Mind & Brain Notes is an independent reading companion for students and curious readers who want to explore the philosophy of mind. We collect short introductions, reading lists and seminar notes on the questions where philosophy meets the cognitive sciences.
Core topics
Consciousness
What does it mean for a mental state to be experienced? We outline the main positions, from physicalism to property dualism, and the arguments that keep the debate alive.
Free will
Can our choices be free if the brain follows natural laws? Compatibilist and libertarian views are presented side by side with recent experimental work.
Self-consciousness
How do we come to know ourselves as subjects? Notes on first-person knowledge, self-models and the development of self-awareness.
Seminar programme
| Session | Theme | Key question |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The mind–body problem | How do mental and physical states relate? |
| 2 | Neuroscience and responsibility | Do brain findings change how we judge actions? |
| 3 | Phenomenal consciousness | Is experience explainable in functional terms? |
| 4 | Autonomy and agency | What makes an action genuinely one's own? |
How to use these notes
Each topic page starts with a plain-language summary, followed by the classic texts and a short list of contemporary papers. The glossary explains technical terms such as qualia, supervenience and mental causation.