Neuroscience of Personal Identity
Summer Session: 1-2016
Location: Copenhagen, F24-403
Time: 10.00-13.00 (refer to course schedule)
Course Instructors:
Bettina Hornbøll
Founder of CogniCation; cognitive communication. Ph.D. in neurobiology doing imaging of
the effect of serotonin during emotion processing in the brain, while challenging
participant’s natural serotonergic levels. The project has been conducted at Danish
Research Center for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR) and Center for Integrated Molecular
Brain Imaging (CIMBI). M.Sc. Neurobiology (University of Copenhagen, 2006). B.A. Biology
(University of Copenhagen, 2004). With DIS from 2012.
Elise Schiøler
Cand. phil. (philosophy, University of Copenhagen). External lecturer in medical ethics,
theory of science, and philosophy of health technologies, University of Copenhagen,
2007-. External lecturer in theory of science, scientific method and argumentation
analysis at The Defense College, 2012-. With DIS since 2011.
Course Description:
In this course, we will look into the essence of being you. It is postulated that within a foreseeable future it
will be possible to perform head transplantations. But who wakes up from such surgery? Who will relatives
recognize? This course will discuss the concept of Personal Identity from both a philosophical and a
neuroscience perspective. We use empirical data to further our understanding of philosophical theories
and ideas, with regards to establishing the nature of personal identity, when self-perception, other persons'
perception, and empirical evidence are in conflict.
We will search our intuitions on what it is to be a human being, and compare these to central, traditional
philosophical suggestions, as well as investigating how neuroscience support these ideas and theories,
while using the idea of a head transplant as the central part of our discussions.
We shall also consider basic methodological questions on the possible combination of neuroscience and
humanistic methods of investigation. Since data only works as evidence within a theoretical framework,
significant findings in science will always be at least partly theoretical; based on previous empirical findings,
philosophical ideas as well as researcher predisposition, which all have an influence when setting up an
experiment and are likely to bias the researchers when analyzing their data. We will search out the
theoretical space concerning who/what we are, and see if empirical data can support or rule out some of
the traditional understandings of personal identity within philosophy.
Learning objectives of the course:
By the end of this course you will be able to appreciate the possibilities and acknowledge the limitations in
getting to understand ourselves as human beings through a neuroscientific perspective: to specify what
kind of questions that can be asked meaningfully, and what the explanatory scope within neuroscience is.
This syllabus is subject to change.
Neuroscience of Personal Identity | DIS
Required texts:
The course draws on scientific literature from both philosophical and neuroscience traditions.
Approach to Teaching:
Each of the classes will present some measure of lecturing, ensuring that the required academic concepts
and theories are 'clear and distinct'. However, current dialogue and partner-, group-, as well as class
discussions will be prevalent.
Good teaching is a co-operation. As we in class combine brief lectures with partner reflections, group work
and class discussions, for a fruitful course it is paramount that all participants show up well prepared to
take active part in the dialogues.
Field studies and guest lecturers:
We shall meet professionals, who work interdisciplinary to understand subjectivity, and we shall seek to
uncover the beliefs within 'folk psychology' on human identity.
Potential Field Study: Center for Subjektivitetsforskning (Centre for Subjectivity Research)
Evaluation:
During the course there will be two kinds of written assignments in addition to the final exam:
a. 5 written theory assessments worked out in class, each explaining and assessing a specific philosophical
theory on human identity, using arguments from neuroscience. Each of the extent of app.: 1 page.
These will be evaluated from the student's ability to explain and ague for or against the theories and
related basic concepts, and apply these in analysis of a given case.
b. A group report of 4-5 pages on a self-chosen empirical/descriptive approach to either the subject
matter of the course, or real life methodological approaches to said subject matter. This will be
evaluated from the students' presentation and interpretation of the empirical findings, and their ability
to compare these to the philosophical theories as well as empirical neuroscience material discussed in
class.
Grading:
Participation
Theory assessments
Midterm: Group report (group grade)
Final assignment: Synopsis (Group grade)
Final exam: Oral presentation (group
grade)
This syllabus is subject to change.
Neuroscience of Personal Identity | DIS
20%
20%
20%
25%
15%
Neuroscience of Personal Identity (Short Schedule)
Wednesday 25/5
14:00 - 16:00
Thursday 26/5
10:00 - 13:00
Introduction to the class Investigating intuitions:
– what are we?
– what is a person?
Friday 27/5
10:00 - 13:00
Perception’s approach
- 'Empiricism'
- Constitutionism
– what is identity?
overview of positions &
a bit on philosophical
method
Monday 30/5
Tuesday 31/5
10:00 - 13:00
Somatic approach
- Materialism
- Animalism
Wednesday 1/6
TBA
10:00 - 13:00
Field study I:
Religious approach:
Debate event
- Self and no Self
- Phenomenology
Thursday 2/6
10:00 - 13:00
Friday 3/6
10:00 - 13:00
Introduction to imaging
Somatic approach &
neuroscience
Group Report Midterm
Emotion processing
Concrete/abstract
Somatic markers
Monday 6/6
10:00 - 13:00
Finding the self
– what is
consciousness?
Tuesday 7/6
Wednesday 8/6
10:00 - 13:00
Neuroscience of
religiousness
Self and no Self
This syllabus is subject to change.
Neuroscience of Personal Identity | DIS
13.00 – 14.30
Field Study II
CSR
10:00 - 13:00
Synthesis
Q/A for Exam
10:00 - 12:00
Final Exam
Detailed Schedule, Neuroscience of Personal Identity
ES= Elise Shiøler
Class
Date/ Instructor
BEH= Bettina Hornbøll
Topic
Readings
Week 1
1
Wednesday 25/5
Presentation of course and case
NOTE: 14 – 16
ES & BEH
Lamont, "I'll do the first head
transplant", The Guardian, 3 Oct 2015
https://www.theguardian.com/science/
2015/oct/03/will-first-human-headtransplant-happen-in-2017
Barnett, 2012, "Chitchat on Personal
Identity," in Gasser et al., 2012.
