Mark Fortney Courses (2020-2021)

Mark Fortney

PHL B12 – Philosophy of Sexuality

This course is an introductory discussion of philosophical approaches to sexuality, as well as some importantly related concepts like gender and romantic love. Half of the course will be about the metaphysics of sex, gender, and love – that is, we’ll ask questions about what sex, gender, and love are, and what they can be like (e.g.: What is sex? Is gender socially constructed? What is the difference between friendship and love? Can you love more than one person at once?). The other half of the course will be about questions that are more explicitly normative, like “What’s the difference between being flirtatious and creepy?”, “What counts as a good reason to love someone?”, or “What role should the state play in the regulation of romantic relationships?”.
 

PHL B81 – Theories of Mind

In Principles of Psychology, William James wrote, “The first and foremost concrete fact which every one will affirm to belong to their inner experience is the fact that consciousness of some sort goes on.”. In this course, we’ll discuss a range of theories that try to make sense of this first and foremost concrete fact. According to some thinkers, like Descartes, consciousness and the mind seem to defy physical explanation, and must be something non-physical. According to others, like JJC Smart, consciousness and the mind can be analyzed in terms of neurological processes. We’ll also discuss what sorts of things can have minds, and what minds can be like, like “Could a computer have a mind?” or “Could my mind be divided into two minds?”
 

PHL C86 – Issues in the Philosophy of Mind – Varieties of Consciousness

While we’re all familiar with what our own states of consciousness are like, what other kinds of consciousness might there be, and what would it be like to occupy those states of consciousness? That is the overarching question that will guide our discussions in this course, which is about the the varieties and limits of consciousness. We’ll begin by discussing specific kinds of human consciousness, like the kinds of consciousness that seem to be enabled by meditative practice, or the consciousness that we experience during dreams. After that, we’ll discuss some questions about non-human consciousness. For instance, is there such a thing as plant consciousness or bumblebee consciousness? If there is, what does it feel like? Are humans unique in being able to think about their own states of consciousness, or are other animals similarly reflective? Some of our readings will draw on psychology, but the course won’t presume any previous knowledge.
 

PHL D87 – Advanced Seminar in Philosophy of Mind – Attention

In Principles of Psychology, William James wrote, “Millions of items of the outward order are present to my senses which never properly enter into my experience. Why? Because they have no interest for me. My experience is what I agree to attend to. Only those items which I notice shape my mind - without selective interest, experience is an utter chaos.” If James is right, understanding attention is a deeply important part of understanding consciousness, as well as understanding the mind more generally. In this course, we will study attention through looking closely at two recent books on the topic – Structuring Mind, by Sebastian Watzl, and Thought in Action: Expertise and the Conscious Mind, by Barbara Montero.