Subject Area: Philosophy

We begin by discussing the virtual disappearance of the idea of the soul, of the conscious self as an entity separate from the body which might go on existing without it. How has this come about? What alternative ideas have recent thinkers given us? Are these new ideas intellectually and humanly acceptable? Having become familiar with the major contemporary views about the nature of mind, we will turn to a range of related topics: to the suggestion that minds are computers; to the claim that having beliefs and desires is just a matter of belonging to a broad class of designed systems; to the mysteries of subjectivity and consciousness; and to questions about the basis of our identity as persons across the course of our lives.