Thought experiments have been used throughout history by great thinkers to expand our knowledge of ourselves and the world. In this course, you’ll explore fascinating thought experiments on subjects like personal identity and selfhood, special relativity and quantum mechanics, free will and moral responsibility, and what makes a life truly worth living. Join history’s great thinkers in The Power of Thought Experiments for an extraordinary journey into your own mind.
The Power of Thought Experiments
11h 54m 19s
English
Paid
About the Authors
Daniel Breyer
Daniel Breyer is an educator focused on the practical craft of structured thinking — particularly the use of thought experiments as a deliberate tool for clarifying problems and exploring conceptual edges in everyday and professional decision-making.
His CourseFlix listing carries The Power of Thought Experiments — a structured walkthrough of the thought-experiment tradition across philosophy, science, and decision theory, with practical patterns for using them in everyday thinking.
Material is paid and aimed at general adult learners interested in better thinking practice. The course sits in the broader Soft Skills & Communication catalog on CourseFlix.
Wondrium (The Great Courses)
Wondrium (formerly The Great Courses Plus and originally The Great Courses) is a US online education platform that has been publishing university-level video lecture series since 1990. The platform's distinctive contribution is the depth and production quality of its courses — each is taught by a tenured university professor with the production values of a documentary series, not a YouTube tutorial.
The catalog covers academic disciplines rather than technical-skill training: history, philosophy, science, mathematics, literature, music theory, religion, economics. Material is taught by faculty from Stanford, Yale, Princeton, the University of Chicago, MIT, and similar institutions. Wondrium is typically used by intellectually-curious adult learners filling in the liberal-arts side of their education.
The CourseFlix listing under this source carries over 19 Wondrium / Great Courses titles spanning that range — sitting in the broader CourseFlix catalog as general-interest reference rather than as a software-engineering track. Material is paid; Wondrium itself runs on a monthly / annual subscription on the original platform.
Watch Online 24 lessons
0:00
/ #1: 1. How thought experiments work
All Course Lessons (24)
| # | Lesson Title | Duration | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1. How thought experiments work Demo | 24:43 | |
| 2 | 2. Saving others or letting them die | 28:52 | |
| 3 | 3. What the trolley problem reveals about you | 27:22 | |
| 4 | 4. Suppose you're impartial; Suppose you care | 27:02 | |
| 5 | 5. Unmasking the hidden pitfails of testimony | 30:13 | |
| 6 | 6. Can you time-travel and change the past | 28:04 | |
| 7 | 7. Paradoxes as mental workouts | 30:53 | |
| 8 | 8. What Newcomb's paradox says about decisions | 29:56 | |
| 9 | 9. Stories as thought experiments | 29:08 | |
| 10 | 10. Einstein's revolutionary thought experiments | 31:57 | |
| 11 | 11. Galileo's and Schrodinger's thought experiments | 33:16 | |
| 12 | 12. What makes identify the same over time | 31:26 | |
| 13 | 13. Mind swapping and personal identity | 27:34 | |
| 14 | 14. Who are you after a brain transplant | 29:11 | |
| 15 | 15. Who are you right now | 30:24 | |
| 16 | 16. Exploring the mysteries of consciousness | 31:18 | |
| 17 | 17. When are you morally responsible | 30:30 | |
| 18 | 18. How luch changes moral thought experiments | 31:21 | |
| 19 | 19. Challenging whether you have free will | 31:59 | |
| 20 | 20. Suppose you're immortal. What do you value | 26:29 | |
| 21 | 21. Visit twin earth to explore meaning | 24:06 | |
| 22 | 22. How do you know when you know something | 32:42 | |
| 23 | 23. How to create civilization from chaos | 32:26 | |
| 24 | 24. Thought experiments as a way of life | 33:27 |
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Frequently asked questions
What are the prerequisites for enrolling in this course?
There are no formal prerequisites for this course. It is designed for anyone with an interest in philosophy and thought experiments. A general curiosity about subjects like personal identity, moral responsibility, and the nature of reality will be beneficial as you engage with the material.
What can I expect to build or develop during the course?
The course focuses on developing your analytical and critical thinking skills by engaging with thought experiments. You will explore various scenarios that challenge your understanding of concepts like free will, personal identity, and moral responsibility, enhancing your ability to think logically and philosophically about complex topics.
Who is the target audience for this course?
This course is aimed at individuals interested in philosophy, ethics, and the history of ideas. Whether you are a student, a professional, or someone with a general interest in philosophical questions, you will find value in examining the thought experiments presented by historical thinkers.
How does this course compare to other philosophy courses in terms of depth?
This course offers a unique approach by focusing specifically on thought experiments as a method of philosophical inquiry. While it covers a range of topics from personal identity to quantum mechanics, the course is structured around analyzing and understanding these subjects through the lens of thought experiments, providing a different perspective compared to traditional philosophy courses.
What specific tools or platforms are explored in the course?
The course does not utilize specific physical tools or digital platforms. Instead, it engages with intellectual tools like thought experiments themselves, such as the Trolley Problem, Newcomb's Paradox, and Einstein's thought experiments, to explore and understand philosophical concepts.
What topics are explicitly not covered in this course?
While the course covers a wide range of philosophical topics, it does not delve into detailed technical analyses of scientific theories or comprehensive historical accounts of philosophical movements. The focus remains on using thought experiments to explore philosophical questions, rather than covering exhaustive philosophical or scientific theories.
How much time should I expect to commit to this course?
The course consists of 24 lessons, each designed to be engaging and thought-provoking. While the total runtime is not specified, you should anticipate spending several hours on each lesson to fully engage with the thought experiments and reflect on the philosophical questions they raise.