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Free Will and Neuroscience

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Free Will and Neuroscience

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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.6

10 reviews

9 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.6

10 reviews

9 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

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Assessments

10 assignments

Taught in English

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This course is part of the Libertarian Free Will Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
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There are 3 modules in this course

In this course, we will discuss free will from a neuroscientific perspective.

Module one of the course will explore two neuroscientific arguments against free will from Libet and Wegner and evaluate neuroscientists’ arguments against free will. You will also examine where these experiments do not succeed in debunking free will. In module two, the anatomy and physiology of neurons will be described. You will also learn how they communicate. You will have an understanding about neural anatomy and physiology to consciousness, attention, and free will. In the final and the third module of the course, you will explore an example of the top-down influence on bottom-up processing called volitional attention. You will see how neural circuits responsible for both volitional and non-volitional thought and action interact with each other. Next, you will learn how a neural circuit can change its physical structure and function, and how these changes might impact human behavior.

This module explains neuroscientific arguments against free will including Libet experiment and Wegner's experiment.

What's included

6 videos1 reading1 assignment3 discussion prompts

6 videos•Total 45 minutes
  • The Libet Experiment Overview•10 minutes
  • Debunking Libet’s Conclusions•9 minutes
  • Hypnosis vs. Libet•5 minutes
  • Libet’s Confusion•10 minutes
  • Hume's Theory•4 minutes
  • Feelings of Agency•7 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
  • Welcome reading•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
  • Neuroscientific Arguments Against Free Will Quiz•30 minutes
3 discussion prompts•Total 30 minutes
  • Introductions •10 minutes
  • The Libet Experiment Discussion•10 minutes
  • Wegner’s Experiments Discussion•10 minutes

This module deals with the neuroscientific aspects of free will including the structure and function of neuron, neural receptors, and concepts such as indeterminism. It also explains the top-down executive function of the brain.

What's included

18 videos7 assignments3 discussion prompts

18 videos•Total 153 minutes
  • Why Did Free Will Evolve?•11 minutes
  • Two Valleys of Information-processing Death•5 minutes
  • How Neurons Function •10 minutes
  • Ionotropic and Metabotropic Receptors•7 minutes
  • Synchrony and Bursting•10 minutes
  • AMPA and NMDA Receptors•5 minutes
  • Why Is There a Synaptic Cleft?•8 minutes
  • How Neurons Realize Informational Criteria•13 minutes
  • Is Synaptic Reweighting Important To The Neural Code?•11 minutes
  • Indeterminism in the Brain, Part 1•10 minutes
  • Indeterminism in the Brain, Part 2•5 minutes
  • Indeterminism in the Brain, Part 3•10 minutes
  • What Is a Top-down Executive Function in the Brain?•6 minutes
  • Global Cortical Architecture•7 minutes
  • Phineas Gage and Self-governance•8 minutes
  • Executive Control Circuits of the Brain•6 minutes
  • Cybernetic Cingulate Cortex and Willpower•10 minutes
  • Top-down Causation in the Brain•10 minutes
7 assignments•Total 92 minutes
  • The Neuroscience of Free Will: Part 1•30 minutes
  • How Neurons Function•12 minutes
  • Ionotropic and Metabotropic Receptors•10 minutes
  • Synchrony and Bursting •10 minutes
  • Why Is There a Synaptic Cleft?•10 minutes
  • How Neurons Realize Informational Criteria•10 minutes
  • Is Synaptic Reweighting Important To The Neural Code?•10 minutes
3 discussion prompts•Total 30 minutes
  • Neurons and the Neural Code Discussion•10 minutes
  • Indeterminism in the Brain Discussion•10 minutes
  • Top-down Executive Control Discussion•10 minutes

This module explores the concept of volition in the brain and further explores concepts such as the neural basis of mindfulness, volitional imagination, self-transformation etc.

What's included

11 videos2 assignments2 discussion prompts

11 videos•Total 115 minutes
  • The Neural Basis of Volitional Attention•11 minutes
  • The Neural Circuitry of Non-volitional Thought•11 minutes
  • The Neural Circuitry of Volitional Thought•9 minutes
  • How Volitional and Non-volitional Circuits Interact•8 minutes
  • The Neural Basis of Willpower•11 minutes
  • The Cultivation of Willpower and Attention•12 minutes
  • The Neural Basis of Mindfulness•5 minutes
  • The Cultivation of Hope and Meaning•10 minutes
  • The Neural Basis of Volitional Imagination•6 minutes
  • The Relationship of Consciousness to Free Will•18 minutes
  • The Neural Basis of Self-transformation •13 minutes
2 assignments•Total 40 minutes
  • The Neuroscience of Free Will: Part 2 Quiz•30 minutes
  • The Cultivation of Willpower and Attention•10 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 20 minutes
  • Volition in the Brain Discussion•10 minutes
  • Transforming Our Minds By Transforming Our Brains Discussion•10 minutes

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Instructor

Instructor ratings
5.0 (5 ratings)
Dartmouth College
3 Courses•5,183 learners

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Reviewed on Feb 11, 2024

This course was excellent: challenging, thought-provoking, and thoughtfully sequenced. Professor Tse is outstanding.

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