Shaun Gallagher
Encyclopedia
Shaun Gallagher is an American
philosopher. He holds the Lillian and Morrie Moss Chair of Excellence in Philosophy at the University of Memphis
. He has secondary appointments as Research Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Science at the University of Hertfordshire
in England
, Honorary Professor of Philosophy at the University of Copenhagen, and as affiliated research faculty member at the Institute of Simulation and Training at the University of Central Florida
. He co-edits the journal Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences. He’s the author of several books, including How the Body Shapes the Mind, Hermeneutics and Education, The Inordinance of Time, and most recently Brainstorming (2008), and (with Dan Zahavi
), The Phenomenological Mind (2008). He is editor of The Oxford Handbook of the Self (2011). In 2011 he received the Humboldt Foundation Anneliese Maier Research Award [Anneliese Maier-Forschungspreis], a five-year award to promote the internationalisation of the humanities and social sciences in Germany. Other awards include a Marie Curie Initial Training Network grant, "Towards an embodied science of intersubjectivity (TESIS)" issued by the European Commission, and a Templeton Foundation award, "Space, Science and Spirituality" (to study experiences had by astronauts during space travel).
His research focuses on phenomenology, philosophy of mind
, cognitive science
, and hermeneutics. He received his Ph.D in philosophy from Bryn Mawr College
. He also studied philosophy at Villanova University
and Leuven
, and economics at the State University of New York - Buffalo. He has held visiting positions at the Centre de Recherche en Epistémelogie Appliquée
in Paris
; the Ecole Normale Supériure, Lyon
; the University of Copenhagen
; and the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit
at the University of Cambridge
. His previous positions include Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Central Florida
.
In How the Body Shapes the Mind, Gallagher, drawing from phenomenology and empirical cognitive sciences, provides a detailed account of embodied cognition. His work on embodiment builds on a distinction between body image and body schema, exploring philosophical implications concerning themes of perception, social cognition, agency, and free will. More recent work focuses on questions about agency and social cognition. He develops a critique of dominant theories of social cognition and develops an approach that defends embodied interaction.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
philosopher. He holds the Lillian and Morrie Moss Chair of Excellence in Philosophy at the University of Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
. He has secondary appointments as Research Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Science at the University of Hertfordshire
University of Hertfordshire
The University of Hertfordshire is a new university based largely in Hatfield, in the county of Hertfordshire, England, from which the university takes its name. It has more than 27,500 students, over 2500 staff, with a turnover of over £181m...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Honorary Professor of Philosophy at the University of Copenhagen, and as affiliated research faculty member at the Institute of Simulation and Training at the University of Central Florida
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...
. He co-edits the journal Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences. He’s the author of several books, including How the Body Shapes the Mind, Hermeneutics and Education, The Inordinance of Time, and most recently Brainstorming (2008), and (with Dan Zahavi
Dan Zahavi
Dan Zahavi is a Danish philosopher. He is Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Danish National Research Foundation's Center for Subjectivity Research at the University of Copenhagen. He writes on phenomenology and especially the philosophy of Edmund Husserl...
), The Phenomenological Mind (2008). He is editor of The Oxford Handbook of the Self (2011). In 2011 he received the Humboldt Foundation Anneliese Maier Research Award [Anneliese Maier-Forschungspreis], a five-year award to promote the internationalisation of the humanities and social sciences in Germany. Other awards include a Marie Curie Initial Training Network grant, "Towards an embodied science of intersubjectivity (TESIS)" issued by the European Commission, and a Templeton Foundation award, "Space, Science and Spirituality" (to study experiences had by astronauts during space travel).
His research focuses on phenomenology, philosophy of mind
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...
, cognitive science
Cognitive science
Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary scientific study of mind and its processes. It examines what cognition is, what it does and how it works. It includes research on how information is processed , represented, and transformed in behaviour, nervous system or machine...
, and hermeneutics. He received his Ph.D in philosophy from Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
. He also studied philosophy at Villanova University
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
and Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
, and economics at the State University of New York - Buffalo. He has held visiting positions at the Centre de Recherche en Epistémelogie Appliquée
Centre de Recherche en Epistémelogie Appliquée
The Centre de Recherche en Épistémologie Appliquée — the Center for Research in Applied Epistemology — conducts research in humanities and the social sciences...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
; the Ecole Normale Supériure, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
; the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
; and the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit
Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit
The ' is a branch of the UK Medical Research Council, based in Cambridge, England. The CBSU is a world-leading centre for cognitive neuroscience, with a mission to improve human health by understanding and enhancing cognition and behaviour in health, disease and disorder...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. His previous positions include Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Central Florida
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...
.
In How the Body Shapes the Mind, Gallagher, drawing from phenomenology and empirical cognitive sciences, provides a detailed account of embodied cognition. His work on embodiment builds on a distinction between body image and body schema, exploring philosophical implications concerning themes of perception, social cognition, agency, and free will. More recent work focuses on questions about agency and social cognition. He develops a critique of dominant theories of social cognition and develops an approach that defends embodied interaction.
See also
- American philosophyAmerican philosophyAmerican philosophy is the philosophical activity or output of Americans, both within the United States and abroad. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy notes that while American philosophy lacks a "core of defining features, American Philosophy can nevertheless be seen as both reflecting and...
- Phenomenology (philosophy)
- Philosophy of mindPhilosophy of mindPhilosophy 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...
- Cognitive scienceCognitive scienceCognitive science is the interdisciplinary scientific study of mind and its processes. It examines what cognition is, what it does and how it works. It includes research on how information is processed , represented, and transformed in behaviour, nervous system or machine...
- Hermeneutics
- List of American philosophers