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The Open University

Introducing consciousness

The Open University via OpenLearn

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Overview

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What is consciousness? How does the brain generate consciousness and how can a science of the mind describe and explain it adequately? This free course, Introducing consciousness, will introduce you to the slippery phenomenon that is consciousness, as well as some of the difficulties consciousness presents to science and philosophy.

Syllabus

  • Introduction
  • Learning outcomes
  • 1 Consciousness
  • 1 Consciousness
  • 2 Defining consciousness
  • 2 Defining consciousness
  • 2.1 Introduction
  • 2.2 What it's like
  • 2.3 Some distinctions
  • 3 The elusiveness of consciousness
  • 3 The elusiveness of consciousness
  • 4 The problem of consciousness
  • 4 The problem of consciousness
  • 4.1 Introduction
  • 4.2 Naturalism and reductive explanation
  • 4.3 The easy problems and the hard problem
  • 4.4 Physicalism and the hard problem
  • 4.5 The function of consciousness
  • 5 Conclusion
  • 5 Conclusion
  • References
  • Further reading
  • Acknowledgements

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Reviews

5.0 rating, based on 1 Class Central review

4.3 rating at OpenLearn based on 4 ratings

Start your review of Introducing consciousness

  • Profile image for Enrique Enriquez
    Enrique Enriquez @EEnriquez
    26
    Through examining concepts like qualia, reductive explanation, and the distinction between access and phenomenal consciousness, one gains a structured framework for analyzing first-person experience. Such study cultivates a capacity for nuanced critical thinking, the dissection of elusive problems, and the articulation of intricate concepts. For a potential employer, this signifies an ability to grapple with non-quantifiable aspects of human cognition, an asset in fields requiring deep analytical reasoning, user experience design, or ethical consideration of artificial systems. The course delivers a foundational, yet profound, toolkit for interrogating the very fabric of awareness.
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