On the Human

Catalog description

Students in this seminar course actively explore human singularity: the properties, if any, that distinguish persons from animals and machines. Do we have souls? To what extent can we give physical explanations of our thoughts and actions? What, if anything, do scientific experiments tell us about our differences from chimps and artificial intelligences? What are the ethical implications of new biotechnologies? Should we be allowed to use genetic and neural engineering to change human nature? Students read articles, watch videos, stimulate class discussions with prepared questions, write short essays and a final paper, and participate in a 60-minute team presentation.