How can members of a species that discovered symbolic logic and the double helix also believe that the earth is flat and that Hillary Clinton ran a child-sex ring out of a pizzeria? Human rationality is very much in the news, as we struggle to understand how an era with unpreceded scientific sophistication could harbor so much fake news, conspiracy theorizing, and “post-truth” rhetoric. Rationality has also long been a foundational topic in the academy, including philosophy, psychology, economics, mathematics, and government. Part I of “Rationality” covers the nature of...

Graduate course Advanced survey of research topics in cognition, brain, and behavior. To be given in 2011–12. Limited to first-year doctoral students in Psychology.

What could be more interesting than the human mind? This is not just a first course in psychology but an opportunity to explore some of the deepest and most fascinating issues in intellectual life. Is there such a thing as human nature? How does the activity of the brain result in intelligence...

Graduate course Enrollment is limited to teaching fellows for "The Human Mind" and graduate students who have obtained the permission of the instructor Thursday 3:30-5:30 A graduate companion course to "The Human Mind," which explores the theories and controversies in greater depth. Topics include...