1. Introduction

Philosophy and the Science of Human Nature (PHIL 181)

Professor Gendler explains the interdisciplinary nature of the course: work from philosophy, psychology, behavioral economics, and literature will be brought to bear on the topic of human nature. The three main topics of the course are introduced--happiness and flourishing, morality, and political philosophy--and examples of some of the course's future topics are discussed.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Introduction and Course Overview
11:30 - Chapter 2. First Example of Course Topics: the Ring of Gyges
16:29 - Chapter 3. Second Example of Course Topics: Trolley problems
23:07 - Chapter 4. Third Example of Course Topics: Procrastination
29:45 - Chapter 5. What Is Distinctive about This Course

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://oyc.yale.edu

This course was recorded in Spring 2011.