ADV TPCS IN PHILOSOPHY OF MIND

Prerequisite: A course in the philosophy of language covering the theory of sense and reference, and contemporary developments thereof.

This course introduces and elaborates a new notion, that of an identifier. An identifier is a way of thinking of a mental state that conveys what it is like to be in the state. A positive theory of identifiers can be applied to address central philosophical issues in (1) the proper characterization of thought about conscious mental states; (2) the structure of attribution of conscious states to ourselves and to others; (3) conscious states crucial to our ability to attribute such states interpersonally; (4) our understanding of the content of music; (5) the range of psychopathologies that are best explained by lack of, or impaired grasp of, identifiers; (6) the role of identifiers in aesthetic appreciation more generally. This Seminar aims to give an overview of these applications.