Prior to the 20^th century, the concerns of philosophers with the mind were mainly metaphysical and epistemological.  Now, philosophers are just as concerned with the nature of cognition as the psychologists, and this concern influences their metaphysical and epistemological commitments.  Hence, this course serves as a good introduction into the philosophical inquiry of the mind, from a broadly empirical and materialist point of view. 

In this course we will examine the systematic relationship between the concerns of philosophy and psychology.  The focus will be on the philosophical foundations of psychological inquiry.  We will examine various conceptions of the mind, and discuss their relative merits and disadvantages. 

We will not discuss the relationship between the mind and body, the other minds problem, or other metaphysical or epistemological issues that would be of purely philosophical interest.

Students will develop skills in reading difficult texts, analyzing philosophical arguments of others, and constructing their own.  Through careful study and commitment, students will come away with an understanding of the intellectual landscape of psychological inquiry from a philosophical perspective.  Finally students will come away with a better understanding of contemporary philosophical inquiry into the nature of mind.

Texts:

Bermudez, Jose, Philosophy of Psychology: A Contemporary Introduction, Routledge.  $36.95 .

Bermudez, Jose, Philosophy of Psychology: Contemporary Readings, Routledge.  $32.95.

You can buy them together from Amazon.com for $65.70