Philosophy and the Sciences: Introduction to the Philosophy of Cognitive Sciences
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Philosophy and the Sciences: Introduction to the Philosophy of Cognitive Sciences
The University of Edinburgh
About this Course
4.5
430 ratings
Course Description
What is our role in the universe as human agents capable of knowledge? What makes us intelligent cognitive agents seemingly endowed with consciousness?
This is the second part of the course 'Philosophy and the Sciences', dedicated to Philosophy of the Cognitive Sciences. Scientific research across the cognitive sciences has raised pressing questions for philosophers. The goal of this course is to introduce you to some of the main areas and topics at the key juncture between philosophy and the cognitive sciences.
Each week we will introduce you to some of these important questions at the forefront of scientific research. We will explain the science behind each topic in a simple, non-technical way, while also addressing the philosophical and conceptual questions arising from it. Areas you’ll learn about will include:
Philosophy of psychology, among whose issues we will cover the evolution of the human mind and the nature of consciousness.
Philosophy of neurosciences, where we’ll consider the nature of human cognition and the relation between mind, machines, and the environment.
Learning objectives
Gain a fairly well-rounded view on selected areas and topics at the intersection of philosophy and the sciences
Understand some key questions, and conceptual problems arising in the cognitive sciences.
Develop critical skills to evaluate and assess these problems.
Suggested Readings
To accompany 'Philosophy and the Sciences', we are pleased to announce a tie-in book from Routledge entitled 'Philosophy and the Sciences for Everyone'. This course companion to the 'Philosophy and the Sciences' course was written by the Edinburgh Philosophy and the Sciences team expressly with the needs of MOOC students in mind. 'Philosophy and the Sciences for Everyone' contains clear and user-friendly chapters, chapter summaries, glossary, study questions, suggestions for further reading and guides to online resources.
Please note, this companion book is optional - all the resources needed to complete the course are available freely and listed on the course site.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
1
Section
Philosophy and the Sciences Part 1
This course is the second part of the joint course 'Philosophy and the Sciences'. If you want to go to the first part of the course, 'Philosophy and the Physical Sciences' follow the link below
1 reading
1 reading
Link to Philosophy and the Physical Sciences10m
Stone-age minds in modern skulls: evolutionary theory and the philosophy of mind (Suilin Lavelle and Kenny Smith)
Scientists agree that our brains are a product of natural selection. How did human brains and human cognitive structures evolve ?
3 videos (Total 36 min), 6 readings, 1 quiz
6 readings
Handout10m
Recommended readings10m
The evolution of language10m
Niche Construction10m
Chimpanzee culture social learning10m
Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh10m
1 practice exercise
Week 1 Quiz: Do our modern skulls house stone-age minds?20m
2
Section
What is consciousness? (Mark Sprevak and David Carmel)
Why do creatures with brains like ours have consciousness? What makes certain bits of our mental life conscious and others not?
2 videos (Total 30 min), 7 readings, 1 quiz
7 readings
Handout from Mark's lectures10m
Slides from David's lectures10m
Recommended readings10m
Access/Phenomenal consciousness distinction10m
Overview of philosophical problems concerning consciousness10m
Limitations of perceptual awareness10m
Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh10m
1 practice exercise
Week 2 Quiz: What is consciousness?20m
3
Section
Intelligent machines and the human brain (Mark Sprevak and Peggy Series)
How does one make a clever adaptive machine that can recognise speech, control an aircraft, and detect credit card fraud?
2 videos (Total 28 min), 8 readings, 1 quiz
8 readings
Find and share news on intelligent machines!10m
Recommended readings10m
Computational theory of mind and connectionism10m
The McGurk effect video10m
The Ames illusion video10m
Motion perception10m
The rotating mask illusion video10m
Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh10m
1 practice exercise
Week 3 Quiz: From intelligent machines to the human brain20m
4
Section
Embodied cognition (Andy Clark and Barbara Webb)
Embodied cognition is all about the huge difference that having an active body and being situated in a structured environment make to the kind of tasks that the brain has to perform in order to support adaptive success.
2 videos (Total 24 min), 7 readings, 2 quizzes
7 readings
Lecture Slides10m
Recommended readings10m
Embodied Cognition further reading10m
Passive-dynamic walkers video10m
The current crop of robots10m
Design your own robot10m
Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh10m
1 practice exercise
Week 4 Quiz: Embodied cognition and the sciences of the mind20m
4.5
67%
83%
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Top Reviews
By CM•Aug 7th 2018
I have enjoyed the course, specially the detailed way of explained all the topics by the instructors. Also, I went through some of the bibliography sources provided which is a lot. Thank You all
By KS•Jun 3rd 2017
An amazing course where you get introduced to concepts like cognitive science, philosophy of mind, consciousness, etc. Simple and crisp content matter.
Instructors
Professor Michela Massimi
Full ProfessorPhilosophy
Dr. Alasdair Richmond
Dr.Philosophy
Dr. Suilin Lavelle
Lecturer in PhilosophyUniversity of Edinburgh
Dr David Carmel
LecturerPsychology
Dr Mark Sprevak
Senior LecturerSchool of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences
Professor Duncan Pritchard
Professor of PhilosophyUniversity of Edinburgh
Professor Andy Clark
School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences
Professor John Peacock
Professor of CosmologyInstitute for Astronomy
Professor Barbara Webb
School of Informatics
Dr Kenny Smith
School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences
Dr Peggy Series
Institute for Adaptive and Neural Computation
About The University of Edinburgh
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
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