(Byrne, 2006) Precisely how and precisely where is human conscious experiencelocated in the natural world? “The Extended Conscious Mind Thesis”says this: The constitutive mechanisms of human conscious experience includeboth extra-neural bodily facts and also extra-bodily worldly facts. In “Spreading the Joy? Why the Machinery of Consciousness Is (Probably) Still in the Head,” Andy Clark has … [continue reading]

“The Peaceable Kingdom,” by Edward Hicks, ca. 1830-1840 (Dierksmeier, 2021) You can also download and read or share a .pdf of the complete text of this essay by scrolling down to the bottom of this post and clicking on the Download tab. The Ark of Ends: Thoughts on Hanna’s “Not All Animals Are Equal” 1. … [continue reading]

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason (CPR) is arguably the single most brilliant, important, and difficult book in modern philosophy. Its main topic is the nature, scope, and limits of human cognition and reason; and its main conclusion is that necessary truth, a priori knowledge, and freedom of the will in a … [continue reading]

(Williams, 2021) You can also download and read or share a .pdf of the complete text of this essay by scrolling down to the bottom of this post and clicking on the Download tab. Can Philosophers Change Their Minds? Can philosophers change their minds? A friend of mine in graduate school used to say that … [continue reading]

(Lewandowsky et al., 2012: p. 122)  You can download and read or share a .pdf of the complete text of this essay by scrolling to the bottom of this post and clicking on the Download tab. On Fundamental Philosophical Disagreements and How to Resolve Them Philosophy seeks to correct partial views and complete fragmentary experience … [continue reading]

“The Human Condition,” by Thomas Whitaker Morality is the attempt to guide human conduct by rationally formulating and following principles or rules that reflect our basic personal and social commitments and our leading ideals and values. But this presupposes that our “human, all-too-human” lives actually do have some meaning that, in turn, captures our basic … [continue reading]

“The Sower,” by Vincent Van Gogh (1888-1889) You can also download and read or share a .pdf of the complete text of this essay by scrolling down to the bottom of this post and clicking on the Download tab. Consciousness and the Natural Universe As your eyes scanned down from the title of this essay … [continue reading]

Building on contemporary research in embodied cognition, enactivism, and theextended mind, this book explores how social institutions in contemporary neoliberal democratic states systematically affect our thoughts, feelings, and agency, Human beings are, necessarily, social animals who create and belong to social institutions. But social institutions take on a life of their own, and literally shape … [continue reading]