830 What is the nature of the mind? Is it something that exists beyond the body? Can we know that we share the same mental states as others? What does it mean to know something? Is it possible to create a conscious artificial intelligence? This course will survey philosophical ideas about the mind and knowledge, with special attention paid to the relationship between the mind and the natural world. We will study philosophical ideas about the mind from Descartes to Dennett in an accessible manner.
- no lectures added
This course is designed to be accessible to anyone with a good command of the English language and a desire to ponder critical questions. Although no previous philosophical experience is required, you may find the material easier to apprehend if you have taken an Intro to Philosophy course, or have an understanding of Deductive Logic.
Here's the basic outline of course topics:
Part 1: Introduction
Overview
Descartes: Meditations
Part 2: The Nature of the Mind
The Mind-Body Problem
The Semantic Problem
The Epistemic Problem
The Problem of Methodology
Part 3: Epistemology (What Can Be Known?)
Forms of Knowledge
Belief
Perception
Part 4: Special Topics - May include, but not limited to the following:
Artificial Intelligence
Neuroscience
Intelligent Life in the Universe
Buddhist Philosophy of Mind
The course will be in the form of video lessons supplemented by readings, with a regular group video chat to facilitate dialog. The lessons will be posted on this subreddit, and the posts will link to the video component and any associated readings. The readings will be available through the Google Group. We will have our group chats using TinyChat. Lessons should be available weekly. When we reach the special topics section, I will take requests for topics in addition to or in lieu of the proposed topics I've listed.
General Guidelines: 1. I encourage you to post in the subreddit! If any ideas come up, feel free to make a post. If you have comments or questions about a lesson, PLEASE POST THEM ON THE COMMENTS PAGE FOR THE LESSON IN QUESTION. This will keep things tidy.
Please try to keep up with lessons. I will attempt to have a lesson up weekly. The sooner you watch a lesson, the more likely it is that I will be able to address any questions, comments, or discussions before I make the next vid.
Try to keep up with the readings. They will not be completely essential for understanding the gist of the material, but reading them will deeply enhance your knowledge of the topics and build up your philosophical muscles.
I look forward to navel-gazing with you!
BS - Philosophy and Mathematics
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