Description: Lecture, three hours. Requisite: course M101A. Overview of philosophical issues and theories surrounding nature of mind and its relationship with body. Examination of case for relevance of current theoretical and experimental results in neuroscience and cognitive science to philosophy of mind. In particular, focus on variety of approaches to understanding and explaining human consciousness and current lively debate about whether scientific understanding of it is possible. Neurophilosophy is relatively new interdisciplinary subject. Study is approached as two-way flow of information, from neuroscience to philosophy and vice versa. Examination of traditional philosophical problems given input of recent neuroscience findings as well as applying philosophical problem-solving approaches to determine which scientific projects related to human consciousness are genuinely new and interesting and which have potential to yield conceptually novel answers. P/NP or letter grading.

Units: 4.0