Mind, Brain, Machine?

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GE-Human Culture: Philosophy Is your mind, your conscious awareness of yourself as a self, nothing more than your physical brain? In this class we explore contemporary philosophical theories concerning the relationship between mind and brain. Some of these theories hold that our mental experiences are wholly physical brain events, while others maintain that there is something non-physical about our mental experience. Some theories seek to harmonize commitments between these prior two camps by appealing to insights from classical philosophy, while others deny certain key presuppositions assumed by the question itself or that the question can even be answered. As we explore the pros and cons of each of these theories, much attention will be given to how they incorporate data from the empirical sciences. Prerequisite: ENGL 17000 with a C or better.