Module: Philosophy of Mind and AI

Module Specifications

Academic Year 2026 - 2027

Module Title	Philosophy of Mind and AI
Module Code	PHE1053
Faculty	Humanities & Social Sciences	School	Theology, Philosophy & Music
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5

Description

This course introduces students to central questions and theories in the philosophy of mind. It examines the nature of mental phenomena such as consciousness, perception, thought and intentionality, and explores how these relate to the physical world. The first part explores the mind–body problem, examining both classical positions such as dualism and materialism and more contemporary approaches, including functionalism, the computational theory of mind, and connectionism. The second part of the course examines the prospects for artificial intelligence by drawing on theories of reasoning, consciousness and intentionality (or “aboutness”), and paying particular attention to recent developments in Generative AI and current psychological and wider empirical research.

Learning Outcomes

1. * demonstrate a good grasp of the central issues in the contemporary philosophy of mind and cognition/AI.
2. * engage critically with the most important views and arguments in this area, and develop independent thoughts and arguments on some of those issues
3. * evaluate philosophical arguments for and against the claim that artificial systems can genuinely reason, understand, or be conscious
4. * engage with and interpret empirical research from psychology and related disciplines, and assess its relevance to philosophical debates about artificial intelligence
5. * produce written work that engages critically with topics within the Philosophy of Mind and Cognition/AI

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	22	No Description
Independent Study	103	No Description
Total Workload: 125

Section Breakdown
CRN	21447	Part of Term	Semester 2
Coursework	100%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	N
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Ian Leask	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Essay	n/a	100%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

● What is the relationship between the mind and the body?

● Does mental content depend on an individual's environment?

● What does it mean to reason, and how do we reason?

● What is consciousness and can it be explained scientifically?

● What is artificial intelligence?

● The concept of the singularity

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Tim Bayne: 2021, Philosophy of Mind: An Introduction, Routledge,
Margaret Boden: 2016, AI: Its Nature and future, Oxford UP,
● F. Jackson and D. Braddon-Mitchell: 2006, Philosophy of Mind and Cognition, Blackwell,

Articles:

- Shevlin, Henry, and Marta Halina: 2019, Apply rich psychological terms in AI with care, Nature Machine Intelligence, 1.4, 524783
1981: Eliminative materialism and the propositional attitudes”, Journal of Philosophjy, 78, 524784, 1
Biosemantics: Journal of Philosophy, 86.6,

Other Resources

None