Event Timeslots (1)
Wednesday
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The ability to imagine - that is to go beyond the real - is a fascinating aspect of human cognition. You can be sat in a lecture while at the same time imagining being on a tropical island beach. Or you might stand in your living room, imagining what the room would look like if painted in a different colour. Similarly, a child can pretend to be in hot pursuit of a criminal with an imaginary friend, while knowing that both the criminal and the imaginary friend are not real. But how does imagination work? The topic of imagination has been a very active area of research in recent philosophy of mind, with considerable debate regarding the question of what imagination is, the processes it involves and the functions it might serve.
Based on recent texts from the philosophy of imagination we will explore and discuss 1) what imagination is; 2) how it relates to other mental phenomena like beliefs, desires or mental imagery and 3) explore what some of the functions of imagination might be (e.g. the role that imagination can play for gaining new knowledge or for creative thinking).
Texts for the seminar will be made available via Moodle.
Examination: written assignment or oral exam