PSYC 53.16 Are We Free? Evolution, Neuroscience and the Problem of Human Meaning

While we are perfectly willing to admit that our bodies are deterministic, entirely physical systems, most feel that there is something to us besides the “merely” physical—a special substance or power, the mind or the soul, that is non-material and that serves as the locus of free will, meaning and human dignity. This course explores the origins of our belief in free will and the challenges to it raised by evolutionary theory and neuroscience.

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:SOC

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Department-Specific Course Categories

Psychological and Brain Sciences