Questions
- Evaluate one of Descartes’ arguments for substance dualism. Do you agree with
the argument? - Pick ONE of the following theories: dualism; behaviorism; the mind/brain
identity theory; the computational theory; or functionalism. What is one of the
main objections to this theory? Do you agree with the objection? - Explain Searle’s Chinese room argument. Do you agree with the argument?
- What kinds of things have minds? Do any plants have minds? Do insects have
minds? Do some robots have minds? What are the minimal conditions that a
system must meet to count as having a mind? - Evaluate Clark and Chalmers’ extended mind hypothesis. Are the arguments
they provide convincing? - What are some of the ethical ramifications of the extended mind hypothesis?
- What kinds of cognitive enhancements are a threat to personal identity?
- What is phenomenal consciousness? Can it be explained in purely physical terms?
- Does Jackson’s thought experiment involving ‘Mary the neuroscientist’ show that
phenomenal consciousness is a non-physical feature of the mind? - What kinds of nonhuman animals are self-aware, if any? What would constitute
evidence for self-awareness? - Are any nonhuman animals phenomenally conscious? What would constitute
evidence for phenomenal consciousness in a nonhuman animal? - What is the Turing test? Is it a good test?
Sample Solution