GN: Philosophy of Mind

Catalog description

Am I a material brain, an immaterial consciousness, or both? This course begins with modern criticisms of Descartes’ classic dualism and examines contemporary efforts to understand how purely physical objects such as human brains (and perhaps computers) may nevertheless be said to have mental traits, e.g., thoughts and beliefs. Explored are behaviorist, functionalist, and information-representation approaches. Despite the progress made by these, we will articulate what aspects of consciousness still elude our efforts to understand the mind in naturalistic, scientific terms.