Assignments

Problem Sets

Problem Set 1 (PDF)

Problem Set 2 (PDF)

Problem Set 3 (PDF)

Problem Set 4 (PDF)

Problem Set 5 (PDF)

Problem Set 6 (PDF)

Problem Set 7 (PDF)

Problem Set 8 (PDF)

Problem Set 9 (PDF)

Problem Set 10 was to enjoy a week without a problem set

Problem Set 11 (PDF)

Problem Set 12 (PDF)

Argument Analyses

First Argument Analysis

In "Minds, Brains, and Programs" - Search for 'brain simulator' - Searle discusses the brain simulator reply to the Chinese room argument.

Write 2-3 pages providing a reconstruction and analysis of the brain simulator reply and Searle's response.

After explaining the brain simulator reply, set out Searle's response in the form of an argument: Some premises followed by a conclusion. Articulate each premise and the conclusion in no more than one sentence. Feel free to use different wording in your statement of the premises and conclusion than is provided by the text. You may need to supply premises that are not explicitly stated in the text.

Indicate for each line of the argument whether it is an assumption, or whether it is supposed to follow from earlier lines. (This should appear in parentheses after the premise.)

After stating the argument, briefly explain it in your own words, and then comment on its cogency: Are the premises plausible? Is the argument valid? If not, why not? What additional assumptions would you need for the conclusion to be entailed by the premises?

Second Argument Analysis

In "What Experience Teaches," p. 286, David Lewis sets out the Knowledge Argument ("in a simplified form").

Write 2-3 pages providing a reconstruction and analysis of Lewis's simplified form of the Knowledge Argument and his response.

Set out the Knowledge Argument in the form of a valid argument: Some premises followed by a conclusion that is entailed by them. Articulate each premise and the conclusion in no more than one sentence. Feel free to use different wording in your statement of the premises and conclusion than is provided by the text. You may need to supply premises that are not explicitly stated in the text.

Indicate for each line of the argument whether it is an assumption, or whether it is supposed to follow from earlier lines. (This should appear in parentheses after the premise.)

After stating the argument, briefly explain it in your own words. Discuss Lewis's response to the argument, and then give your own opinion: Are the premises plausible? If not, why not?

Papers

NB: No quotations, no paraphrases; Answer in your own words. Please write five pages.

First Paper

Why, according to Kripke, is it "plainly inadmissible" to accept "the Cartesian premise while denying the Cartesian conclusion"? (Be sure to explain the Cartesian premise and conclusion.) Carefully explain and evaluate Kripke's argument against "the identification of pain with the stimulation of C-fibers". Does Kripke's argument work equally well against the token-token identity theorist? What about the functionalist? Give reasons for your answers.

Second Paper

What is "externalism" about mental content? Briefly outline what you take to be the most convincing kind of example that purports to demonstrate externalism (about a certain class of mental states). Is the argument convincing? Why or why not? Explain McKinsey's worry that externalism is incompatible with privileged access. Is it? If so, which thesis should be rejected?

Third Paper

Take one of the theories as taxonomized in "Consciousness and its place in Nature" that you think is false. Explain what this theory is, and why you think it's false. Now take the theory that you think is true (or, at any rate, is the least implausible of the lot). Defend it against objections.

Writing Guidelines

Guidelines for Papers (PDF)