LEARNING GOAL
Learning to differentiate a human being from an "intelligent" machine
PEDAGOGICAL INTENTION
Identify biological differences
Target SKILLS
MATERIALS
DETAILED PROCEDURE
PROGRESS INDICATORS
Printed excerpt: Nagel (1974) 'What is it like to be a bat?' (2 paragraphs, simplified)
Discussion cards
Read aloud 2 simplified paragraphs from Nagel's argument: there is something it is like to experience something, and no amount of information processing explains that.
Step 1
Discussion prompt: 'An AI can detect that you are in pain from your facial expression, your voice, and your vital signs with 95% accuracy. Does that mean it understands pain?' 3. Small groups (4 min): argue for or against.
Step 2
Class synthesis: distinguish third-person information processing from first-person subjective experience.
Step 3
Written reflection (10 min): 'Why does the difference between detecting pain and feeling pain matter - practically, ethically, and relationally?'.
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
Step 9
Step 10
Student explains the difference between functional/behavioral equivalence and phenomenal consciousness - and gives a concrete practical example of why the distinction matters.