ONLINE / ENGLISH: Philosophy of Mind, Part 5

Every Sunday, a new lecture. Meeting starts 9:00AM with friendly conversation, then a dialogue at 9:15AM and a Q&A discussion follows.

DESCRIPTION

Philosophy of mind explores the nature of consciousness, our personal thoughts, and our mental states. In addition, how does the mind relate to the body, and how are we affected by life experience? One of the pillars of this topic is understanding what causes us to act: how our desires, beliefs, intentions, and emotions translate into physical behavior. We will review both ancient and modern ideas in this series of 7 dialogues.

SCHEDULE

8-10-2025 Part 1: Mental Causation
8-17-2025 Part 2: Neuro Philosophy
8-24-2025 Part 3: Brain Structure
8-31-2025 Part 4: Intentionality and the Mind
9-07-2025 Part 5: Agency & Identity
9-14-2025 Part 6:
9-21-2025 Part 7:
9-28-2025 Open mic

DESCRIPTION

Part 5: Agency & Identity

This week, we explore agency and identity. What makes you ‘you’? And do you stay mostly the same over time? Philosophy of Mind adds authenticity and personal narrative to the mix. We will also include the ideas of Derek Parfit on personal identity.

To examine this area from another point of view, the Wikipedia page on Self-Determination Theory (SDT) mentions it is a “...basic psychological needs theory which proposes three basic psychological needs that must be satisfied to foster well-being and health. These three psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness are generally universal (i.e., apply across individuals and situations).” We will also include ideas from Richard Ryan and Edward Deci on the human tendency for growth, learning, development and psychological wellbeing.

This will be a fascinating discussion, and we hope you can join us Sunday

READING MATERIALS

Article on Agency and ‘Agentic’ (short article)
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/getting-proactive/202203/agency-is-the-highest-level-personal-competence

Derek Parits on Personal Identity (long article, optional)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Parfit#Personal_identity

Overview of Self-Determination Theory (read section on SDT)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-determination_theory#Basic_psychological_needs

Article on Self-Determination Theory (incl. Ryan and Deci, long article, optional)
https://positivepsychology.com/self-determination-theory/

TIMEZONES

For our members in other states:
6:00 AM Pacific Time USA
7:00 AM Mountain Time USA
8:00 AM Central Time USA
9:00 AM Eastern Time USA

In other countries, please convert time using this free tool:
https://www.worldtimebuddy.com/

ZOOM INFO

The meeting starts at 9:00AM Eastern Time. After 15 minutes of chat, the presentation starts at 9:15AM sharp.

CLICK TO JOIN - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86390590096

This group enjoys open-minded, respectful conversations. If we differ in our opinions, then "we agree to disagree". The long-term goal is to improve our minds via group discussions.

This meeting is free and open to the public.