Personal Identity. Complex or Simple?,
Cambridge University Press, pp. 21-43.
FORUM
2
Thursday 26/5
Investigating intuitions:
– what are we?
ES (BEH)
– what is a person?
– what is identity?
overview of positions & a bit on
philosophical method.
3
Friday 27/5
ES (BEH)
Perception’s approach
- 'Empiricism'
- Constitutionism
Olson, 2007. "The Question," in What
Are We?: A Study in Personal Ontology,
Oxford University Press, pp. 3-22.
Compendium pp. 1-16
Lowe, 2012. "The probable simplicity of
personal identity,"in Gasser et al., 2012.
Personal Identity. Complex or Simple?,
Cambridge University Press, pp. 137-43.
Compendium pp. 17-23 (OBS pp. 21-23)
Locke, 1975 [1691]. An Essay
Concerning Human Understanding, ed.
Nidditch, Oxford: Clarendon Press. Ch.
XXVII, §§1-24. Compendium pp. 31-29
(OBS pp. 32-9/§§1-22)
Shoemaker, 2011. "On What We Are,"in
Gallagher (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of
the Self, OUP, pp. 352-70. Compendium
pp. 43-55
Week 2
4
Monday 30/5
ES (BEH)
Somatic approach
- Materialism
- Animalism
Concrete/abstract
Olson, 2007. "Brains" in What Are We?:
A Study in Personal Ontology, Oxford
University Press, pp. 76-98.
FORUM (Skip part 4.4 on 'ThinkingSubject Minimalism', except for the
definition)
Olson, 2003. "An Argument for
Animalism" in Blackwell readings in
philosophy, Oxford, pp.318-334
Compendium pp. 56-81
This syllabus is subject to change.
Neuroscience of Personal Identity | DIS
5
Tuesday 31/5
ES & BEH
6
Wednesday 1/6
ES (BEH)
Field study I
Debate event with Jan Aage Rasmussen
Religious approach: Self and no Self
Phenomenology
Ram-Prasad, 2011. "Situating the
Elusive Self of Advaita Vedānta 1" in
Siderits et al., 2011. Self, No Self? OUP,
pp. 217-237. Compendium
Siderits, 2011. "Buddhas as Zombies: A
Buddhist Reduction of Subjektivity" in
Siderits et al., 2011. Self, No Self? OUP,
pp. 308-330. Compendium
7
Thursday 2/6
Introduction to imaging
BEH (ES)
Group work on 1st part of synopsis.
MR/fMRI imaging
Gore, J. C. Principles and practice of
functional MRI of the human brain. J.
Clin. Invest. 112, 4–9 (2003).
Compendium
Recommended readings:
Knutson, B., Taylor, J., Kaufman, M.,
Peterson, R. & Glover, G. Distributed
neural representation of expected
value. J Neurosci 25, 4806–12 (2005).
Compendium
PET imaging
Ziegler, S. I. (2005). Positron Emission
Tomography: Principles, Technology,
and Recent Developments. Nuclear
Physics A, 752, 679–687. Compendium
8
Friday 3/6
BEH (ES)
Somatic approach & neuroscience
Emotion processing
Somatic markers
NOTE: Midterm
group report due
today!
This syllabus is subject to change.
Neuroscience of Personal Identity | DIS
William, J. (1884). What is an Emotion?
Oxford Journals, 9(34), 188–205.
Damasio, A. R. (1996). The somatic
marker hypothesis and the possible
functions of the prefrontal cortex.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal
Society of London Series B, Biological
Sciences, 351(1346), 1413–1420.
Denburg, N.L., Jones, R.D. & Tranel, D.,
2009. Recognition without awareness in
a patient with simultanagnosia.
International Journal of
Psychophysiology, 72(1), pp.5–12.
Compendium
Week 3
9
Monday 6/6
BEH (ES)
Finding the self
–
What/where is consciousness?
–
Where/what is the self
Goldberg, S., 2008. Anatomy of the
Soul, Medmaster. PP.: 1-4, 48-49
Compendium
Northoff, G. et al., 2006. Self-referential
processing in our brain—A metaanalysis of imaging studies on the self.
NeuroImage, 31(1), pp.440–457.
Compendium
Kelley, W.M. et al., 2002. Finding the
self? An event-related fMRI study.
Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 14(5),
pp.785–794. Compendium
Zhu, Y. et al., 2007. Neural basis of
cultural influence on selfrepresentation. NeuroImage, 34(3),
pp.1310–1316. Compendium
10
Tuesday 7/6
Neuroscience of religiousness
Self and no Self
BEH (ES)
Harris, S. et al., 2009. The Neural
Correlates of Religious and Nonreligious
Belief O. Sporns, ed. PLoS ONE, 4(10),
pp.e7272–9. Compendium
Note: Final version
of Synopsis due
today!
11
12
Wednesday 8/6
Field Study II
ES (BEH)
Visit Centre for Subjectivity Research
Lecture by professor Dan Zahavi
Thursday 9/6
ES & BEH
13
Friday 10/6
This syllabus is subject to change.
Neuroscience of Personal Identity | DIS
Synthesis
Q/A for Exam
Final exam
Chalmers, 1995. "Facing Up to the
Problem of Consciousness." J Conscious
Stud 2: 200-219. Compendium pp. 23052 (OBS pp. 230-9)