Philosophy of Mind: Philosophy Lesson for Students Aged 8-16 [P4C, Philosophy for Children, SMSC]

This multi-use interactive philosophy lesson explores ‘Philosophy of Mind’: the field of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind and how it is linked to the body. The session will also trigger fascinating discussions about ‘the problem of other minds’, how we know whether or not something has a mind, solipsism, how to study the mind, and the possibilities of generating artificial consciousness.

This session is ideal for teachers who want to explore philosophy with students aged 8-16; we’ve carefully selected the most significant issues and questions relating to philosophy of mind so that young learners can engage in fun philosophical discussions and debates. This session explores topics such as:

• The nature of the mind
• Qualities and properties associated with the mind
• The manner in which the mind can be said to exist
• The relationship between the brain and the mind

It outlines and explores the fundamental debate at the core of philosophy of mind surrounding mind-body dualism, physicalism, idealism as well as classic philosophical problems such as the problem of other minds and ‘The Hard Problem of Consciousness’.

The big question asked in this session is “Do we ever experience anything other than our own mind?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a wide range of other philosophical questions such as

• What is the mind made of?
• Do plants have minds?
• What is the size, shape, and location of the mind?
• How could you prove to someone else that you have a mind? and
• What is ‘the external world’ like beyond our mental representations of it?

Students will also analyse and evaluate an eclectic mix of philosophical claims such as:

• “There is no ‘mental stuff’ in reality: only physical stuff exists”
• “The mind does not have a size”
• “One day humans will create a computer that has a mind or a conscious experience of existence” and
• “The colour red doesn’t actually exist in the world: it’s a mental quality that only exists in the mind”

This resource is suitable for students aged 8-16; due to the flexible nature of the sessions design it can be used for multiple hour-long sessions or as a short stimulating tutor-group activity. This session uses our unique format for philosophy teaching resources and features an integrated menu that allows teachers to select from a variety of starter, main, plenary, assessment and end-of-lesson reflection activities.

The file is a PowerPoint Show: no planning or preparation is required, just run the file and the intuitive menu system will make delivering a powerful philosophy session very easy!