PHIL 3400: Mind, Language & Reality

What exists? At first glance this seems to be a silly question that admits of obvious answers. We know about all kinds of things - books, people, tables, chairs, the list goes on. But the simplicity of this answer is misleading. What about fictional characters? Does Sherlock Holmes exist? He is fictional, but seems to exist across texts. How do we make sense of such cases? In this class we will use fiction as a foil to ask questions about existence and language. We will also consider questions regarding the nature of the mind and how it relates to the body. Occasionally, it’ll blow your mind.