Psychological and Brain Sciences 80 - Neural Basis of Consciousness

Institution:

Dartmouth College

Subject:

Description:

08F: 2A The goal of this course is to develop an understanding of what consciousness is, and how it comes into existence through the activity of neurons in the nervous system. We will be focusing on the ancient mind/body problem, but will bring the new tools of modern neuroscience to bear on this age old puzzle. The puzzle is this: Neurons are publicly observable entities; yet the subjective experience that their activity gives rise to is not publicly observable. Indeed, subjective experience appears to have properties that do not seem to be inherent to matter, such as redness, painfulness, and other 'qualia.' The puzzle is how seemingly different classes of events, one mental and the other physical, can both be realized in one and the same neuronal events. We will begin by focusing on some of the philosophical issues. We will then increasingly focus on the neuronal basis of subjective experience in light of the recent findings of modern neuroscience. Permission of instructor. Tse.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.dartmouth.edu

Phone Number:

(603) 646-1110

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Quarter

The Course Profile information is provided and updated by third parties including the respective institutions. While the institutions are able to update their information at any time, the information is not independently validated, and no party associated with this website can accept responsibility for its accuracy.