Thursday, April 9, 2009

Evolution, Emotion, and Reason: Evolution and Rationality



Lecture Description

This lecture introduces students to the study of psychology from an evolutionary perspective, the idea that like the body, natural selection has shaped the development of the human mind. Prominent arguments for and against the theory of natural selection and its relationship to human psychology are reviewed. Students will hear several examples of how studying mental phenomenon from an evolutionary perspective can help constrain theories in psychology as well as explain many prevalent human instincts that underlie many of our most basic behaviors and decisions.

Course Description

What do your dreams mean? Do men and women differ in the nature and intensity of their sexual desires? Can apes learn sign language? Why can’t we tickle ourselves? This course tries to answer these questions and many others, providing a comprehensive overview of the scientific study of thought and behavior. It explores topics such as perception, communication, learning, memory, decision-making, religion, persuasion, love, lust, hunger, art, fiction, and dreams. We will look at how these aspects of the mind develop in children, how they differ across people, how they are wired-up in the brain, and how they break down due to illness and injury.

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Si Deus nobiscum, quis contra nos?
Îndrăzneşte să cunoşti!
Ducit Amor Patriae
Tot ceea ce este necesar ca răul să triumfe este ca oamenii buni să stea cu mâinile în sân.
(Edmund Burke)
Încearcă să nu fii un om de succes, ci un om de valoare! (Albert Einstein)
Nu voi fi un om obişnuit pentru că am dreptul să fiu extraordinar. (Peter O`Toole)
Modestia este, faţă de merit, ceea ce este umbra pentru figurile dintr-un tablou: îi dau forţă şi relief. (La Bruyere)
Maestru este numai acela care este dăruit cu harul de a învăţa pe alţii. Cu adevărat maestru este numai cel care, având el însuşi multă bogăţie sufletească, ştie să dea tot, ştiinţă, pricepere şi suflet, fără intenţii preconcepute şi fără să aştepte nimic în schimb. (Octavian Fodor)

Talent hits a target no one else can hit, genius hits a target no one else can see. (Schopenhauer)
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. (Aristotle)