Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Program

 
Tyler Burge, Professor of Philosophy, UCLA

Perception: Origins of Mind

Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 7:30 pm

East Ballroom, Wyoming Union

Reception to follow

An internationally prominent philosopher of psychology and the mind, Dr. Burge (UCLA) will speak about two notions of representation.  One of these applies to states of plants and bacteria, as well as to psychological states, the other applies only to the latter.  Drawing on findings in the science of perceptual psychology, Dr. Burge will discuss how representation in this second sense emerges first in perception.  After sketching primary features of perception, he will apply empirical evidence to demonstrate that the “representational mind” may be found (and first appears) in such simple creatures as arthropods – insects, spiders, and crustaceans.  What “mind” is, and how it emerges, are the compelling philosophical issues underlying Dr. Burge’s address.

A Q&A session and reception will follow the lecture.  

A recent New York Times article entitled “A Real Science of Mind” summarizing Professor Burge’s work is available at http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/a-real-science-of-mind/