Consciousness, the Mind-Body Problem, and the Self

The course surveys philosophical issues in the study of consciousness and the nature of the self. Questions include: What is consciousness? How can a material thing be conscious? Does the fact that we are conscious suggest that everything is conscious? Does consciousness need a subject, and if so, what sort of being might it be? What would it take for a machine to exhibit consciousness, and how should the possibility of artificial consciousness inform AI research and the implementation of AI systems in the near future.