222 Knowledge, Mind and Language 1

1. "No amount of physical information about a person logically entails that he or she is conscious or 'feels' something or is 'aware'." Is this true?

2. "When we explain someone's behaviour in terms of belief and desires we are not invoking internal states." Explain and evaluate this claim.

3. What does Dennett mean by an 'intentional system'? Is this notion helpful?

4. What is 'functionalism' as a theory of the relationship between brain and mentality? Does it face difficulties?

5. 'In some manner, devolving from Evolution's blind trials and blunders, densely crowded packets of excitable cells inevitably come to represent the world.' P. M.

and P. Churchland. Explain what this means and its significance.

6. 'Considering the progress and prospects of AI can be a peculiarly concrete and powerful way of thinking about our own spiritual nature.' (John Haugeland) Discuss.

7. Explain what is meant by saying that a computer is limited to what can be done by manipulating representations. How serious a limitation is this?

8. How do you think you acquired your first language?

9. Assess the merits of thinking of a language as train of wagons carrying a load of meaning.

10. Is there a physicalist alternative to thinking of the brain as a von Neumann computer?

11. .What is 'folk psychology'? Is it a theory?

12. Are 'mental images' propositional?