Undergraduate Course: Belief, Desire and Rational Choice (PHIL10159)
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 | This course provides an introduction into formal models of belief, desire, and rational choice: Bayesian epistemology, formal value theory, and decision theory. |
| Course description |
This course provides an introduction into formal models of belief, desire, and rational choice. The first part introduces Bayesian epistemology, where belief is treated as an attitude that comes in different degree of strength. Formalising this idea turns out to have rich applications in several areas of philosophy and science. In the second part, we turn to models of desire, drawing on utility theory in economics and value theory in philosophy. We will also look at interactions between desire and belief. The third part of the course introduces the basic concepts of decision theory, which formalises the intuition that rational agents do what they believe will bring them closer to satisfying their desires.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Logic 1 (PHIL08004)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | 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 Student Adviser and the Course Organiser 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 3rd year 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 2026/27, 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
70 %,
Coursework
30 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Mid-term take-home test: 30%
Final Exam: 70%
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Students will acquire a high-level grasp of formal epistemology, utility theory, and decision theory.
- Students will understand the purpose and limitations of formal models.
- Students will acquire basic skills in probabilistic reasoning
- Students will practice critical thinking, constructive discussion, and development of their own ideas.
- Students will practice their writing skills.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Philosophy,Belief,Rational,Choice,Desire |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Wolfgang Schwarz
Tel:
Email: Wolfgang.Schwarz@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Cameron Findlay
Tel:
Email: cameron.findlay@ed.ac.uk |
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