Mind and Reality
Course Description
This course brings together the philosophy and the sciences of the mind to examine fundamental questions about our subjective experience of the world, ourselves, and others such as: What is consciousness? Do we all experience and represent the world in the same way? Can we know other minds? What is it like to be other animals? Can machines perceive, think, or feel?
The first half of the course challenges the naïve impression that our conscious experience of reality is a passive and accurate reflection of how the world is. By introducing a range of scientific phenomena such as visual illusions, false memories and cognitive biases, the lectures will engage students in analyzing how our experience of an external and internal reality is actively constructed by our minds. Besides lectures, we will do field trips to several museum exhibits to explore hands-on the complexity and error-proneness of our mental processes.
The second half of the course delves into ancient and contemporary philosophical thought on the nature of mental representation, self-consciousness, and knowledge of other minds. We will examine how fundamental questions about the nature of our minds can be addressed through philosophical analysis and thought experiments, but also in film, science-fiction, and visual arts.
Course Criteria
This course is open to high school students only.
Academic Interest
Examining Culture and Society, Humanities (e.g, arts, literature, philosophy)
Application Materials
A complete application includes a transcript, two short essays, a letter of recommendation, writing sample, application fee, and a submitted parent confirmation. If you are seeking need-based financial aid, you must indicate that in your application before it is submitted. Please refer to the Application Instructions for complete details.
Instructor(s)
Duygu Uygun Tunc
Other Courses to Consider
These courses might also be of interest.
Understanding AI: AI Through a Technical, Socio-Ethical, and Career Development LensGenerative AI, large language models (LLMs) -- these buzzwords have been popping up in newsrooms, classrooms, and dinner tables. This discussion-intensive, hands-on course provides students with a foundational understanding of AI through a technical, socio-ethical, and career development lens. No prior computing or AI experience is necessary to take this course. This class will give students the opportunity to:
Week 1: Understand topics like the training process behind LLMs and apply what they learned to design their own chatbot.
Week 2: Critically evaluate the impacts of LLMs on society and design a public-facing media piece that raises awareness about their impacts and responsible use.
Week 3: Assess how LLMs might change the future of jobs by using historical events to inform future predictions. Students will develop their own 5-year plans to think about the potential careers they are interested in pursuing and the corresponding skill sets required.
Across the 3 weeks, researchers and industry professionals will visit the class to share their expertise and to help students understand how design choices, ethical considerations, and real-world motivations shape the development and impact of LLM systems.
Residential