Mind-Body Philosophy

Overview

Explore the intricate relationship between the mind and body with Professor Patrick Grim from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. This course addresses the fundamental question of how our brain creates the subjective experiences we call reality. Through an exciting intellectual journey, you will navigate through philosophy, neuroscience, mathematics, and psychology to confront one of humanity’s greatest mysteries.

Course Outline

• Mind, Body, and Questions of Consciousness (32 min)
  • Introduction to the mind-body problem and the brain’s role in subjective experience.

• Mind and Body in Greek Philosophy (31 min)
  • Insights from Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle on our relationship with the world.

3. Eastern Perspectives on Mind and Body (31 min)
   • A look at how Eastern philosophy approaches the mind-body relationship differently.

• Using the Body to Shape the Mind (32 min)
  • Discussing how physical practices influence mental states.

• History of the Soul (32 min)
  • Exploration of the soul’s role in philosophy and its absence in modern brain science.

• How Descartes Divided Mental from Physical (31 min)
  • Understanding Descartes’ dualism and its lasting impact.

• Mistakes about Our Own Consciousness (29 min)
  • Surprising insights into the reliability of everyday consciousness.

• Strange Cases of Consciousness (30 min)
  • Investigating unusual brain conditions and their implications for perception.

• Altered States of Consciousness (32 min)
  • What dreams and hallucinations reveal about brain function.

• Memory, Mind, and Brain (31 min)
  • The relationship between memory and identity.

• Self-Consciousness and the Self (31 min)
  • A historical overview of theories concerning the self.

12. Rival Psychologies of the Mind (33 min)
    • Comparing the theories of notable figures like James, Freud, and Wundt.

• The Enigma of Free Will (30 min)
  • Examining the philosophical debate around free will and determinism.

• Emotions: Where Mind and Body Meet (31 min)
  • The interplay between emotions and physical sensations.

• Could a Machine Be Conscious? (31 min)
  • Exploring Turing and Wittgenstein’s inquiries into machine consciousness.

• Computational Approaches to the Mind (32 min)
  • Insights into the mind through artificial intelligence perspectives.

• A Guided Tour of the Brain (30 min)
  • Understanding brain anatomy and functions related to consciousness.

• Thinking Body and Extended Mind (30 min)
  • Integrating bodily functions into cognition.

• Francis Crick and Binding in the Brain (32 min)
  • Investigating Francis Crick’s contributions to understanding consciousness.

• Clues on Consciousness from Anesthesiology (30 min)
  • Insights from anesthesia on the nature of consciousness.

• Of Mind, Materialism, and Zombies (31 min)
  • Exploring individual philosophical perspectives using zombie thought experiments.

• Thought Experiments against Materialism (30 min)
  • Implications of philosophical thought experiments on materialism.

23. Consciousness and the Explanatory Gap (31 min)
    • Understanding consciousness through the lens of emergence and neuroscience.

24. A Philosophical Science of Consciousness? (35 min)
    • Proposing a new methodology to study consciousness and its evolutionary significance.