Philosophical Issues in Brain Science

The photo is an illustration of the brain. It shows that certain brain areas have specific functions which in turn control personality traits.

An illustration of brain areas that have localized and specific functions. These are responsible for various personality traits of a person. (This image is in the public domain.)

Instructor(s)

MIT Course Number

24.08J / 9.48J

As Taught In

Spring 2009

Level

Undergraduate

Cite This Course

Course Description

Course Features

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to important philosophical questions about the mind, specifically those that are intimately connected with contemporary psychology and neuroscience. Are our concepts innate or are they acquired by experience? And what does it even mean to call a concept 'innate'? Are 'mental images' pictures in the head? Is color in the mind or in the world? Is the mind nothing more than the brain? Can there be a science of consciousness? The course includes guest lectures by philosophers and cognitive scientists.

Related Content

Alex Byrne, and Pawan Sinha. 24.08J Philosophical Issues in Brain Science. Spring 2009. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu. License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA.


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