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Experimental Philosophy of Mind and Language (2025/2026)
An English-language seminar for Cognitive Science students, taught by Katarzyna Kuś and Krzysztof Sękowski in the summer semester of 2025/2026. The course combines critical analysis of existing studies with the design and execution of a group empirical study.
Course information
- Instructors: Katarzyna Kuś, Krzysztof Sękowski.
- Programme and faculty: Cognitive Science, Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw.
- Language: English.
- Hours: 45, comprising 30 hours of seminar meetings and 15 hours of supervised research project work.
- Credits: 5 ECTS.
- USOS term: 2025L, summer semester 2025/2026.
- Course codes: 2500-EN-CS-P-03 and 2500-EN-COG-F-35 (the previous Cognitive Science programme).
Topics
- Experimental philosophy: its origins, methods, strengths and limitations.
- Folk concepts of belief and knowledge; the diversity, stability and reliability of intuitions.
- The Epistemic Side-Effect Effect, intentional action, the Knobe effect and norm-sensitive judgments.
- Attributions of mental states, agency and responsibility.
- Reference, speaker meaning, proper names and identity over time.
- Dual-character concepts, normative and descriptive dimensions of concepts, and conceptual engineering.
- Operationalising philosophical concepts, designing materials, measurement and interpretation of results.
Empirical project
Working in small groups, students formulate a research question and hypothesis, prepare materials, collect and analyse data, and interpret their results in relation to philosophical debates. Groups present successive stages of their projects and receive feedback from the instructors and fellow students.
Alongside regular meetings, four additional project sessions are planned: three group consultations and a final presentation and discussion of results. The detailed schedule and consultation format are agreed during the first part of the semester.
Assessment
The final grade comprises an individual presentation (30%), a critical co-presentation or methodological analysis (15%), participation in discussions (15%), and a group empirical study with presentation of results (40%). Detailed attendance and resit rules, together with the reading list, are available in the USOS syllabus.