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Free Online Course on Minds and Machines

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is offering free online course on Minds and Machines. This course explores these questions and others. It is a thorough, rigorous introduction to contemporary philosophy of mind.

In this twelve week course, applicants will introduction to philosophy of mind, exploring consciousness, reality, AI, and more. The most in-depth philosophy course available online. This course will start on October 3, 2017.

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Course At A Glance

Length: 12 weeks
Effort: 4-6 hours pw
Subject:  Philosophy & Ethics
Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology and edx
Languages: English
Price: Free
Certificate Available: Yes, Add a Verified Certificate for $49
Session: Course Starts on October 3, 2017

Providers’ Details

Massachusetts Institute of Technology — a coeducational, privately endowed research university founded in 1861 — is dedicated to advancing knowledge and educating students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

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?

Why Take This Course?

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.

Learning Outcomes

  • 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

Instructors

Alex Byrne

Alex Byrne is the Chair of the Philosophy Section 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.

Ryan Doody

Ryan Doody is a PhD in Philosophy & Linguistics at MIT. He has a degree in Mathematics and a degree in Philosophy from SUNY Brockport.

Requirements

None

How To Join This Course

  • Go to the course website link
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  • Choose “Register Now” to get started.
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