Dreaming about running is not actually running, is it? When we dream, as when we think more generally, we usually don't do much of anything in the physical world. In both East and West we find philosophical traditions that hold that our mind is in fact something very different from our brain and the rest of our body. Minds, in these traditions, are detachable from bodies, immortal, and only temporarily occupy bodies for the duration of an individual's life. These traditions have been very popular through history. There are, however, other traditions. In both East and West some philosophers have held that the mind is but a part of the body, and that like the body, it is physical and works like other physical things. It is this latter view (let's call it a physicalist worldview), that has become popular with the emergence of modern neurology and neuroscience.

Over the course of the semester, you will gain both a general knowledge of modern neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and the philosophy of mind, as well as very specific knowledge about epilepsy. Epilepsy is of interest to us because it has caused a lot of suffering for people throughout history and continues to do so today. Treatments have improved greatly, but as you will see there is still much room to improve them further. In studying epilepsy and the history of treatments for this disease, we will elaborate a modern physical understanding of brains and minds. Although we will be learning about the surprisingly varied experience of this disease and the suffering it causes for different people, we will focus particularly on the evidence that this disease and its treatments give us for understanding the physical relationship between the mind and the body.