Courses Taught
Consciousness and Language (Spring 2020, University of Chicago): Contemporary philosophers of mind often speak of the “phenomenal character” of different sorts of conscious experiences. This phrase is meant to express “what it’s like” to have an experience of a particular sort. For instance, when you see something red—a tomato, say—there’s something that it’s like to have an experience of the sort that you’re having. Someone who is color blind from birth might know a lot of things about how color vision works, but they won’t know what it’s like to see something red; that is, they won’t know what the phenomenal character of an experience of seeing something red is.
In this class, we will explore both a negative and a positive thesis about the relationship between this aspect of conscious experience and language. We will start by considering the claim that the phenomenal character of a conscious experience is really “ineffable”—it cannot be expressed in public language. We will consider both strategies for trying to make sense of this idea, and arguments, both belonging to and influenced by Ludwig Wittgenstein, to the effect that there is no way to make sense of it. We will then turn to a corresponding positive thesis that we cannot make sense of phenomenal character of conscious experiences apart from its expression in public language, focusing particularly on the development of this thesis by Wilfrid Sellars and those influenced by him in various ways. In addition to Wittgenstein and Sellars, readings will be from contemporary philosophers including, among others, Frank Jackson, Thomas Nagel, David Chalmers, Paul Horwich, Daniel Dennett, John McDowell, Susanna Schellenberg, Robert Brandom, David Rosenthall, and Paul Churchland.
Course Syllabus Here
Courses Assisted
Varieties of Philosophical Skepticism, taught by James Conant (Spring 2019, University of Chicago)
Consciousness, taught by David Finkelstein (Fall 2019, University of Chicago)
Cognition, taught by Jason Bridges and Chris Kennedy (Spring 2018, University of Chicago)
Formal Logic, taught by Aron Edidin (Fall, 2013, New College of Florida)
Consciousness and Language (Spring 2020, University of Chicago): Contemporary philosophers of mind often speak of the “phenomenal character” of different sorts of conscious experiences. This phrase is meant to express “what it’s like” to have an experience of a particular sort. For instance, when you see something red—a tomato, say—there’s something that it’s like to have an experience of the sort that you’re having. Someone who is color blind from birth might know a lot of things about how color vision works, but they won’t know what it’s like to see something red; that is, they won’t know what the phenomenal character of an experience of seeing something red is.
In this class, we will explore both a negative and a positive thesis about the relationship between this aspect of conscious experience and language. We will start by considering the claim that the phenomenal character of a conscious experience is really “ineffable”—it cannot be expressed in public language. We will consider both strategies for trying to make sense of this idea, and arguments, both belonging to and influenced by Ludwig Wittgenstein, to the effect that there is no way to make sense of it. We will then turn to a corresponding positive thesis that we cannot make sense of phenomenal character of conscious experiences apart from its expression in public language, focusing particularly on the development of this thesis by Wilfrid Sellars and those influenced by him in various ways. In addition to Wittgenstein and Sellars, readings will be from contemporary philosophers including, among others, Frank Jackson, Thomas Nagel, David Chalmers, Paul Horwich, Daniel Dennett, John McDowell, Susanna Schellenberg, Robert Brandom, David Rosenthall, and Paul Churchland.
Course Syllabus Here
Courses Assisted
Varieties of Philosophical Skepticism, taught by James Conant (Spring 2019, University of Chicago)
Consciousness, taught by David Finkelstein (Fall 2019, University of Chicago)
Cognition, taught by Jason Bridges and Chris Kennedy (Spring 2018, University of Chicago)
Formal Logic, taught by Aron Edidin (Fall, 2013, New College of Florida)
