Dr. Bradley Richards
bradrich@yorku.ca
Office Location:  N822 Ross Building
Office Hours:  By appointment, either in person or remotely (I am usually available via Zoom on
Thursday morning, but it is possible to make appointments other times too).

In this course, we will investigate several advanced topics in the philosophy of mind. We will
consider topics such as the metaphysics of consciousness, the unity of conscious experience, the
content of perceptual experience, the nature of the self, mental causation, attention, object
perception, and metaphysical issues related to these topics.

Technical Requirements
● Eclass will be used to deliver most course content.
● Students are required to submit assignments through eClass
● Assignments may be evaluated by Turnitin
● Zoom may also be used to deliver some content
● Students will need a computer or smart device to access the course materials
To attend online Zoom office hours and stream recorded lectures, students should have a
device capable of running Zoom. In addition to a stable, higher-speed Internet connection, it
is preferred (but not required) that students have a device with a webcam and microphone.
Here are some useful links for student computing information, resources and help:
· Student Guide to eClass
· Zoom@YorkU Best Practices
· Zoom@YorkU User Reference Guide
· Computing for Students Website
· Student Guide to eLearning at York University
· To determine Internet connection and speed, there are online tests, such as Speedtest

Course Delivery
1. This class will be held in-person.
2. The nature of the posted materials (video, or slides, or both, may vary from week to week).
3. Discussion boards will become available weekly starting Week 2.
4. Readings will be posted to eClass.

Readings will be available through links or articles provided on the eClass site.

Critical Argument Evaluation 1  October 15, 2023 35%
Mid-term Multiple Choice Test  tba 20%
Weekly Discussion Board (complete 6/10)  Weekly on Friday 10%
Participation in Class Weekly 10%
Final Exam (essay-style exam)  tba 35%

Course Schedule
***This is a tentative schedule. I will adjust the readings as I get a sense of our comfort level with
the material, but the general topics will remain the same.****
****Indented readings marked with “*” are supplemental, not required. Lectures will focus on the
weekly topic sometimes on the background material.***
1. Introduction
a. Perry (1978) A dialogue on Personal Identity and Immortality
2. Substance Dualism
a. Swinburne, Descartes Argument AWBOS*
i. Balog, Acquaintance and the Mind-Body Problem*
3. Mental Causation I
a. Kim, The Many Problems of Mental Causation
i. Swinburne, MBFW Chapter 4, Interactive Dualism*
b. SEP, Laws of Nature
4. Functionalism
a. Jackson, Pargetter, and Prior, “Functionalism and Type-Type Identity Theories
i. Armstrong, The Causal Theory of Mind (or tba)*
ii. Jackson, Finding the Mind in the Natural World*
iii. Block, 1978 Troubles with Functionalism*
5. Consciousness
a. Bayne, Introduction to the philosophy of Mind, Chapter 8, The Metaphysics of
Consciousness
i. Nagel, 1974 What is it like to be a Bat?
ii. Jackson, Epiphenomenal Qualia
iii. Dennett, Quining Qualia*
iv. Block 1995, On a Confusion about a function of consciousness/Concepts of
Consciousness*
6. Monism
a. Morch, Is Matter Conscious?
i. Lewis, Ramsian Humility*
7. Personal Identity
a. Swinburne 2013 MBFW, The diachronic unity of the human person 148-173
i. Parfit, Reductionism and Personal Identity*
8. Selves and Self-Knowledge
a. Bayne, 2010 The Unity of Consciousness, The Self, Chapter 12
b. tba
i. Dretske, (2003) How do you know you are not a Zombie?
ii. Foster, 1991 The Immaterial Self pp.246-250
iii. Pinto, Split Brain: divided perception but undivided consciousness
iv. Williams, 1968 The Self and the Future
v. Time and value TBA Peter Chung
9. Substance Dualism and Unity of Consciousness
a. Bayne, The Unity Argument for Substance Dualism
i. Mooreland, Chapter 12, The Substance Dualism Argument and the Unity of
Consciousness, In The Blackwell Companion to Substance Dualism.*
10. Representationalism I
a. Pautz, Representationalism about Consciousness
11. Representationalism II
a. Nanay, 2022 Perceiving Indeterminately
b. Nanay, 2018 Blur and perceptual content
12. Perception I Content
a. Bayne and McClelland, Ensemble representation and the contents of visual
experience
i. Siegel, Which Properties are Represented in Perception?*
ii. Siegel and Byrne, 2017 Is Perception Rich or Thin?*
13. Perception II Attention
a. Block 2013, The Grain of Vision and the Grain of Attention
b. Block, Attention and Mental Paint*
14. Perception III Overflow and Unconscious
a. Block and Philips, 2017 Debate on Unconscious Perception
b. Block 2011, Perceptual consciousness overflows cognitive access

Completing the work for this course will:
•Develop an advanced understanding of some of the central questions in the philosophy of mind.
•Teach you the motivations behind the primary positions in the field, and understand their
relationship to some practical concerns (values)
•Improve your ability to read difficult texts with comprehension.
•Improve your ability to analyze and evaluate arguments.
•Improve your ability to communicate complicated ideas in concise prose.

Course Policies
RECORDINGS POLICY
Lecture recordings are to be used for educational purposes only and as a means for enhancing
accessibility. Students do not have permission to duplicate, copy and/or distribute the
recordings outside of the class (these acts can violate not only copyright laws but also
FIPPA).
COURSE EMAIL POLICY
I am happy to answer emails on procedural issues addressed neither in class, nor by the syllabus. I
may not reply to an email if the answer is on the syllabus; I may post an announcement instead of
replying directly to an email if the answer would be helpful to others.
More substantial issues concerning course content should be addressed in class or office hours.
There is no guarantee of email response on weekends or holidays. Please include course and
section number in the subject line of all email correspondence, also include your full name and
student number in the body of the email. This information is necessary so that I can reply and
address your concern. If this information is omitted I may not reply. When all the above conditions
are met, I will usually reply within 48 hours on weekdays).
LATE ASSIGNMENTS
- No late discussion board entries will be accepted and no extensions granted. However,
you are permitted to miss 4/10 (you must complete 6). Aim to complete all 10
discussion board entries and your lowest grades will be dropped.
- Late critical argument evaluations will be accepted for two weeks without penalty
(extensions must be requested). Again, this is enough time for everyone. After this
period there are no extensions and no late assignments will be accepted.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
All forms of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism and cheating, will be taken extremely
seriously. Potential penalties include, but are not limited to, failure of the assignment and/or
failure of the course. In addition, students who plagiarize or cheat on any assignments forfeit
their privilege to drop their lowest grades. Students are expected to be familiar with York’s
policy regarding academic integrity: http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/policies/. All students are
expected to complete the Honour Code Pledge on eClass.
ACCOMMODATIONS
We are committed to fairly accommodating students with disabilities. Please contact us as
soon as possible with the relevant documentation from Student Accessibility Services.
RESOURCES
York has a variety of resources to help students succeed. Here are some of them.
· Mental Health
· Writing Centre
· Academic Advising
· Learning Commons
· Peer Mentorship