Coursera

Free Will and Neuroscience (Coursera)

Offered by Dartmouth College,

In this course, we will discuss free will from a neuroscientific perspective. Module one of the course will explore two neuroscientific arguments against free will from Libet and Wegner and evaluate neuroscientists’ arguments against free will. You will also examine where these experiments do not succeed in debunking free will.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

In module two, the anatomy and physiology of neurons will be described. You will also learn how they communicate. You will have an understanding about neural anatomy and physiology to consciousness, attention, and free will.
In the final and the third module of the course, you will explore an example of the top-down influence on bottom-up processing called volitional attention. You will see how neural circuits responsible for both volitional and non-volitional thought and action interact with each other. Next, you will learn how a neural circuit can change its physical structure and function, and how these changes might impact human behavior.
This course is part of the Libertarian Free Will Specialization.

Syllabus

Module 1: Neuroscientific Arguments Against Free Will
Module 1
This module explains neuroscientific arguments against free will including Libet experiment and Wegner's experiment.

Module 2: The Neuroscience of Free Will: Part 1
Module 2
This module deals with the neuroscientific aspects of free will including the structure and function of neuron, neural receptors, and concepts such as indeterminism. It also explains the top-down executive function of the brain.

The Neuroscience of Free Will: Part 2
Module 3
This module explores the concept of volition in the brain and further explores concepts such as the neural basis of mindfulness, volitional imagination, self-transformation etc.

Go to Class

MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Coursera

Yale University

Everyday Parenting: The ABCs of Child Rearing (Coursera)

Health & Society Social Sciences

Everyday Parenting gives you access to a toolkit of behavior-change techniques that will make your typical day in the home easier as you develop the behaviors you would like to see in your child. The lessons provide step-by-step instructions and demonstrations to improve your course of action with both children and adolescents.

Oct 5th 2026

4 Weeks

Psychology Communication Adolescents

Coursera

University of Toronto

The Social Context of Mental Health and Illness (Coursera)

Health & Society

Learn how social factors promote mental health, influence the onset and course of mental illness, and affect how mental illnesses are diagnosed and treated. This course explores how our understanding of mental health and illness has been influenced by social attitudes and social developments in North America and around the world. The course begins by situating our contemporary mental health practices in historical context, then looks at different aspects of mental health, mental illness and mental health services and their connections to what’s going on in our social environment.

Oct 12th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Health Social Mental

Coursera

Leiden University

De-Mystifying Mindfulness (Coursera)

Health & Society Personal and Professional Development

Interest in meditation, mindfulness, and contemplation has grown exponentially in recent years. Rather than being seen as mystical practices from ancient Buddhism or esoteric philosophy, they are increasingly seen as technologies rooted in evidence from psychology and neuroscience. Mindfulness has become the basis for numerous therapeutic interventions, both as a treatment in healthcare and as a means of enhancing well-being and happiness. For millions around the world, mindfulness has become a life-style choice, enhancing and enriching everyday experience. Mindfulness is big business.

Oct 19th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Philosophy Psychology Ethics

Coursera

University of Edinburgh

Intellectual Humility: Theory (Coursera)

Humanities

Faced with difficult questions people often tend to dismiss and marginalize dissent. Political and moral disagreements can be incredibly polarizing, and sometimes even dangerous. And whether it’s Christian fundamentalism, Islamic extremism, or militant atheism, religious dialogue remains tinted by arrogance, dogma, and ignorance. The world needs more people who are sensitive to reasons both for and against their beliefs, and are willing to consider the possibility that their political, religious and moral beliefs might be mistaken. The world needs more intellectual humility.

