PHIL 222 — Schedule

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Aug 25Tue

Introduction

No reading

Part I — Reasoning and thinking machines

Induction, decision theory, and whether a machine can understand

Aug 27Thu

Machine learning and prediction: the problem of induction

Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (excerpt)

Summary Reading done

Sep 1Tue

The problem of induction, continued

Salmon, “The Problem of Induction,” §1 and §2.1 only

Summary Reading done

Sep 3Thu

Classification and training data: the new riddle of induction

Goodman, Fact, Fiction, and Forecast (excerpt)

Summary Reading done

Sep 8Tue

Decision theory and artificial agents: Newcomb’s problem

Nozick, “Newcomb’s Problem and Two Principles of Choice”

Summary Reading done

Sep 10Thu

The Chinese Room

Searle, “Minds, Brains, and Programs”

Summary Reading done

Sep 15Tue

The Chinese Room, continued

Block, “The Mind as the Software of the Brain,” §11.1–11.2

Summary Reading done

Sep 17Thu

The Chinese Room, continued · Unit 1 wrap-up

Churchland and Churchland, “Could a Machine Think?”

Summary Reading done

Sep 22Tue

Debate 1

Class debate

No additional reading · bonus credit only

Sep 24Thu

Exam 1 · 10 pts

Exam 1, in class

Covers Unit 1 only, not cumulative

Part II — Computation and its limits

Infinity, Turing machines, the uncomputable, complexity

Sep 29Tue

Paper workshop and infinities

Pryor, “Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy Paper” · Dekofsky, “The Infinite Hotel Paradox” (TED-Ed)

Summary Reading done

Oct 1Thu

Turing machines

Sets, Logic, Computation (Open Logic Project), §14.1–14.3

Summary Reading done

Oct 6Tue

Turing machines, continued

Sets, Logic, Computation, §14.1–14.3

Summary Reading done

Oct 8Thu

Enumerating the Turing machines

Sets, Logic, Computation, §15.1–15.2

Summary Reading done

Oct 13Tue

Paper 1 due 11:59 PM · 15 pts

The uncomputable

Sets, Logic, Computation, §15.1–15.2 · paper is 1–2 pages / 500 words

Summary Reading done

Oct 15Thu

The Church–Turing thesis

Copeland, “Computation”

Summary Reading done

Oct 20Tue

The halting problem and the decision problem

Sets, Logic, Computation, §15.4–15.5

Summary Reading done

Oct 22Thu

Complexity · Unit 2 wrap-up

Aaronson, “Why Philosophers Should Care About Computational Complexity,” §1–3

Summary Reading done

Oct 27Tue

Debate 2

Class debate

No additional reading · bonus credit only

Oct 29Thu

Exam 2 · 20 pts

Exam 2, in class

Covers Unit 2 only, not cumulative

Part III — Computers, ethics, and society

Ethical theory, property in software, algorithmic bias and fairness

Nov 3Tue

Ethical theory: libertarianism

Steiner, “Libertarianism and Property” · Vallentyne, “Libertarianism and Self-Ownership”

Summary Reading done

Nov 5Thu

Ethical theory: utilitarianism

Shafer-Landau, “Consequentialism: Its Nature and Attractions”

Summary Reading done

Nov 10Tue

Ethical theory: Rawls

Rawls, “The Main Idea,” A Theory of Justice · Wolff, “Rawls’s Theory of Justice”

Summary Reading done

Nov 12Thu

Software property rights

Waldron, “Property Rights and Welfare Redistribution” · Johnson, “Property Rights in Computer Software,” ch. 5

Summary Reading done

Nov 17Tue

Bias and prediction algorithms

O’Neil, Weapons of Math Destruction, ch. 1, 5, 6

Summary Reading done

Nov 19Thu

Bias and prediction algorithms, continued

O’Neil, Weapons of Math Destruction, ch. 1, 5, 6

Summary Reading done

Nov 20Fri

Paper 2 due 11:59 PM · 20 pts

No class — deadline only

3–5 pages / 1000 words

Nov 24& 26

Fall break — no class

No reading

Dec 1Tue

The impossibility of fairness

Angwin, Larson, Mattu, and Kirchner, “Machine Bias,” ProPublica

Summary Reading done

Dec 3Thu

Make-up and review session

No additional reading

Dec 8Tue

Debate 3

Class debate

No additional reading · last chance at bonus credit

TBDfinals

Final exam · 25 pts

Exam 3, cumulative

Date and time to be announced