Minds and Machines
An introduction to philosophy of mind, exploring consciousness, reality, AI, and more. The most in-depth philosophy course available online.
length
12 weeks
effort
4-6 hours per week
price
Free
About this course
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
Meet your instructors
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Alex Byrne
Alex Byrne is Professor of Philosophy in MIT’s Department of Linguistics and Philosophy. He has written widely in philosophy of mind and epistemology, and recently co-edited The Norton Introduction to Philosophy.
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David Balcarras
David Balcarras is a Lecturer in philosophy and a Digital Learning Lab Fellow at MIT. He got his PhD in philosophy from MIT, and his MA and BA in philosophy from the University of Toronto. His research focuses on the philosophy of mind and language.