• Instructor: Sharpe, Virginia
  • Description:

    01 (R. Fry) What is a mind? How is it different from a brain—if it is? Like many philosophical questions, this question turns out to be a lot harder to answer than it might at first appear. This course examines seminal issues in the philosophy of mind as a way of introducing you to the subject matter. The questions we’ll address bear on and are influenced by historical and contemporary developments in psychology, neuroscience, and other allied fields, but the approach and subject matter here are distinctly philosophical. Some questions we’ll tackle include issues related to what minds are, how they can make things happen in the world, how they have the content they have, whether or not they’re merely brains or programs, and whether we can scientifically explain—or even understand—their most (seemingly) central feature: consciousness.

  • Credits: 3
  • Sample Syllabus
  • Syllabus Disclaimer: The information on this syllabus is subject to change. For up-to-date course information, please refer to the syllabus on your course site (e.g. Canvas) on the first day of class.