Active learning ideas
Property Dualism suggests that while there is only one physical substance (the brain), it possesses two distinct types of properties: physical and mental. This topic focuses on the 'hard problem of consciousness' and the existence of qualia, the subjective 'feel' of experiences. Students engage with famous thought experiments like David Chalmers' 'philosophical zombies' and Frank Jackson's 'Mary the scientist'.
Activity 01
Students are given a 'black and white' description of a physical process (e.g., how a tomato reflects light). They must then 'step out' of the description and describe the actual experience of seeing red, debating whether the experience adds new knowledge.
Is a philosophical zombie logically possible?
Activity 02
Students debate whether a 'philosophical zombie' (a being physically identical to a human but with no internal consciousness) is logically possible. This forces them to consider if consciousness is 'extra' to physical facts.
Did Mary learn something new when she saw the colour red?
Activity 03
Based on Nagel's famous paper, students try to describe the 'qualia' of sonar. They then discuss with a partner why a complete physical description of a bat's brain still wouldn't tell us what it 'feels' like to be one.
Can physicalism adequately explain qualia?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Property dualists believe in ghosts or souls.
They are usually 'physicalists' about substance but not about properties. Using a 'computer hardware vs software' analogy (carefully) can help students see how one thing can have different types of features.
Mary learns a new 'fact' in the same way she learns a math formula.
The debate is whether she learns a 'propositional fact' or just an 'ability' or 'acquaintance'. Peer-teaching the three types of knowledge helps students refine their evaluation of Jackson's argument.
Methods used in this brief
Substance Dualism
An examination of Descartes' conceivability and indivisibility arguments for substance dualism. Students will evaluate the conceptual interaction problem and empirical objections.
8 methodologies
The Problem of Other Minds
A critical look at the epistemological challenge of knowing that other minds exist. Students will assess the argument from analogy and the claim that mental states are private.
8 methodologies