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| Semester | fall semester 2024 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Piera Filippi (piera.filippi@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | During the course, students will learn to read and interpret philosophical work on animal cognition. The following topics will be covered: 1. What is the nature of concepts and thoughts in human and nonhuman animals? 2. Do nonhuman animals have theory of mind? 3. How do nonhuman animals’ cognitive abilities compare to those of humans? 4. How do nonhuman animals communicate, and can we consider their communication systems a form of language? 5. Continuity and discontinuity between human and nonhuman animal cognition |
| Learning objectives | The overarching goal of this course is to develop the students’ knowledge on animal minds and cognition. Specifically, students attending this course will improve their competences in relation to the concepts of mind, thoughts and cognition, as well as the role of language in cognition within a cross-species perspective. In addition, to reach the overall goal of the course, we will work on the following methodological sub-aims: 1. Read and interpret philosophical work, connecting concepts across key theories on animal minds. 2. Develop critical approach on empirical research on animal cognition. 3. Practice interdisciplinary thinking through connecting philosophical concepts and empirical findings in philosophy of language and mind and ethology. |
| Bibliography | A full list of references will be provided in the first sessions of the seminar. - Premack, D. (2007). Human and animal cognition: Continuity and discontinuity. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 104(35), 13861-13867. - Glock, H. J. (2000). Animals, thoughts and concepts. Synthese, 123, 35-64. - Davidson, D.: 1985, ‘Rational Animals’, in E. LePore and B. McLaughlin (eds), Actions - and Events, Blackwell, Oxford. - Stich, S. P. (1983). From Folk Psychology to Cognitive Science: The Case against Belief. Behaviorism 14 (2):159-182. - Menzel, R., & Fischer, J. (Eds.). (2011). Animal thinking: contemporary issues in comparative cognition (Vol. 8). MIT press. - Allen, C., & Bekoff, M. (2007). Animal minds, cognitive ethology, and ethics. The Journal of Ethics, 11, 299-317. - Dennett, D. C. (1989). The intentional stance. MIT press. |
| Admission requirements | Nur für Studierende, die bereits mind. 8 KPs in Philosophie erworben haben. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Course auditors welcome |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Friday | 12.15-14.00 | Steinengraben 5, Seminarraum gross 302 |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 20.09.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Steinengraben 5, Seminarraum gross 302 |
| Friday 27.09.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Steinengraben 5, Seminarraum gross 302 |
| Friday 04.10.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Steinengraben 5, Seminarraum gross 302 |
| Friday 11.10.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Steinengraben 5, Seminarraum gross 302 |
| Friday 18.10.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Steinengraben 5, Seminarraum gross 302 |
| Friday 25.10.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Steinengraben 5, Seminarraum gross 302 |
| Friday 01.11.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Steinengraben 5, Seminarraum gross 302 |
| Friday 08.11.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Steinengraben 5, Seminarraum gross 302 |
| Friday 15.11.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Steinengraben 5, Seminarraum gross 302 |
| Friday 22.11.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Steinengraben 5, Seminarraum gross 302 |
| Friday 29.11.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Dies Academicus |
| Friday 06.12.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Steinengraben 5, Seminarraum gross 302 |
| Friday 13.12.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Steinengraben 5, Seminarraum gross 302 |
| Friday 20.12.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Steinengraben 5, Seminarraum gross 302 |
| Modules |
Modul: Probleme der Theoretischen Philosophie (Bachelor's degree subject: Philosophy) Modul: Theoretische Philosophie (Master's degree subject: Philosophy) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Philosophie |