Mind, Machines and Language

Exploratory in nature, the course seeks to debate questions such as: What are the implications of conceiving the mind as a 'machine'? Can evolutionary theories about language and tool- using help us understand how we continually manage today to process the world around us 'online'? On this course, the class will be introduced to some state-of-the-art discussions in the interdisciplinary field of cognitive studies. These topics will include: i) the modularity of mind ii) the content of consciousness, iii) the language bio-programme hypothesis, iv) the relativism versus universals of controversy; v) strong and weak positions on AI, etc.. The course will rely on down-to-earth examples to demonstrate that such an interconnected area of study is not remote or esoteric but part of the intellectual excitement of living in the new millennium and attempting to anticipate both how it will shape us and how we will shape it.