The Ghost in the Machine

Course Convenor: Ron Chrisley
Pev 3 3R345
Office Hours: Monday 100-1200, Wednesday 1100-1200 pm
Course Tutor: Hanne De Jaegher
Office Hour: Tuesday 10-11 am
tel.: (67)8061

This is an autumn term course. There is 1 lecture and 1 seminar per week.

Seminar:   Mon 4-6 pm Room: Mantell 3A18
Lecture:    Tues 9-10 am Room: Pev1 1A1

Course Objectives

Methods of Teaching

Assessment and Presentation

Reading

Lecture 1 Slides

Lecture 2 Slides

Lecture 3 Slides

Lecture 4 Slides

Lecture 5 Slides

Lecture 7 Slides

Lecture 8 Slides

What is it to be an intelligent, embodied person? One common view is that mind and body belong to two different metaphysical realms, fused together in us as if we were a combined 'ghost in the machine' (to use the famous words of philosopher Gilbert Ryle, 50 years ago). Few people believe such a view can work - but what should replace it? We will look at a number different 'materialist' theories, concentrating on variants of the computer model, and on neurophysiologically based accounts of mind. In doing so, we will examine some of the basic issues underlying cognitive science as an interdisciplinary study of the mind, taking in topics from psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, computing, artificial intelligence, robotics, evolutionary theory, biology and philosophy along the way.