? neither do i lol i wanna do med but yeh its interestin n helps with essay writin

 

[LiveUrLife93]

I'm doing it at NSG. A lot of my subjects (English, Ancient History, VA) are very analytical and essay-based, so I think it'll be useful.

ahh cool il see you there lol what school u at?