This course is an advanced introduction to the philosophy of mind. Its objective is to introduce you to a variety of philosophical issues about the nature of the mind, especially issues that arise in connection with scientific research on the brain.
The course will focus on the nature of consciousness and the self. What is consciousness and how is it related to the brain, the rest of the body, and the physical world? Can consciousness be explained in physical terms? Can there be a scientific understanding of consciousness or will consciousness remain forever mysterious? Is there a self or is the self an illusion? Guided by these questions, we will examine consciousness and the sense of self across a wide variety of states, including awake
perception, dreaming, lucid dreaming, deep sleep, out-of-body experiences, dying and near-death experiences, as well as meditative states.
COVID-19 notice: This course will be delivered asynchronously through Canvas. This means that there are no scheduled class meetings. Instead, the content will consist of remotely delivered modules, each of which will include reading assignments and video lectures by me. We will use the Discussions tool in Canvas for discussion about the class content. Participating in the Canvas discussions is optional.