PHIL 230.001 – Experience and Reality

Instructor: Francesco Nappo. This course meets MTR 6:00 – 8:35 p.m. in CW 213.

In this class, we will examine the questions: How are consciousness and subjectivity possible in a material world? What makes a subject of experiences a “self”? Do we have free will, or is it all an illusion generated by the brain? Do gender and race exist, and if so, what sorts of things are they? To each of these questions we will dedicate one week of the course (that is, three class meetings).

A recurring theme will be how to reconcile the subjective world of personal experiences and meanings with the objective, impersonal reality described by science. The readings will be mainly from contemporary authors; all of them will be available online. Occasionally we will also make use of other sources, like popular fiction and movies, to discuss philosophical concepts and theories.

“Experience and Reality” is a survey course suited both for students with no previous background in philosophy and for students who have done some philosophy before and are already acquainted with some of its fascinating questions and methods of inquiry. For more information about this course, please email the instructor: fn7@live.unc.edu