Who are we?

That’s the question at the heart of the field of Philosophy of Mind and the study of consciousness. It has also been a central question in several of our fiction readings: especially “Exhalation” and Out of the Silent Planet. In class, however, we’ve only gestured at these debates in Philosophy of Mind. Today, we dive into them.

Our discussion will also lead into another important, relevant, and timely topic: the distinction between science and pseudoscience.

Philosophy Readings

There are two readings for today. It is a textbook chapter written by Vukov. As you read, pay special attention to the discussions of substance dualism and physicalism. That’s where we will be focusing our attention in class.

The second is a classic essay in Philosophy of Mind, Thomas Nagel’s “What is it like to be a bat?” As you read, think about the central point of the article, and what theories of mind and consciousness it is challenging. Note, too, that while Nagel is not a substance dualist, he also finds physicalism and unsatisfying.

Science Readings

This is an odd one as it’s a bit of explanatory material from Dr. Susan Blackmore’s book, Consciousness: A very short introduction. All you have to do is read chapter 1! OR, if you prefer, you could simply listen to Dr. Blackmore propose several consciousness-related questions in this video!

We’ll also be covering some pseudoscience!

In class we’ll be workshopping some red flags to watch for when assessing whether someone is attempting to pull a fast one and present things as scientific, when they are not!

Fiction Reading

Start All Systems Red, by Martha Wells. It is a short book, so we’re covering it all in one week!