Information Package / Course Catalogue
Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Mind
Course Code: FLSF651
Course Type: Area Elective
Couse Group: Third Cycle (Doctorate Degree)
Education Language: Turkish
Work Placement: N/A
Theory: 3
Prt.: 0
Credit: 3
Lab: 0
ECTS: 5
Objectives of the Course

This course aims to examine the ontological, epistemological and semantic problems and related debates in contemporary philosophy of mind.

Course Content

Theories about the mind in the history of philosophy, mind-body dualism and materialist and reductionist theories against this dualism will be discussed. Ontological, epistemological and semantic problems about the mind will be discussed.

Name of Lecturer(s)
Learning Outcomes
1.Learning different theories about the existence of mind and consciousness.
2.To be able to discuss the problems in contemporary philosophy of mind.
3.Interpreting contemporary theories of mind on ontological, epistemological and semantic problems.
4.To be able to comprehend the relationship between analytical philosophy of mind and analytical language philosophy.
5.Examining the debates on the possibility of artificial intelligence.
Recommended or Required Reading
1.Churchland, P. (2012). Madde ve Bilinç. (Çev. Berkay Ersöz). Alfa Yayınları.
2.Bailey, A. (2014). Philosophy of Mind. Bloomsbury.
3.Ryle, G. (2011). Zihin Kavramı. (Çev. Sara Çelik). Doruk Yayınları.
4.Copeland, Posy & Shagrir. (2013). Computability: Turing, Gödel, Church and Beyond. MIT Press.
5.Searle, J. (1984). Minds, Brains and Science. Harvard University Press.
6.Penrose, R. (2015). Kralın Yeni Aklı. (Çev. Tekin Dereli). Koç Üniversitesi Yayınları.
Weekly Detailed Course Contents
Week 1 - Theoretical
Introduction: Fundamental problems of the philosophy of mind
Week 2 - Theoretical
Cartesian dualism and the mind-body problem
Week 3 - Theoretical
Contemporary theories of mind and the mind-body problem
Week 4 - Theoretical
Logical analysis of ontological problems
Week 5 - Theoretical
Set theory, subset calculus and 0-1 sequences
Week 6 - Theoretical
Mathematical logic and artificial intelligence discussions
Week 7 - Theoretical
Turing and computing machines
Week 8 - Intermediate Exam
Exam
Week 9 - Theoretical
Church-Turing thesis
Week 10 - Theoretical
Gödel's incompleteness theorems and artificial intelligence
Week 11 - Theoretical
Monist theories in contemporary philosophy of mind
Week 12 - Theoretical
Logical behaviorism: Gilbert Ryle
Week 13 - Theoretical
Identity Theory of Consciousness
Week 14 - Theoretical
Computational functionalism: Hilary Putnam
Week 15 - Theoretical
John Searle and the Chinese Chamber Argument
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Type of AssessmentCountPercent
Midterm Examination1%40
Final Examination1%60
Workload Calculation
ActivitiesCountPreparationTimeTotal Work Load (hours)
Lecture - Theory130339
Reading130452
Midterm Examination110313
Final Examination115318
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours)122
Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes
PÇ-1
PÇ-2
PÇ-3
PÇ-4
PÇ-5
OÇ-1
2
OÇ-2
2
OÇ-3
1
OÇ-4
2
OÇ-5
1
Adnan Menderes University - Information Package / Course Catalogue
2026