A Universalist Philosophy of Mind
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Southampton
Department Name: Sch of Humanities
Abstract
Philosophers traditionally distinguish between particulars (entities which can be counted), and universals (entities which are the common natures in which these particulars partake) - contrast, e.g., the table with the property of being gray. The core assumption of philosophy of mind in the analytic tradition is a conception of mental states (e.g. beliefs, emotions) as mental particulars. This assumption has never been argued for. The ambition of UNIPHIMIND is to provide the first full defense of the universalist thesis, according to which mental states are universals or instantiations thereof. It will do so by drawing the full implications of the universalist thesis for philosophy of mind and by tracing the history of the adoption of the particularist assumption, thereby breaking new grounds. The overarching goal of UNIPHIMIND is to show that these implications are deep and far-ranging.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Conor McHugh (Principal Investigator) | |
| Brice Bantegnie (Fellow) |
| Description | same as the project |
| Organisation | University of California, Riverside |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Feedback on colleagues' work (Schwitzgebel, Reck, Newton) and on grad students' work. Guest lecturing. Organizing of a workshop and of a session at a conference. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Feedback on my work (Professors Schwitzgebel, Reck, Newton) and my lecturing. Soft-skills raining (UCR library.) Administrative support. |
| Impact | Cf. Output sec. of the project itself. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | (Hybrid) Talk at Pitt. Title: "Where the Philosophy of Cognitive Science Went Wrong" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Feedback on my work. Subsequent scholarly exchanges with colleague from Pitt. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeS9yMp803o&list=PLj4TQJQsJI1YwXQpzGIF35B7o9AqBIi3t&index=2 |
| Description | A talk at Georgia State University. Title: "Against the Current Paradigm in the Philosophy of Mind. That Mental States Are Not Things Functionally Individuated" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Feedback on my work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | A talk at UC Riverside. Title: "Naturalism and Subjectivity. A Dispositionalist Take on Some Recalcitrant Problems" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of my work. Subsequent scholarly exchanges with colleague from UCR. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Guest lecturing. Course: Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | 3 Sessions. Partial grading. Increased interest in the subject reported by some students. Improvement in their understanding of the topics reported by some students. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Organizing of a workshop on Ordinary Language Philosophy and the Philosophy of Mind |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Workshop on Ordinary Language Philosophy and the Philosophy of Mind Location: UC Riverside Speakers: Michael Kremer (Chicago), Eric Reck (UCR) and myself |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Talk at Yale University. TItle: "Where the Philosophy of Cognitive Science Went Wrong" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Feedback on my work. Subsequent scholarly exchanges with colleague from Yale. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Talk at the University of Miami. Title: "How to Love Direct Realism after you Dumped It." |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Feedback on my work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |