Potential MA supervisors in Theoretical Philosophy
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Bruno Mölder (Associate Professor) has a doctoral degree from the University of Konstanz. His areas of specialisation are philosophy of mind and metaphysics. Read more about the topics that dr Mölder is ready to supervise. |
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Alexander Davies, (Research Fellow of Theoretical Philosophy) graduated with a PhD from King’s College, London. His areas of specialisation are philosophy of language, epistemology, and some topics in political philosophy (specifically: autonomy, freedom of speech, extreme speech). Read more about the topics that dr Davies is ready to supervise. |
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Vivian Puusepp, (Research Fellow of Theoretical Philosophy) graduated with a PhD from University of Tartu. Her areas of specialisation are philosophy of mind, phenomenology, social cognition. Read more about the topics that dr Bohl is ready to supervise. |
Research projects
Alex Davies: potential topics of supervision
I am available for supervision on topics within philosophy of language, epistemology, some topics in philosophy of science (anything related to Thomas Kuhn), and some topics in political philosophy (autonomy, education, freedom of speech, extreme speech (e.g. pornography)). If you want to get a sense of my work then take a look at my PhilPapers page. If you have an idea for something you'd like to write or write about then please email me (davies [ät] ut.ee) and let's discuss it.
Vivian Puusepp: potential topics of supervision
I am happy to supervise theses on cognitive philosophy and philosophy of mind. I am also keen on interdisciplinary topics that fall between philosophy and psychology. Below are some examples, other topics and suggestions are available on request.
1. Social cognition and interpersonal relationships
What cognitive processes enable people to interact with, relate to and understand other people? Why do we care about what other people feel or think? Do we ever get other people’s mental states right? How did social cognition evolve and how does it develop in childhood? What is special about human social cognition?
Background reading:
Bohl, Vivian. 2014. How do we understand others? Beyond theories of mindreading and interactionism. Tartu: University of Tartu Press.
2. Self and self-consciousness
Does being conscious imply being self-conscious in some sense? How to explain our sense of self? Do we really have selves and if so, in what sense? Are selves socially constructed?
Background reading:
Gallagher, Shaun & Zahavi, Dan. 2014. Phenomenological Approaches to Self-Consciousness. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Bruno Mölder: potential topics of supervision
I am happy to supervise theses on various topics in philosophy of mind and psychology. Below are some examples, other topics and suggestions are available on request.
Understanding others
How do we understand other people? Do we apply an implicit theory, simulate others’ thoughts or is social cognition rather an embodied and interactive affair?
Background reading:
Ravenscroft, Ian, "Folk Psychology as a Theory", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Gordon, Robert M., "Folk Psychology as Mental Simulation", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Experience of time
There are several philosophical puzzles concerning subjective time: What does it take to experience the world as flowing continuously from one instant to another? How can we experience change? Is the subjective present extended in time?
Background reading:
Dainton, Barry, "Temporal Consciousness", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Interpretivism in the philosophy of mind
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the interpretivist position, the view that interpretation is central for propositional attitudes and possibly other mental states? Most famous versions of this view have been propounded by Donald Davidson and Daniel Dennett.
Background reading:
Jeff Malpas, “Donald Davidson”
Daniel Dennett, “Intentional Systems Theory”, The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Mind, OUP 2009
Psychological and social mechanisms of disagreement
What are the psychological and social mechanisms underpinning disagreement? What role do emotions and social cognition play in disagreement?
Experimental philosophy of mind
What can the empirical results of the experimental philosophy tell us about mind and consciousness?
Background reading:
Justin Sytsma, Folk Psychology and Phenomenal Consciousness. Philosophy Compass, 5 (8)