Philosophy 321 - Self and Subject Cognitive Science

Institution:

Bard College

Subject:

Description:

Traditionally, the terms "self" or "subject" refto the locus of a given individual's experience, consciousness, and/or agency. For some philosophers, these notions are central to an understanding of the human subject as a coherent, unified, and autonomous entity. Other thinkers, especially in the 20th and 21st centuries, have argued either that the self or subject is in some way fragmented or dispersed, or even that there is no such thing-that the "self" is a metaphysicafiction. This course examines classic and contemporary views on both sides of this debate. Readings include treatments of the self in modern Western philosophy (Descartes, Locke, Hume), radical criticisms of traditional conceptions (Foucalt, Deleuze, Butler), and contemporary attempts to "rehabilitate" or "reconstructsome elements of a unified conception of the self (Taylor, Moran, Sorjabi). Finally, students discuss approaches to these questions through the philosophy of language, focusing on accounts of the first-person pronoun "I."

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.bard.edu

Phone Number:

(845) 758-6822

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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