Philosophy: Minds and Machines - Massachusetts Institute of Technology

What is the relationship between the mind and the body? Can computers think? Do we perceive reality as it is? Can there be a science of consciousness? This course explores these questions and others. It is a thorough, rigorous introduction to contemporary philosophy of mind. According to many scientists and philosophers, explaining the nature of consciousness is the deepest intellectual challenge of all. If you find consciousness at all puzzling, this is a great place to start learning more.

What you'll learn

• The basics of argumentation
• Some central arguments for and against the view that a sufficiently powerful computer can think (AI)
• The main theories of mental states and their relations to physical states
• Some central arguments for and against the view that the world is not as we perceive it to be
• What the "hard problem of consciousness" is