PH998-30 Topics in Philosophy of Mind and Language
Introductory description
PH998 Topics in Philosophy of Mind and Language
Module aims
There is increasing interest in recent years in the role played by the fact that we are social creatures in determining the nature of our mental lives. We will be concerned with distinguishing strengths of claim in this area and focusing in particular on strong anti-individualism-- understood as the claim that our mental lives are, in various ways, essentially social. Phenomena we will be looking at may include: joint attention; joint action; knowledge and understanding of other minds; theories of communication, and its role in making thought possible; The main aim is to engage in detail with some arguments that have played a central role in contemporary discussions.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
The questions that will guide us throughout include:
What does it take to support strongly anti individualist explanations of our mental lives?
What is the effect of adopting strong anti-individualism on the account we should give of, among other things: i. the nature of self-awareness and knowledge, and its relation to our awareness and knowledge of others; ii. the role of communication in enabling knowledge and understanding of others, and ourselves;.
How should we explain the sense in which episodes of joint attention, and joint action, involve the 'sharing ' of experiences and intentions? What is the role of . joint attention and joint action in shaping our mental lives?
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- By the end of the module the student should have advanced knowledge and understanding of some current key issues that arise in the areas of philosophy of mind and philosophy of language.
- By the end of the module the student should be able to demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of some complex texts in the areas of the philosophy of mind and language covered in the module.
- By the end of the module students should be able to present views and arguments and develop original critical assessments of those arguments orally and in writing.
Indicative reading list
The questions that will guide us throughout include:
What does it take to support strongly anti individualist explanations of these phenomena?
What does it take to support treating such phenomena, thus explained, as constitutive of our mental lives in general?
Particular readings will be suggested for each session. Useful background reading:
Michael Tomasello. (2019) Becoming Human: A Theory of Ontogeny
Tomasello, M., & Rakoczy, H. (2003). What makes human cognition unique? From
Individual to shared to collective intentionality. Mind & Language, 18(2), 121-147.
Eilan, N., Hoerl, C., McCormack, T., & Roessler, J. (Eds.). (2005). Joint attention: Communication and other minds: Issues in philosophy and psychology. Clarendon Press/Oxford University
Moran, Richard. (2019)The Exchange of Words: Speech, Testimony, and Intersubjectivity OUP
Eilan, N. (2014). Special issue: The second person. Philosophical Explorations, 17(3), 265–387.
Interdisciplinary
Writings by a selection of developmetnal psychologists will be discussed in the seminar
Subject specific skills
i) The ability to understand philosophical issues and arguments
(ii) The ability to critically engage with philosophical ideas and arguments
(iii) The ability to articulate philosophical issues and arguments
(iv) The ability to read philosophical texts, including an ability to understand and explain technical philosophical vocabulary from these historical texts, and debates about interpretation of certain key terms.
Transferable skills
(i) The ability to communicate information (verbally and in written form) to people both expert and non-expert in the field.
(ii) The ability to analyse, evaluate, critique and apply complex information gathered from reading, reflection, reasoning or communication.
(iii) The ability to effectively manage schedules and deadlines
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 9 sessions of 1 hour (3%) |
| Seminars | 9 sessions of 1 hour (3%) |
| Private study | 282 hours (94%) |
| Total | 300 hours |
Private study description
No private study requirements defined for this module.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Students can register for this module without taking any assessment.
Assessment group A2
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7500 word essay | 100% | Yes (extension) |
Feedback on assessment
Feedback on essays will be provided on the coversheet for the essay, addressing standard areas
of evaluation and individual content.
Courses
This module is Option list A for:
-
TPHA-V7PN Postgraduate Taught Philosophy and the Arts
- Year 1 of V7PN Philosophy and the Arts
- Year 2 of V7PN Philosophy and the Arts