Minor Philosophy of Mind and Psychology (88M47)

Who is this minor interesting for?

This minor is intended for all bachelor students with an engagement in key challenges that contemporary societies are facing today, such as climate change, migration, populism, racism and economic inequality. Note: because this minor is also a premaster, teaching philosophical skills (reading and writing) is a central part of this minor. In the master PCC, the actual content is covered.   

General information

Courses

Interpreting Humanity (Semester 1, 700393-B-6 or Semester 2, 700394-B-6)

What does it mean to be human? What, if anything, distinguishes us from other living beings? What does the notion of humanity mean in times of the Anthropocene and of post-humanism? How and why has the notion of humanity been used to both include and exclude people from having access to basic rights or material resources? This and many other questions will be discussed during this course. In doing so we will rely on the study of essential authors in the field of philosophical anthropology, such as Foucault, Freud, Levi-Strauss, Wynter, Arendt and others.

Philosophy of Mind (A&P 2) (Semester 1, 700195-B-6)

What’s a mind? What’s its relationship to brain, body, and environment? Is a mind independent from physical stuff, or is it nothing over and above physical stuff? Is a mind just behaviour? Is it a brain? Is it a certain kind of causal organization of a physical system—whether it is a brain or a computer or something else? Do physical states influence mental states? Do mental states influence physical states? If so, how? What does it take to have conscious experiences? What does it take for a mental state to be about something? How should we study minds? Who is the ‘I’ that I refer to when I say that ‘I am conscious’? How can we know about minds of other systems—whether animals, computers or plants? In this course, we will examine these and other questions, which lie at the core of contemporary philosophy of mind.

Moral Psychology (A&P 3) (Semester 2, 700380-B-6)

Are we all at bottom egoists who use moral language only to convince our peers of good intentions? What is confabulation? Do virtues exist in the real world or are they a philosopher’s fantasy? What is the role of emotions in our evaluation of one another and is this role detrimental or conducive to our moral practices? Does the philosophical discussion misconstrue the function of our practices of moral responsibility? What, if anything, has love got to do with morality?  This course provides an overview of some of the debates in the area of moral psychology, which studies human behaviour and thought (decision making, evaluation and judgment) in the moral domain.

History of Modern Philosophy (Semester 1, 700376-B-6 or Semester 2, 700292-B-6)

The course surveys the rise of modern philosophy, from the sixteenth century to the beginning of the nineteenth century, and some major philosophical themes as discussed in this period. Themes include epistemological ones (knowledge, science), ontological ones (metaphysics, mind and soul), practical ones (ethics, social philosophy), and theological ones (God). Key thinkers considered will be René Descartes, Benedict Spinoza, David Hume, George Berkeley, John Locke, Immanuel Kant, Sophie de Grouchy, Georg Hegel, Arthur Schopenhauer, Karl Marx, Wilhelm Dilthey and Friedrich Nietzsche. The main aim of the course is to introduce students to a formative period of philosophy and modern critical thinking, to the ideas of major thinkers from that period, and thereby to important philosophical discussions, concepts, and arguments.

Contemporary Philosophy for PM (Semester 1, 700358-B-6 or Semester 2, 700377-B-6)

In the course, we introduce and examine significant themes and philosophical methodologies that are central to an understanding of and grounding in contemporary philosophy. In doing so, we aim to equip students with a broad spectrum of philosophical knowledge and critical skills that will enable them to undertake a Master’s degree in philosophy. Moreover, we will invite them to engage in critical self-reflection about their own understanding of philosophy and their self-conception as (future) philosophers. This course will cover contemporary topics in some central theoretical and practical philosophical sub-disciplines, such as philosophy of mind, epistemology, ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics, and the philosophy of philosophy.

Philosophical Skills for PM (Semester 1, 800168-B-6 or Semester 2, 800899-B-6)

In the course we introduce students to the argumentation and writing skills that are central to the study of academic philosophy. In doing so, we aim to equip students with a variety of philosophical skills that will enable them to undertake a Master’s degree in philosophy. The course consists of two parts. In the first part we focus on examining and applying argumentation skills. This involves learning how to recognize arguments as part of a philosophical text, reconstructing arguments accurately, and formally evaluating arguments using the tools of informal logic. In the second part of the course, we focus on examining and applying philosophical writing skills. Building on the formal evaluation skills learnt in Part One, students will practice the philosophical evaluation of a larger piece of philosophical writing, as well as the construction and justification of their own philosophical positions. At the end of the course, we consolidate these skills in the culmination of an independent piece of philosophical writing.

After the minor 

The minor is a premaster in philosophy and provides a general background required for the corresponding Master's track Philosophy of Mind and Psychology (PMP). Teaching philosophical skills (reading and writing) is a central part of this minor. In itself it is not already applicable in the professional field.

More information

Detailed and up-to-date information about this minor in the academic year 2024-2025 can be found in the Osiris Catalogue from 1 August. 

If you have any questions about this minor, please contact: Cathy de Waele.