#64 Patricia Churchland: Neurophilosophy, Consciousness, Free Will, and Morality

The Dissenter

Dr. Patricia Churchland is a Canadian-American Philosopher noted for her contributions to neurophilosophy and the philosophy of mind. She is UC President’s Professor of Philosophy Emerita at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). She has also held an adjunct professorship at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies since 1989. She is a member of the Board of Trustees Moscow Center for Consciousness Studies of Philosophy Department, at Moscow State University. In 2015, she was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. She’s also the author of a number of books, including Neurophilosophy: Toward a Unified Science of the Mind-Brain, and Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality.

In this episode, we talk about neurophilosophy and the philosophy of mind. Topics include: how neuroscience informs philosophy; some implications to Epistemology; the issue with evolutionary psychology and cognitive modules; consciousness; the notion of “self”; morality in the brain; free will and moral responsibility; reductionism and emergentism; the future of Philosophy; science and the meaning of life.

Time Links:
00:55 What is neurophilosophy?
04:50 The philosophical relevance of the structure of our nervous system
10:43 Does neurophilosophy give ground to other philosophical disciplines?
18:11 Kant’s distinction between the phenomenon and the numenon
21:25 Do we have a priori knowledge?
27:36 Evolutionary Psychology and cognitive modules
37:02 The problems of consciousness
43:54 António Damásio’s hierarchy of consciousness
52:45 Is there a “self”?
55:31 Morality in the brain
1:02:18 Free will and personal responsibility
1:12:51 Reductionism vs emergentism
1:19:45 Can Philosophy become obsolete?
1:22:09 Science and the meaning of life
1:28:20 Follow Dr. Churchland’s work
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Follow Dr. Churchland’s work:
Website: http://patriciachurchland.com/
Books: https://tinyurl.com/y8zmcex9
Twitter handle: @patchurchland
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I also leave you with the link to a recent montage video I did with the interviews I have released until the end of June 2018:
https://youtu.be/efdb18WdZUo

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