Other (Kinds of) Minds

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

How do we know what other people are thinking, given that we seem to have only indirect access to their beliefs and desires? Do we have any reason for thinking that other people have minds that are fundamentally like our own? Philosophers have often asked what it takes to have a mind, and this turns out to be a very hard question. We often use terms like ‘belief’, ‘desire’, and ‘intention’ to explain the behavior of multinational corporations and governments, people and household pets, laptop computers and automobiles, but some of these appeals are intended in a metaphorical or figurative tone of voice. In this course, we will examine a variety of philosophical and psychological attempts to explain what it means to have a mind. We will inquire into the kinds of minds that other entities possess. We will also ask whether it is possible to understand the minds of persons with serious mental illnesses or cognitive disabilities; we will ask about the presuppositions that underlie the study of non-human minds (including apes, monkeys, cats, rats, snakes, spiders, and cockroaches); and we will ask whether it is possible to build an intelligent machine.