PHL D79S - Essay Topics

Here are a set of possible topics for PHLD97S. Please select one to write on. Alternatively, if you'd like to write on the topic of your presentation -- assuming you have done a presentation -- please let me know via email of your choice.

Your essay should be between 1800-2000 words. You should strive to both explain the issue you are dealing with as clearly as possible and critically/argumentative engage with the issue. This should involve both analysing and criticising existing arguments in the readings and attempting to advance the debate with your own arguments and point of view.

1. What is the Knowledge Argument? Try to explicate the exact structure of the Knowledge Argument. How important are the details of the Mary thought experiment? Do those details show the thought experiment is fatally flawed (consider Dennett's criticism here)? Or can the Knowledge Argument succeed?

2. The Ability Answer. What is the ability hypothesis in the context of the Knowledge Argument? Explain how the ability hypothesis is supposed to undercut the Knowledge Argument. Do you think the ability answer to the Knowledge Argument succeeds? Why or why not?

3. Special Knowledge. Some philosophers think that the right way to reply to the Knowledge Argument is to use some kind of "special" knowledge. For example, some appeal to phenomenal concepts (Tye) and some appeal to distinct modes of acquaintance for consciousness (Bigelow and Pargetter). Carefully, describe how appeal to special forms of knowledge is supposed to answer the Knowledge Argument. Do you think this approach succeeds? Why or why not?