Among the animal kingdom, the human mind is the only one to reflect on its own nature and development. Our minds are unsurpassed in flexibility, imagination, creativity, and narrative ability, but they are also subject to distortions and biases as well as the potential for highly impairing mental disturbances. Modern neuroscience has shifted the view of our minds—as inextricably linked to complex brain chemistry rather than the products of spirits or supernatural forces—with major implications for how we perceive ourselves as a species. The emergence of our minds from non-human minds, their development across each human lifespan and their linkages with brain functions, whether they are modular or general purpose in nature, how they are shaped by contextual factors, and how they can both flourish and “go wrong”: These are the core issues addressed in this course.
Genre: Documentary
