Philosophy of Psychology
| Specialisation of: | Philosophy (of a Specific Discipline) |
|---|---|
| Degree: | Master of Arts in Philosophy |
| Mode of Study: | Full-time, Part-time |
| Duration: | 2 years (full-time); 4 years (part-time) |
| Start date: | September, February |
| Language of instruction: | English and Dutch |
| Location: | Leiden |
| Croho/isat code: | 60823 |
The Philosophy of Psychology specialisation has yearly courses (seminars, tutorials and supervised reading) on key problems in the foundations of psychology and cognitive science. Discussions typically concentrate on metaphysics (nature of the mind, consciousness, supervenience, constructivism, eliminativism), epistemology (perception and cognition, mental content, embodied cognition), and methodology (reduction, explanation, classical vs. neurocomputational approaches).
With effect from September 2012, students who complete this specialisation will be awarded an MA in Philosophy.
Although the problems targeted for discussion are traditional, they are addressed from a novel point of view which emphasises the natural history of the mind. Assuming that the human mind is subject to historical development (as is now becoming increasingly plausible from work in evolutionary psychology, historical psychology, cognitive archaeology and related disciplines), then a reconsideration of the ‘traditional’ problems and the ‘received’ solutions seems to be called for. Questions about the mind are traditionally raised and answered in an essentialist and a-historic vein. What are the consequences of adding a historical dimension to the problem field?
