Fred Dretske
Encyclopedia
Frederick Irwin Dretske is a philosopher noted for his contributions to epistemology and the philosophy of mind
. His more recent work centers on conscious experience and self-knowledge. Additionally, he was awarded the Jean Nicod Prize
in 1994. Dretske received his Ph.D from The University of Minnesota
and taught for a number of years at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
before moving to Stanford University
. After retiring from Stanford, he moved to Duke University
where he is now Senior Research Scholar in Philosophy.
Dretske holds externalist
views about the mind, and thus he tries in various writings to show that by means of mere introspection
one actually learns about his own mind less than might be expected.
Philosophy of mind
Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain. The mind-body problem, i.e...
. His more recent work centers on conscious experience and self-knowledge. Additionally, he was awarded the Jean Nicod Prize
Jean Nicod Prize
The Jean Nicod Prize is awarded annually in Paris to a leading philosopher of mind or philosophically-oriented cognitive scientist. The lectures are organized by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique as part of its effort to promote interdisciplinary research in cognitive science in...
in 1994. Dretske received his Ph.D from The University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
and taught for a number of years at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
before moving to Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. After retiring from Stanford, he moved to Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
where he is now Senior Research Scholar in Philosophy.
Dretske holds externalist
Internalism and externalism
Internalism and externalism are two opposing ways of explaining various subjects in several areas of philosophy. These include human motivation, knowledge, justification, meaning and truth. The distinction arises in many areas of debate with similar but distinct meanings...
views about the mind, and thus he tries in various writings to show that by means of mere introspection
Introspection
Introspection is the self-observation and reporting of conscious inner thoughts, desires and sensations. It is a conscious and purposive process relying on thinking, reasoning, and examining one's own thoughts, feelings, and, in more spiritual cases, one's soul...
one actually learns about his own mind less than might be expected.
Selected publications
- 1969, Seeing and Knowing, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-7100-6213-3
- 1981, Knowledge and the Flow of Information, Cambridge, Mass. The MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-04063-8
- 1988, Explaining Behavior: Reasons in a World of Causes, Cambridge, Mass. The MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-04094-8
- 1995, Naturalizing the Mind, Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-04149-9
- 2000, Perception, Knowledge and Belief, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-77742-9
External links
- Dretske's page at Duke
- An Interview with Fred Dretske where colleagues ask about his work. From The Dualist, Stanford's Undergraduate Journal of Philosophy
- WHAT GOOD IS CONSCIOUSNESS?
- THE MIND'S AWARENESS OF ITSELF
- Where is the Mind when the Body Performs?
- First Person Warrant: Comments On Siewert's The Significance Of Consciousness
- Perception without Awareness
- PSYCHOLOGICAL VS. BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS OF BEHAVIOR
- EXPERIENCE AS REPRESENTATION
- HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE NOT A ZOMBIE?
- KNOWING WHAT YOU THINK vs KNOWING THAT YOU THINK IT, or Externalism: Thought and Their Content
- What We See, Howison Lectures in PhilosophyHowison Lectures in PhilosophyThe Howison Lectures in Philosophy are a lecture series established in 1919 by friends and former students of George Howison, who served as the Mills Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy and Civil Polity at the University of California, Berkeley....
, 14 November 2007, University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...