Each answer or “folio” should be around 500 words.

1. From the video lecture, lay out my version of the mind/body problem. I claim there are 3 traditional responses or positions on the problem: the materialism, the idealism, and the dualism. Explain what each position is and how each group would respond to the mind/body problem. I claim there is strong evidence to support materialism, evidence that dualism (by for the most common position) would have a very difficult time explaining. Give this evidence and explain why it appears to support materialism and why it poses difficulties for dualists.

2. In the PDF, Paul Churchland lays out a theory called Reductive Materialism or Type-Type Identity. Explain this theory. Be careful to explain what numeric identity is, what inter theoretic reductions are and what bridge laws do.

3. According to Prof Ball (me), reductive materialism has been disproven by neuro science. Explain why. Many theorists who favored Type-Type Identity (Reductive Materialism) now favor Type-Token Identity (or functionalism). Explain the difference between these two identity theories. You can find information about this in both the video lecture and the Churchland PDF.

4. In the essay by Turing, he lays out the “imitation game” or what we now call the turning test. What is this test and what does “passing” the test mean? What does it show and why? In the movie Ex Machina, Caleb is coaxed into putting Ava through a “Turing test”. In the context of the movie, do you think she passes? Defend you answer combing information from both the movie and the essay by Turing. Does it show what Turning wants it to show—do you think Ava is conscious? Explain.

5. What is strong A.I.? What is Searle's Chinese Room argument and why is it an attack on Strong AI? Explain how Searle uses The Chinese Room Argument to undermine the intuitions behind the Turing Test. Since Searle is attacking Strong AI, does this mean he is a dualist? Explain why

6. In I, Robot let’s assume what the movie is hinting at: that an android like Sonny indeed achieves consciousness. How would this be further evidence against both dualism and reductive materialism? Explain why for each. Why would it seem to support functionalism?

Resources:

The reading for this section:

1. Paul Churchland, Chapter 2 of Matter and Consciousness

2. Alan Turing "Computing Machinery and Intelligence" Pages 334-351

3. John Searle "Minds Brains, and Programs" Pages 351-358.

The movies for this section (both personal favorites) are: