Thought experiments have been used throughout history by great thinkers to expand our knowledge of ourselves and the world. In this course, you'll explore fascinating thought experiments on subjects like personal identity and selfhood, special relativity and quantum mechanics;,free will and moral responsibility, and what makes a life truly worth living. Join history's great thinkers in The Power of Thought Experiments for an extraordinary journey...

You probably have some ideas about what it means to be "evil." But in order to fully examine the dark side of human nature, we need to go deeper""questioning both whether evil actually exists and what it means to call an action evil. Referencing a wide range of thinkers, some ancient, some contemporary, you'll explore the ontological and conceptual aspects of evil.

Two people go to a party, become legally drunk, and drive home. One kills a pedestrian, the other encounters no one. Should we judge them differently, or the same? Many philosophers have addressed the role of luck and its moral implications in our lives. As you explore their various perspectives, you might not find any easy answers. But you might think twice before placing blame.

Most of us think of ourselves as good people, and we reserve the concept of the "dark side" only for science fiction or psychopaths. But that's not really the truth of human nature. We'll begin to explore how the dark side relates both to our tendencies toward immorality and evil and to some of the most problematic aspects of the human condition.

Why do we suffer, and how can we avoid it? The Buddha addresses these questions directly in his Four Noble Truths. Although sometimes erroneously condensed into the pessimistic "all life is suffering," you'll learn about the Buddha's optimistic path forward. But do the Buddha's teachings carry truth for us in the 21st century? An evolutionary psychologist provides a fascinating answer.

Most of us have done something "bad" or immoral in our lives, although we wouldn't consider ourselves evil. But where exactly is that line? What does it take for us to label a person evil? By considering four models of evil (the Evildoer, Dispositional, Affect, and Moral Monster models) you'll begin to develop your own views of when an individual is, and is not, evil.

When we hold two contradictory thoughts in our minds at the same time, have we become liars, lying to ourselves about something we know cannot be true? Or are we just harmless wishful thinkers? Is self-deception an adaptation that has given us an evolutionary advantage? Learn what you can do to try to avoid deceiving yourself about your own life.

Are psychopaths responsible for their actions? You might be surprised to learn that many psychologists and philosophers think they are not, due to their inability to recognize important moral facts. Guided by a variety of philosophers, you will consider how much responsibility evil-doers can and should accept for their crimes, and in what ways they might not be so different from the rest of us.

Could grief ever have a good side? If you've ever suffered its agony, you know grief can feel like the very darkest side of human nature. But as you explore the many ways in which philosophers and psychologists have grappled with this issue for millennia, you'll learn that grief just might be one of our most important opportunities for self-knowledge and connection to community.

Are people fundamentally good, fundamentally evil, or neither? To develop a sophisticated answer to this basic question, we reach back to a more than 2,000-year-old debate between great Confucian philosophers. Do you agree with optimism, pessimism, dualism, indifferentism, or individualism? Which theory of human nature speaks to you and frames your view of the world?