Class Information

Y08 Philosophy - Mind and Nature     NEW

This class is face-to-face.

Tutor: William Grey
Philosophy attempts to understand the nature of the world and our experience of it, and explores puzzles which arise when we grapple with foundational questions which emerge from the quest for understanding. Central concerns include the nature of consciousness and free will, scientific and artistic understanding, natural and artificial intelligence, and the quest for meaning. The central idea of the course is that we have a hybrid cognitive system, with left and right hemispheres which have different ways of experiencing and understanding the world.
Venue: 232 Adelaide St
Wednesday 1.15pm - 2.30pm. Classes start 22 April, finish 24 June.
Cost: $50 (prepaid), 10 weeks
Current Enrolments: 16  (full capacity)

Philosophical puzzles can be illuminated when they are seen as differences between the left and right hemisphere modes of experience generated by our stereo-cognitive brain. The frame of neuroscience is helpful for making sense of philosophical problems. (NOTE: the course will carefully avoid the formidable technical complexities of neuroscience.)

About the Tutor:

William studied philosophy at ANU and Cambridge University, where he completed a PhD. He is an Honorary Research Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, where he taught Philosophy for several decades before his retirement in 2012. William believes that the humanities in general, and philosophy in particular, play a vital rôle in the task of securing, extending, evaluating and transmitting the knowledge, vision and values which are needed to secure a vibrant and sustainable future. For the last few years William has been exploring his philosophical concerns through the stereo-cognitive lens of neuroscience, an inquiry which he labels neuroepistemology.