Sep 28th 2026

3 Weeks

Science Philosophy Psychology

Coursera

Duke University

Medical Neuroscience (Coursera)

Health & Society Medicine & Pharmacology

Medical Neuroscience explores the functional organization and neurophysiology of the human central nervous system, while providing a neurobiological framework for understanding human behavior. In this course, you will discover the organization of the neural systems in the brain and spinal cord that mediate sensation, motivate bodily action, and integrate sensorimotor signals with memory, emotion and related faculties of cognition. The overall goal of this course is to provide the foundation for understanding the impairments of sensation, action and cognition that accompany injury, disease or dysfunction in the central nervous system. The course will build upon knowledge acquired through prior studies of cell and molecular biology, general physiology and human anatomy, as we focus primarily on the central nervous system.

Oct 12th 2026

13-24 Weeks

Neuroscience Medicine Health

Coursera

Universidad de Palermo

Psicología de la Percepción (Coursera)

Education Social Sciences

¿Cómo funcionan nuestros sentidos para ayudarnos a dar sentido y responder a nuestro entorno? ¿La percepción es un reflejo “fiel” del ambiente que nos rodea? ¿En qué se diferencia una alucinación de una percepción normal? ¿Cómo se relacionan los avances neurocientíficos con las teorías psicológicas clásicas de la percepción? ¿Cómo influyen la memoria, la atención y las expectativas en lo que percibimos?

Oct 12th 2026

3 Weeks

Psychology Sensation Perception

Coursera

Wesleyan University

Schizophrenia (Coursera)

Health & Society Social Sciences

The main goal of this class are to gain an introductory exposure to the nature of the psychiatric disorder known as schizophrenia as revealed by the scientific method. We will discuss a broad range of findings from the scientific investigation of biological and psychological factors related to schizophrenia and its treatment.

Oct 12th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Health Psychology Psychotherapy

Coursera

University of Houston System

The Bilingual Brain (Coursera)

Health & Society Social Sciences

This course explores the brain bases of bilingualism by discussing literature relevant to differences in age of initial learning, proficiency, and control in the nonverbal, single language and dual-language literature. Participants will learn about the latest research related to how humans learn one or two languages and other cognitive skills.

Oct 5th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Brain Psychology Language

Coursera

Rice University

Mindfulness and Well-being: Living with Balance and Ease (Coursera)

Health & Society

This is the sequel course to Foundations of Mindfulness that will continue to provide a broad overview of the fundamental concepts, principles, and practices of mindfulness. With interactive exercises to help students explore their own attitudes, mental habits and behaviors, Foundations of Mindfulness series offers a pathway for living with more freedom, authenticity and ease. Featured components of the course include experiential exercises, guided meditations, personal reflection and interactive discussions.

Oct 12th 2026

4 Weeks

Health Mind Psychology

Coursera

Duke University

The Brain and Space (Coursera)

Sci: Biology & Life Sciences Health & Society

This course is about how the brain creates our sense of spatial location from a variety of sensory and motor sources, and how this spatial sense in turn shapes our cognitive abilities. Knowing where things are is effortless. But “under the hood,” your brain must figure out even the simplest of details about the world around you and your position in it.

Oct 12th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Health Science Biology

Coursera

University of Pittsburgh

Gender and Sexuality: Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace (Coursera)

Health & Society

What is sex? What is gender? What is sexuality? What do we mean by LGBTQIA? How are these concepts related to the workplace? How have our understandings of these terms changed over time, and how have these changes impacted work and culture? To help you answer these important questions, this course will introduce you to the exciting field of gender, sexuality, and women's studies, and to LGBTQIA identities.

Sep 28th 2026

4 Weeks

Health Psychology Workplace

Coursera

Emory University

The Psychology of Thrill Seekers (Coursera)

Health & Society Social Sciences

Sensation seeking is a trait we all have and includes the search for complex and new experiences. Thrill Seekers, people with high-sensation seeking personalities, crave exotic and intense experiences even when physical or social risks are involved. This course helps learners examine the remarkable world of the high-sensation seeking personality and explores the lifestyle, psychology, and neuroscience behind thrill seekers.

Oct 12th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Neuroscience Psychology Lifestyle