6A36 Department of Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science
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| 6.A36
The Asking Animal Time: TBA Place:NEXT HOUSE Prereq: N/A Dr. Thomas Greene Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab Mon, 7:00 - 9:00 PM Throughout the history of Mankind, the human being has been the "asking" animal. Perhaps the only thing that separates humans from the rest of the animal kingdom is the undying quest to understand the world around us at a level beyond what might be considered necessary for survival. This quest for understanding has taken many forms over the millennia. Religion, philosophy, and science have all attempted, and continue to attempt, to put forth answers to the most vexing dilemmas facing humankind's existence. However, perhaps more interesting than the answers, are the questions asked and the methods used for seeking the answers. Using "Sophie's World A Novel About the History of Philosophy" (by Jostein Gaarder, translated from the Norwegian by Paulette Moller, 1996), Bertrand Russell's "History of Western Philosophy (1945)" as well as various Web sources, we'll study in this seminar some of the great searchers after Life's meanings and truths. We, too, will ponder the questions, "Who are we? Why are we here?" We'll explore some different opinions of what is important about our world and where we should look for answers. Science may give us some, but are there others? Our weekly meetings, based on our readings as well as questions posed to each other via e-mail, will be lively, interactive, and thoughtful. There will be short pieces of writing throughout the term. From all of this, we will gain a better understanding of how to ask questions that will lead to a more comprehensive knowledge of our world. (In the meantime, check out a couple of the Web sites we'll be using: * http//www.mcmaster.ca/russdocs * http//www.earlham.edu/~peters * http//www.edge.org/ Each week we will find something in the news of the week to connect to all these old abstractions! |
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| Faculty/Advisor:
Dr. Tom J. Greene <tjg@mit.edu>,
Room
32-D432 617-253-5987 Associate Advisor : Ms. Aline Thomas < amthomas@MIT.EDU > Next House
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| Sylabus - Fall /2006 | ||||||||||||||||||
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The Asking Animal Syllabus-- Fall 2006 (Reading Pages from Russell's History of Western Philosophy) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Normal --MON.--7-9pm - MIT DORITORY " Next House "
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