From Dr. Peter Raabe of Philosophy:
I’m teaching a third-year Philosophy of Mind course. The material is deep and difficult, and is often taught in a very dry, academic manner. But I’m teaching it with what might be called a seasonal-appropriate twist by bringing all sorts of fictional characters into the discussion. For example the topic of behaviorism is applied to the many mysterious women found in scary movies. In the class on dualism and personal identity Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde make an ‘appearance’.
What would it be like to think like a werewolf is a question discussed in the class on intentionality and phenomenalism; and a creepy little voyeuristic man called a homunculus is featured when discussion focuses on the representational theory of mind. Will self-conscious computers have souls, and will it be possible for autonomous robots to turn rogue? What might be the mental content of Dr. Frankenstein’s patchwork monster? How can we tell whether a zombie’s brain contains thoughts? Is it possible for a vampire to live outside of time? Can a ghost be just a mind existing without a body? These are just some of the questions that are part of our philosophical discussions about the mind.