Essays from my University of London BA Philosophy Studies

Philosophy of Mind – [235P100]

1. ‘If mental causes were not physical, they would be epiphenomenal.’ Discuss.
2. What, if anything, would Frank Jackson’s Mary learn on seeing something red for the first time? If she learns something, does that show that physicalism is false?
3. What is the ‘explanatory gap’ and does it cast doubt on the truth of materialism?
4. What exactly does Jackson’s Mary learn when she leaves her black and white room?
5. “Zombies are conceivable. So they are possible. So physicalism is false.” Discuss.
6. “If I am thinking about Santa Claus, then there is something I am thinking about. But Santa Claus does not exist, so I am thinking about nothing.” Discuss.
7. “Token identity is too weak to explicate physicalism and type identity is too strong.” Discuss.
8. “Functionalism is no better than behaviourism as a theory of the mental.” Discuss.
9. What do Frege cases and/or Twin Earth cases show about intentionality?
10. Does intentionality admit of naturalistic explanation?

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