Undergraduate Course: Philosophy of Information (PHIL10186)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course examines different conceptual analyses of information and their implications for issues in cognitive science, epistemology, and internet ethics. The material divides roughly into two units. In the first unit, we cover the use of information as a foundational concept for grounding theories of knowledge and mental representation. In the second unit, we examine the way ethical considerations are transformed by informational interactions, addressing questions such as: Do interactions in virtual realms (chatrooms, MMORPGs, Second Life) carry the same ethical obligations as physical interactions? How does the algorithmic structure of social media accelerate the spread of fake news? and How does generative AI change our perspective on human creativity? |
| Course description |
This course addresses philosophical questions around information of two different kinds. The first half of the course considers information as a passive resource flowing through nature, and thereby potentially grounding theories of knowledge, inference, and mental representation. Topics covered in this unit of the course typically include Shannon information, semantic information, the distinction between natural and non-natural meaning, and the factivity (or not) of information.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Mind, Matter and Language (PHIL08014) AND
Knowledge and Reality (PHIL08017)
It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed
Logic 2: Modal Logics (PHIL10162)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students studying on MA Cognitive Science (Humanities) and students who have studied 1 course in probability and 1 course are permitted to take this course without having met the pre-requisites of: Knowledge and Reality (PHIL08017) AND Mind, Matter and Language (PHIL08014). However, it is advisable that students discuss the suitability of the course with their PT and the course organizer before enrolling. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Take-Home Test: 35%
Weekly Worksheets: 5%
Final Paper: 60%
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Articulate and defend a philosophical analysis of information.
- Define and critically contrast Shannon information and semantic information.
- Critically discuss whether information is factive.
- Explain and evaluate relevant notions of information for ethical questions arising on the internet.
- Articulate and critically assess the relationship between physical and informational aspects of the world.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students will prepare for class, managing their time effectively by reading and filling in weekly worksheets. In class, there is extensive small group discussion, allowing students to practice expressing themselves verbally, debate, and exposing themselves to new opinions and perspectives. The final project is a research paper on a topic chosen by the student, encouraging them to research autonomously, challenge themselves to develop novel arguments, and to express their ideas effectively in writing. This course focuses on some topics, including current events and new technology, which are philosophically important but as yet have no, or only little, philosophy written about them. We explicitly discuss, and students learn through practice, how to develop philosophical arguments on new topics such as these.
Core skills gained or developed on this course:
Being open to different perspectives; Challenging own perspectives and assumptions; Critical thinking; Critical analysis and evaluation; Ethics and research ethics; Formulating original arguments and justifying it; Independence; Oral communication (discussion, debating respectfully, influencing); Preparation, planning and organisation; Academic reading skills; Problem solving; Report writing; Research skills; Self-reflection; Taking initiative; Written communication; Writing clearly and concisely; Workload management; Time management; Understanding broader perspectives. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Alistair Isaac
Tel: (0131 6)51 5174
Email: A.M.C.Isaac@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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