VV065 Selected chapters in the Theory of Mind

Faculty of Informatics
Spring 2011
Extent and Intensity
2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus extra credits for completion). Recommended Type of Completion: z (credit). Other types of completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Ing. Miloslav Dokulil, DrSc. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. Ing. Václav Přenosil, CSc.
Department of Machine Learning and Data Processing – Faculty of Informatics
Contact Person: prof. PhDr. Ing. Miloslav Dokulil, DrSc.
Timetable
Wed 14:00–15:50 B410
Prerequisites
Recommended to pass through the course VV030.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
At the beginning of the reflections about mind we have a dualism of "mind and body". Some initial knowledge about the mind by testing the brain starts at the beginning of the second half of the 19th century. How is psychoanalysis scientifically founded in its variants? Conditioned reflexes as a starting clue for a theory of learning (from Pavlov to Skinner). The connection to the still existing mystery of life conserves the myth of the human consciousness as an "aspect of the soul" till the middle of the 20th century. An exhortation from an article in the British "Mind" from 1950 addressed to the computer technology (Turing). The establishment of the "Artificial Intelligence" movement. Programmed learning. The shocking autonomous readiness potential of the brain. The "hard" and "soft" questions concerning the human mind. What does a machine playing chess show? Conundrums connected with the location of memory traces in the brain. Self-awareness as a dynamic system of the self. Extrasensory perception and the possibility of reproducing near-death experiences (NDE). PET and fMRI as "feelers" of brain activity. Organic bases of disorders of personal integrity. How to evaluate "mind" as man's quality?
Syllabus
  • At the beginning of the reflections about mind we have a dualism of "mind and body". Some initial knowledge about the mind by testing the brain starts at the beginning of the second half of the 19th century. How is psychoanalysis scientifically founded in its variants? Conditioned reflexes as a starting clue for a theory of learning (from Pavlov to Skinner). The connection to the still existing mystery of life conserves the myth of the human consciousness as an "aspect of the soul" till the middle of the 20th century. An exhortation from an article in the British "Mind" from 1950 addressed to the computer technology (Turing). The establishment of the "Artificial Intelligence" movement. Programmed learning. The shocking autonomous readiness potential of the brain. The "hard" and "soft" questions concerning the human mind. What does a machine playing chess show? Conundrums connected with the location of memory traces in the brain. Self-awareness as a dynamic system of the self. Extrasensory perception and the possibility of reproducing near-death experiences (NDE). PET and fMRI as "feelers" of brain activity. Organic bases of disorders of personal integrity. How to evaluate "mind" as man's quality?
Teaching methods
Presentation of knowledge about a sensitive subject, with hints of other sources, inc. slides.
Assessment methods
Controlled presence (max. twice absence), for 2 credits 1 essay (with annotated relevant documentation); for 3 credits 2 essays and a non-individual colloquium.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2013, Spring 2015, Spring 2017, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2022, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2011, recent)
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