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Lesson 2 of 5
  • Year 10

Consciousness: are we just brains in a vat?

I can evaluate different ideas of consciousness and how humans perceive reality.

Lesson 2 of 5
New
New
  • Year 10

Consciousness: are we just brains in a vat?

I can evaluate different ideas of consciousness and how humans perceive reality.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Rene Descartes used the evil demon hypothesis to engage in scepticism.
  2. Hilary Putnam proposed a thought experiment that humans could be brains in vats meaning there was no outside reality.
  3. The philosopher Rene Descartes famously said 'I think, therefore I am.'
  4. Some philosophers are dualists and see consciousness as something non-physical that identifies humans.
  5. Other philosophers are physicalists, such as JJC Smart who says that mental states are brain states.

Keywords

  • Consciousness - the state of being aware of and able to think about one's existence, thoughts and surroundings

  • Dualism - both physical and non-physical things exist, the mind or consciousness is non-physical and separate from the body

  • Physicalism - everything that exists is physical, including the mind or consciousness

  • Rene Descartes - a French philosopher who lived from 1596–1650 and who built his philosophy by doubting everything except his own thinking

Common misconception

Thought experiments, like Putnam's brain in a vat, are claims about reality.

Thought experiments are tools philosophers use to test ideas and challenge assumptions.


To help you plan your year 10 religious education lesson on: Consciousness: are we just brains in a vat?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Give students opportunities to engage with the thought experiments used in this lesson.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

5 Questions

Q1.
Many Western thinkers see the self as and continuous.

Correct Answer: fixed, Fixed

Q2.
Which concept describes the Buddhist idea of 'no fixed self'?

Correct answer: Anatta
Dharma
Nirvana

Q3.
Buddhists believe the self is made of five changing...

Correct Answer: skandhas, Skandhas, Aggregates

Q4.
Hume compared perceptions to actors on a...

Correct Answer: stage, Stage

Q5.
Which traditional idea does Baggini reject?

The stage view
Correct answer: The pearl view
The bundle view

Assessment exit quiz

5 Questions

Q1.
Match each keyword to its meaning:

Correct Answer:Rene Descartes,a French philosopher who lived from 1596–1650

a French philosopher who lived from 1596–1650

Correct Answer:Dualism,both physical and non-physical things exist

both physical and non-physical things exist

Correct Answer:Physicalism,everything that exists is physical, including the mind

everything that exists is physical, including the mind

Q2.
Descartes used the evil demon hypothesis to create extreme...

Correct Answer: doubt, Doubt

Q3.
What is the main idea of Hilary Putnam’s 'brain in a vat' scenario?

Humans might be hallucinating
Correct answer: Humans might exist without a real external world
Humans might be robots

Q4.
Dualists believe that the mind and body are things.

Correct Answer: separate, Separate

Q5.
What do physicalists believe?

The mind survives death
The mind is separate from the body
Correct answer: Mental states are identical to brain states