CODE 72639 ACADEMIC YEAR 2021/2022 CREDITS 6 cfu anno 1 METODOLOGIE FILOSOFICHE 8465 (LM-78) - GENOVA 6 cfu anno 2 METODOLOGIE FILOSOFICHE 8465 (LM-78) - GENOVA SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINARY SECTOR M-FIL/05 LANGUAGE Italian TEACHING LOCATION GENOVA SEMESTER 1° Semester TEACHING MATERIALS AULAWEB OVERVIEW This course deals with some topics of cognitive science seen from a philosophical perspective. AIMS AND CONTENT LEARNING OUTCOMES The aim of the course is to face from a philosophical perspective some topics from cognitive science. AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES Aims of the course are: - to introduce the students to some topics that are central to the contemporary debate on cognitive science; - to analyse such problems from a philosophical point of view; - to present some general scientific and philosophical notions which are relevant for the for the topic of the course, such as the notion of algorithmic computation; - to read and analyze in a philosophical perspective articles regarding cognitive science. At the end of the course, students will be able to: - understand, explain and synthese advanced texts of cognitive science, adopting an appropriate conceptual and terminological apparatus; - apply the analytical and conceptual tools of philosophy in the discussion of problems concerning cognitive science. PREREQUISITES It is advisable that students have already attended an introductory course of Philosophy of Science. TEACHING METHODS - The first part of the course includes frontal lectures; - the second part of the course includes classroom presentations given by attending students. During the course, compatibly with the available resources, external experts could be invited to hold seminars on specific topics. Students are required to register at Aulaweb, where teaching materials will be uploaded. SYLLABUS/CONTENT In the first part of the course some concepts from computability theory will be introduced, which will allow to study, also from a historical point of view, the emergence of cognitive science as a paradigm for the study of the mind. Then we will discuss some methodological problems of cognitive science from a perspective of philosophy of science. Examples of the involved notions are: - observational concepts vs. theoretical concepts; - underdetermination of theories by the empirical data; - realism vs. instrumentalism; - different types of scientific explanation. In the second part of the course the theme of empirical methodologies in philosophy will be addressed; some relevant papers on this topic will be presented and discussed in class. RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY Attending students 1) Lecture notes and other teaching material that will be made available on Aulaweb. 2) A paper for classroom presentation chosen among those that will be made available on Aulaweb. NON-attending students 1) M. Marraffa e A. Paternoster, Persone, menti, cervelli. Mondadori Università, 2012. 2) Two papers to be chosen among those that will be made available on Aulaweb. TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD MARCELLO FRIXIONE Ricevimento: Thursday 2-4 p.m. DAFIST, Philosophy section, Via Balbi 4, 2nd floor FILIPPO DOMANESCHI Ricevimento: Prof. Filippo Domaneschi Monday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Via Balbi 30 - 7° floor, 16126 Genoa (Italy). For any question concerning lectures: filippo.domaneschi@unige.it Exam Board FILIPPO DOMANESCHI (President) DANIELE PORELLO MARCELLO FRIXIONE (President Substitute) LESSONS LESSONS START November 2nd, 2021 Class schedule LANGUAGE AND MIND (LM) EXAMS EXAM DESCRIPTION Attending students: classroom presentation and oral examination. Schedule and modality of the classroom presentations will be planned during the course. NON-attending students: oral examination. The registration for the examination is mandatory and must be done at least one week before the exam. ASSESSMENT METHODS Attending students - the classroom presentation (15 points out of 30) assesses the student’s ability to understand, synthesize and expose a philosophical text, and to apply the tools of philosophical reasoning in the discussion of problems related to cognitive science; - the oral exam (15 points out of 30) assesses the student’s ability to understand, retain, explain and apply philosophical concepts and arguments concerning cognitive science. NON-attending students - the oral exam assesses the student’s ability to understand, retain, explain and apply philosophical concepts and arguments concerning cognitive science. In both cases, the correct use of the philosophical lexicon, the quality of the exposition, as well as the capacity for critical and argumentative reasoning will be taken into account. Exam schedule Data appello Orario Luogo Degree type Note 20/01/2022 14:00 GENOVA Orale 03/02/2022 14:00 GENOVA Orale 30/05/2022 14:00 GENOVA Orale 16/06/2022 14:00 GENOVA Orale 30/06/2022 14:00 GENOVA Orale 08/09/2022 14:00 GENOVA Orale FURTHER INFORMATION Students that do not attend classes are required to get in touch with the professor.
