Undergraduate Course: Philosophy of Language Models and Virtual Worlds (PHIL10241)
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 | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course is about the nature of creativity, intelligence, linguistic knowledge, consciousness, and virtual (as opposed to physical) reality. But it explores these themes through the various discussions of language models and virtual worlds that have recently captured public attention. |
| Course description |
What is creativity? What is intelligence? What is linguistic knowledge? What is consciousness? Could a language model (a computer system trained to predict appropriate text-based responses, e.g., ChatGPT) be creative? intelligent? linguistically competent? conscious? Could a virtual entity? How do these recent technologies bear on some of the core subjects in the philosophy of language and mind? Students can expect to read the most recent philosophical work on these issues, and to develop their skills in real-time discussions.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Mind, Matter and Language (PHIL08014) AND
Logic 1 (PHIL08004)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | A background in philosophy of language, philosophy of mind or metaphysics at honours level is recommended. Students studying on MA Cognitive Science (Humanities) are permitted to take this course without having met the pre-requisite. However, it is advisable that students discuss the suitability of the course with their PT and the course organizer before enrolling. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have completed at least 3 Philosophy courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission. **Please note that honours Philosophy courses are high-demand, meaning that they have a very high number of students wishing to enrol in a very limited number of spaces.** These enrolments are managed strictly by the Visiting Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the department, and all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. It is not appropriate for students to contact the department directly to request additional spaces. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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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) |
Documentary video presentation 40%
Final essay 60% (2500 words) |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Articulate and defend views about the philosophical significance of language models and virtual reality, among other closely related topics.
- Develop a long-term research project.
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Reading List
Making AI Intelligible, by Herman Cappelen and Josh Dever
Reality+, by David Chalmers
Kinds of Minds, by Daniel Dennett
'Modern Language Models Refute Chomsky¿s Approach to Language', by Steven Piantadosi
'(What) Can Deep Learning Contribute to Theoretical Linguistics?', Gabe Dupre
'What Might Machines Mean?', by Mitch Green and Jan Michel
'In Conversation with Artificial Intelligence: Aligning Language Models with Human Values', by Atoosa Kasirzadeh and Iason Gabriel |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Skilled communication
Creative and critical thinking
Research and inquiry skills |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Mahrad Almotahari
Tel: (0131 6)67 7290
Email: malmotah@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Joan MacKenzie
Tel:
Email: jmacken8@ed.ac.uk |
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