Courses
CineMind: Consciousness, Emotions, Self and Sentient AI
Brief Course Description:
Much modern discourse on the mind happens through the lens of media. Questions are raised like: what is experience? How do emotions work? What exactly is a self? What is artificial intelligence and is it safe? In this class we will specifically deal with philosophical difficulties that arise when thinking about these topics and discuss them by first reading some background material and then watching a movie/tv show that explores these themes. More specifically, in this course, we will explore (1) the nature of the mind, (2) theories of emotion, (3) the nature of the self, (4) sentient artificial intelligence and (5) how each of these topics are depicted in media.
Syllabus:
Introduction to Ethics
Brief Course Description:
The language of morality is often used in modern discourse: for example, some claim that healthcare coverage is a “human right”, vaccine mandates and lockdown orders were said to be “moral” or “immoral”, and some say that access to abortion “should” or “should not be” permitted. While we readily use such language, many do not know the intellectual foundations that support such claims and how to systematically evaluate their truth or falsity. This course helps to fill in these gaps and will provide you with a basic framework for navigating ethical discourse. More specifically, in this course, we will explore (1) the meaning of ethical language, (2) theories of value and how they relate to different decision procedures for answering what we ought to do in specific contexts, (3) contemporary ethical issues such as duties to provide aid and the permissibility/impermissibility of abortion, and (4) how to write an effective philosophical paper.
Syllabus:
Philosophy of Mind
Brief Course Description:
Modern discourse on the mind claims that the mind is what the brain does but struggles to explain how this is correct; as Colin McGinn says, “Somehow, we feel, the water of the physical brain is turned into the wine of consciousness, but we draw a total blank on the nature of this conversion” (McGinn 1989, 349). How does mere neurochemical and electrical activity in the brain result in thoughts, sensations and experience more generally? This class, specifically, deals with philosophical difficulties that arise when thinking about the mind and will cover most of the main areas of contemporary discourse. In this course, we will cover (1) some of the historical roots for current discussions of consciousness, (2) different ways of conceptualizing consciousness, (3) various metaphysical and epistemological puzzles that arise for theories of consciousness and how philosophers have attempted to reconcile them, and (4) contemporary understandings of mental content and the problems that arise with it.
Syllabus:
Introduction to Philosophy
Brief Course Description:
Is there a right or wrong way to live? What does it mean to know about some aspect of the world? What is the world really like? Is there a God? What should I be doing with my life? What is a mind and how is it related to brains? All of these are philosophical questions, and we will touch on each of those topics, and more, in this introduction to philosophy course. More specifically, we will discuss: (1) skepticism and knowledge, (2) the existence of objects, (3) the nature of consciousness, (4) the nature of scientific enquiry, (5) what we ought to do, (6) the nature of God and (7) the meaning of life.
Syllabus:
Meaning of Life
Brief Course Description:
The question – what is the meaning of life? – is, for many, at once one of the most important questions to be asked and also one of the most confusing. In this course, we will explore this question in detail: starting specifically with what it might mean and moving onto how philosophers and thinkers have answered different interpretations of the question. More specifically, in this course, we will explore: (1) the meaning “the meaning of life”, (2) different answers to different interpretations of the question, including how God and morality intersect with the discussions, (3) theories of value and how we should respond to the human condition, and (4) how to write an effective philosophical paper.
Syllabus: