Notes: Summer 2023 Description: This course will be an introduction to some central issues in philosophy with a focus on the relation between minds and machines. We will consider philosophical debates about the nature of minds: What does it take to represent the external world, to be intelligent, or to be creative? We will consider the relation between minds and biological machines, asking such questions as: Is the mind something non-physical? If it is physical, is it anything over and above the brain? And we will look at contemporary AI systems, pursuing questions like: Do chat bots have minds? How can we ensure that AI systems make morally good decisions? We will read some classic work from the history of philosophy and contemporary work, responding, for instance, to recent developments in AI research.