Philosophy of Mind (Fall 2004)
Exam I: Study-Guide Questions
1. What are the major characteristics of philosophy according to Graham? Why do
those characteristics distinguish philosophy from other disciplines?
2. One of the main characteristics of philosophy is systematicity. Use the notions of
consistency and coherence to explain the notion of systematicity (Give some
example while you explain).
3. Graham defines MIND as something that thinks and experiences. Explain
Graham's characterization of thinking and experiencing, respectively.
4. Are perceptual states (seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling) a kind of
thinking, or a kind of experiencing?
5. According to Graham, what would involve in surviving bodily death are two
conditions: the identity condition and the recognition condition. Explain these two
conditions. Explain also why these two conditions are interconnected in
Christianity. How are the two conditions related in Buddhism's notion of surviving
bodily death?
6. Explain the notions of "embodiment", "re-embodiment", and "disembodiment".
What objects are capable of disembodiment? Can you imagine what kind of
person you are if your existence is of a disembodied form? Which form of
existence do you consider a better form: disembodiment or embodiment?
7. Describe Gloria G's "near-death out-of-body experience". What are the four
important features of such experiences, according to Graham? What's your overall
attitude toward the credibility of such experience?
8. How would a Freudian explain near-death experience? Is it convincing?
9. Different religious people report seeing different things in their near-death
experiences: some see Jesus, some seeA-La, some see Ma-Zu, while some see
Buddha. Does this support or undermine the reality of near-death experience?
10. Explain the identity argument, and how Graham uses it to claim that disembodied
personal existence is impossible. Do you think this argument succeeds in
undermining the possibility of disembodied personal existence?
11. Explain the notion of "personal identity" and the notion of'personhood", and
explain why the two notions differ.
12. Explain the thesis of the flesh-and-blood theory of personal identity. Graham
thinks that this theory has four virtues. What are those virtues?
13. Graham favors psychologically_modified flesh-and-blood theory of personal
identity over flesh-and-blood theory. Explain the former theory, and why Graham
favors the former. Which theory do you think is better? Or neither is satisfactory?
14. Do you believe in the disembodied personal existence after death? What's your
evidence or reason for this belief? What would your attitude be if you believed
that life after death is impossible?
15. What is the philosophical problem of other minds?
16. Explain the thesis of logical behaviorism, and how it solves the problem of other
minds. Do you think this is a good solution?
17. Explain the Wittgensteinian solution (or the solution called "A humbling
disclosure about self-revelation) to the problem of other minds. Try your best to
evaluate this solution.
18. Explain how Russell uses the argument from analogy to solve the problem of
other minds. What are the drawbacks of this solution.
19. Explain the best explanation argument used to solve the problem of other minds.
Try to evaluate this argument for its plausibility.
20. Explain panpsychism and chauvinism concerning the question "Who or what has a
mind?" Do you find these views appealing?
21. Hume is optimistic about the existence of animal mind. Explain his reason. Do
you agree with Hume?
22. Explain Davidson's argument against the existence of animal mind. Do you find
his argument convincing?
23. Explain particular job criterion and network criterion respectively, that are crucial
in the determination of the presence of a belief. Which criterion do you think is a
better criterion?
24. Explain Stich's "Mrs. T" case. Do you think Mrs. T has the belief in question?
25. What is Armstrong's challenge for those who believe in animal mind? What makes
this challenge difficult to answer?
26. Explain the case of the horse "Clever Hans", and the problem it creates for animal
mind.
27. Explain the case ofGallup's chimp,and the problem it creates for animal mind.