Are you deeply invested in politics? Do you play Facebook games? Do you really know why you like the things you do? In actuality, there are a lot of cognitive biases at play in every case that tint our reasoning. For various reasons, human psychology leads us to reach conclusions which are wrong and usually unnoticed. We will explore common biases which affect what we believe, how we make decisions, and how we behave. When it comes to thinking about ourselves, we can learn to be less wrong.

What is free software? Is it a program you can run without paying any money? Is it open source? Free software means "free as in freedom", not "free as in free food". Find out how software can infringe on your freedoms and important ethical issues in computer science.

For most people, the word "existentialism" means dreary-eyed philosophers and melodramatic tones of despair and nothingness. For the others who have learned what it actually means, it's a meaningful philosophy about how one should live an authentic life. The focus will be on Sartre's existentialism, although other authors will be covered as well. For the first half of the class, we will investigate why life's not worth living and attempt to recover it in the second half.

The Edward Snowden leaks have revealed that America is massively spying on every individual on a global scale. How did we reach this point? Why is global surveillance worrisome? And what tools and policies might push us closer to or further away from a totalitarian state?

Are you deeply invested in politics? Do you play Facebook games? Do you really know why you like the things you do? In actuality, there are a lot of cognitive biases at play in every case that tint our reasoning. For various reasons, human psychology leads us to reach conclusions which are wrong and usually unnoticed. We will explore common biases which affect what we believe, how we make decisions, and how we behave. When it comes to thinking about ourselves, we can learn to be less wrong.

For most people, the word "existentialism" means dreary-eyed philosophers and melodramatic tones of despair and nothingness. For the others who have learned what it actually means, it's a meaningful philosophy about how one should live an authentic life. The focus will be on Sartre's existentialism, although other authors will be covered as well. For the first half of the class, we will investigate why life's not worth living and attempt to recover it in the second half.

Are you deeply invested in politics? Do you play Facebook games? Do you really know why you like the things you do? In actuality, there are a lot of cognitive biases at play in every case that tint our reasoning. For various reasons, human psychology leads us to reach conclusions which are wrong and usually unnoticed. We will explore common biases which affect what we believe, how we make decisions, and how we behave. When it comes to thinking about ourselves, we can learn to be less wrong.

Do we have free will? If the universe is deterministic, is it even possible to act freely? Come dip your toes into the metaphysics of freedom! We'll cover all combinations of having free will, deterministic worlds, and the compatibility of the two.

Metaphysics is the philosophy which questions how the physical world works. This class will discuss theories about how time works, how objects exist and persist through time, and how relativity destroys any common-sense notions about time.

Are you deeply invested in politics? Do you play Facebook games? Do you really know why you like the things you do? In actuality, there are a lot of cognitive biases at play in every case that tint our reasoning. For various reasons, human psychology leads us to reach conclusions which are wrong and usually unnoticed. We will explore common biases which affect what we believe, how we make decisions, and how we behave. When it comes to thinking about ourselves, we can learn to be less wrong.

The idea of a poker face exists for a reason - it's really easy to lie using your face. Learn where to look for more obvious body language cues and how to interpret them.

Learn the fundamentals of drawing! Find out how to break down complex forms into basic building blocks in order to accurately reproduce images. Learn to see objects in space and understand the relationships between details. Learn how to look at things and actually see them! These skills will help you become better at drawing from imagination and will help you learn to draw new things faster and more efficiently.

You have a list of numbers and you really want to order them. We'll cover many different ways to do this, as well as how long each method takes. You'll then get to choose a sorting algorithm and compete against other classmates to find out who's fastest.

Spend the first half hour losing life meaning, then spend the next half hour finding it again. Come and dip your toes in the philosophy of existentialism!

Normative ethics is the branch of ethics that demonstrates that "practical philosophy" isn't an oxymoron. Instead of asking "What is good?", ask "What should one do?". Learn different approaches to solving moral problems.

Do you think you procrastinate because you can't manage time well? Do you think you do nice things for people who you like? Do you think you know why you like what you like? In actuality, all of the above are self-delusions. For various reasons, human psychology leads us to reach conclusions which are wrong and usually unnoticed. We will explore common biases which affect what we believe, how we make decisions, and how we behave. When it comes to thinking about ourselves, we are not so smart. [Based on the titular blog]