INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY: BRAINS, MINDS, AND MACHINES

Catalog description

Introduction to Philosophy: Brains, Minds, and Machines examines central questions in philosophy about the nature of the mind, the self, human rationality, perception/experience, and technology through the lens of work in cognitive science, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and psychology. Some major topics and questions include: What are minds? Is the human mind a digital computer? Could a machine - e.g., a robot or a computer - be truly intelligent, or have experiences like humans and animals do? How does the brain "represent" its environment? In engaging these questions, the course also introduces students to foundational issues in cognitive science and artificial intelligence including: nativism vs. empiricism, mental representation, classical artificial intelligence vs. neural networks, modularity, evolutionary psychology, embodied cognition, and extended cognition.