Description
Instructor: Jerry Ruhl
Empirical Facts, Necessary Fictions.
Deepen your understanding of the psyche as we examine the remarkable convergence of evidence supporting many of Jung's ideas (and some instances where his theories are badly in need of revision).
In this course, we review independent research in affective and cognitive neuroscience, cultural anthropology, evolutionary psychology, psycholinguistics, and neurobiology. We explore "facts" as presented by research from the scientific method, as well as the "fictions" of all research methods, and we discuss the necessity of applying different research methods for "inner" vs. "outer" work.
Topics include the link between biology and symbol; the inadequacy of a "blank slate" model of the mind; evidence for a psychic system of a collective, universal and impersonal nature; as well as innate organizing principles of the human brain/mind.
5 classes, instant access by MP3 download, recorded in the Fall of 2010.
Approximate total running time: 7.5 hours
