We think of ourselves pre-scientifically, as floating observers in a theater of experience, mentally directing deliberations and willing actions. Educators approach our aptitudes in this way. We address such questions through cognitive science and philosophy of mind. Using a comparative approach, this course examines assumptions about the nature of mind, knowledge, self, and reality that underlie contemporary cognitive science from the perspective of traditional Buddhist mind science. Students read original texts from the great philosophers from Plato to Sartre and seek to discover what themes are of lasting value and why.
Emphasis is placed upon the application of philosophical thought to real life.
Fall term alternate years. 4 credit hours PHIL-4940 Topics in Philosophy Experimental courses on subjects to be announced in advance. Spring term annually. This seminar explores the issues of confirmation, semantics, and interpretations of scientific theories. Positivism, realism, and the logic of scientific discovery are discussed with special attention given to foundational problems in physics and psychology.