A short paper must be typed in double-spaced text, Font size 12, Times New Roman. The recommended length of such a paper is three to five pages.
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1.    Explain what the Chinese Room Experiment is, as put forward by John Searle. How is this experiment supposed to show that the functionalist view of mind/consciousness is wrong? Searle seems to be saying that something is missing in the way that the Chinese Room functions, and that because of this missing thing, we cannot say that the room actually understands Chinese. What is this thing that is supposed to be missing? Does this experiment succeed in showing that the functionalist view is wrong? Explain your answer, one way or the other.
2.    Explain the example of Mary in the black-and-white room, as put forward by Frank Jackson. Does Mary learn something new about the world when she steps out of the room for the first time? What is this something new that she learns? How is this example supposed to show that physicalism is wrong? Does this example succeed in showing us that we are conscious beings who can act on the physical world and change this world? Explain your answer, one way or the other.
3.    What are the three features that distinguish romantic love from other, non-romantic kinds of love, according to Robert Solomon? Very often, during the first phases of falling in love with somebody, we form an idealized, perfect image of him or her that often proves to be a false image once we get to know that person better. Does this mean that the first phases of love are not “true” love, but only love that is based on a fantasy? Explain your answer, one way or the other.
4.    Explain what the Look of the Other is for Jean-Paul Sartre, and how this look alienates us. How is romantic love supposed to offer us a refuge from this Look?
5.    What does Sartre mean when he states that “existence precedes essence”? How does this statement support his view that human beings are radically free? How does this freedom lead to bad faith?