History of Consciousness
HISC 142 What is a Person?
The question ‘what is a person?’ may seem simple, but upon reflection it is revealed to be complex and contentious. Consider: the vast majority of human beings have historically been denied the status of “persons,” including most women and racialized peoples. Conversely, there are many non-human entities that have been granted recognition as persons, including corporations, artificial learning systems, even rivers and mountains. So, if ‘persons’ are not merely synonymous with individual biological humans, what are they? This course examines these questions through the scope and nature of personhood from the medieval world to the present, exploring how they touch upon fields such as philosophy, law, politics, science, and the arts.
General Education Code
TA
Instructor
Robert Nichols