General Information
| Course Code | AM_1018 |
|---|---|
| Credits | 3 EC |
| Period | P3 |
| Course Level | 400 |
| Language of Tuition | English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
| Course Coordinator | L.C. de Bruin |
| Examiner | L.C. de Bruin |
| Teaching Staff |
dr. L.E. Jonkman L.C. de Bruin |
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Part of programme(s)
Master
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Practical Information
You need to register for this course yourself. The (de)registration deadlines can be found on VU.nl
| Teaching Methods | Lecture |
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Course Objective
This course has two objectives:(1) to give an introduction into philosophical and ethical issues in
neuroscientific research; at the end of the course, the student
(a) has knowledge of the main philosophical issues in relation to recent
developments in neuroscience: the mind-body problem, neuroscientific
explanation (in particular mechanistic explanation and network models),
free will and predictability, scientific reasoning and logical fallacies
(b) has knowledge of the main ethical issues in relation to recent
developments in neuroscience
(2) to raise awareness of conceptual and ethical issues in the
translation of neuroscientific insights to professional practices and
the public; at the end of the course the student
(a) is able to analyze and critically assess the role of metaphors in
the translation of a neuroscientific findings to the clinic and/or the
public
(b) is able to reflect on and to discuss in a conceptually sound and
ethically appropriate way the impact of neuroscientific findings on
broader societal issues.
Course Content
1. Philosophy of science and neuroscientific explanationThis part of the course addresses questions like
• what is science?
• what do concepts like cause, explanation, and law mean?
• what is the difference between correlation and causation?
• what is mechanistic explanation?
• what kind of explanations do network models offer?
2. Philosophy of mind and brain
This part of the course addresses questions like
• what is the mind?
• what is relation between mind and brain?
• what is embodiment?
• are we our brain?
3. Scientific reasoning and logical fallacies
This part of the course addresses questions like
• what kind of logical fallacies are we prone to make?
• what is sound scientific reasoning?
• think about a logical fallacy in a lecture or in a scientific article
or a textbook
4. Ethical issues
This part of the course focuses on ethical issues related to
• informed consent, especially in neurological and psychiatric patients
• intertwinement between science and industry
• neurosurgery (in OCD and Parkinson’s disease)
• brain implants
5. Free will and predictability
This part of the course addresses questions like
• What are the main positions in the debate on free will?
• Is brain determinism supported by empirical evidence?
• Why is brain reading so difficult?
6. Educating the public
This part of the course is dedicated to the position of the scientist
who is asked to inform the general public. What can be said on the basis
of neuroscience research and what not? Is it for example legitimate for
a
scientist to say
• that we have no free will?
• that morality is nothing but a product brain wiring?
Additional Information Teaching Methods
Interactive lectures, video, discussion of the literature, workshops.Method of Assessment
(A) Written assignment (50%) about an ethical issue in relation torecent developments in neuroscience
(B) Written assignment (50%) about a metaphor that is used in
neuroscientific research