William Hirstein
Encyclopedia
William Hirstein is an American
philosopher primarily interested in philosophy of mind
, philosophy of language
, metaphysics
, cognitive science
, and analytic philosophy
. He is a professor of philosophy, director of the Cognitive Science Lab, and the current chair of the Philosophy Department at Elmhurst College
.
in philosophy at the University of California, Davis
under the direction of Richard Wollheim. He then did post-doctoral work under the supervision of Patricia Churchland
and Vilayanur S. Ramachandran
at the University of California, San Diego
, exploring neurological syndromes that lead to confabulation
, such as in split-brain
patients, patients with anosognosia
or Capgras delusion
. With Ramachandran, Hirstein has also done significant research into the perception of phantom limbs, and the treatment of phantom limb pain
. He draws heavily on the interaction between his philosophical training and his clinical experience in his book Brain Fiction to develop a comprehensive theory of the neural basis of confabulation, and argues that prefrontal
executive processes fail to correct false memories or perceptions, resulting in a confabulation.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
philosopher primarily interested in 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...
, philosophy of language
Philosophy of language
Philosophy of language is the reasoned inquiry into the nature, origins, and usage of language. As a topic, the philosophy of language for analytic philosophers is concerned with four central problems: the nature of meaning, language use, language cognition, and the relationship between language...
, metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
, 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 analytic philosophy
Analytic philosophy
Analytic philosophy is a generic term for a style of philosophy that came to dominate English-speaking countries in the 20th century...
. He is a professor of philosophy, director of the Cognitive Science Lab, and the current chair of the Philosophy Department at Elmhurst College
Elmhurst College
Elmhurst College is a comprehensive private liberal arts college in Elmhurst, Illinois with a tradition of service-oriented learning. It has a rich affiliation with the United Church of Christ.- History :...
.
Training
William Hirstein received his Ph.D.Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in philosophy at the University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
under the direction of Richard Wollheim. He then did post-doctoral work under the supervision of Patricia Churchland
Patricia Churchland
Patricia Smith Churchland is a Canadian-American philosopher noted for her contributions to neurophilosophy and the philosophy of mind. She has been a Professor at the University of California, San Diego since 1984...
and Vilayanur S. Ramachandran
Vilayanur S. Ramachandran
Vilayanur Subramanian "Rama" Ramachandran, born 1951, is a neuroscientist known for his work in the fields of behavioral neurology and visual psychophysics...
at the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
, exploring neurological syndromes that lead to confabulation
Confabulation
Confabulation is the process in which a memory is remembered falsely. Confabulations are indicative of a complicated and intricate process that can be led astray at any given point during encoding, storage, or recall of a memory. Two distinct types of confabulation are often distinguished...
, such as in split-brain
Split-brain
Split-brain is a lay term to describe the result when the corpus callosum connecting the two hemispheres of the brain is severed to some degree. The surgical operation to produce this condition is called corpus callosotomy and is usually used as a last resort to treat otherwise intractable epilepsy...
patients, patients with anosognosia
Anosognosia
Anosognosia /æˌnɒsɒgˈnəʊsɪə/ is a condition in which a person who suffers disability seems unaware of the existence of his or her disability. Unlike denial, which is a defense mechanism, anosognosia is rooted in physiology...
or Capgras delusion
Capgras delusion
The Capgras delusion theory is a disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, or other close family member has been replaced by an identical-looking impostor...
. With Ramachandran, Hirstein has also done significant research into the perception of phantom limbs, and the treatment of phantom limb pain
Mirror box
A mirror box is a box with two mirrors in the center , invented by Vilayanur S. Ramachandran to help alleviate phantom limb pain, in which patients feel they still have a limb after having it amputated....
. He draws heavily on the interaction between his philosophical training and his clinical experience in his book Brain Fiction to develop a comprehensive theory of the neural basis of confabulation, and argues that prefrontal
Prefrontal cortex
The prefrontal cortex is the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain, lying in front of the motor and premotor areas.This brain region has been implicated in planning complex cognitive behaviors, personality expression, decision making and moderating correct social behavior...
executive processes fail to correct false memories or perceptions, resulting in a confabulation.
Books
- On Searle (Wadsworth Philosophers Series, 2001)
- On The Churchlands (Wadsworth Philosophers Series, 2004)
- Brain Fiction: Self-Deception and the Riddle of Confabulation (The MIT Press, 2005)
- Cognitive Science: An Introduction to Mind and Brain (with Daniel Kolak, Peter Mandik, and Jonathan Waskan) (Routledge, 2006)
- Confabulation (Oxford University Press, 2009)
External links
- Elmhurst College Departmental Page, selected articles
- American Scientist Interview
- American Scientist Review of Brain Fiction: Self-Deception and the Riddle of Confabulation
- Ramachandran, V. S. & W. Hirstein (1998), "The perception of phantom limbs: The D.O. Hebb lecture.", Brain 9 (121):1603-1630
- V.S. Ramachandran and W. Hirstein, Three Laws of Qualia: What Neurology Tells Us about the Biological Functions of Consciousness, Qualia and the Self
- W. Hirstein, V. S. Ramachandran, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Capgras syndrome: a novel probe for understanding the neural representation of the identity and familiarity of persons
- V.S. Ramachandran and W. Hirstein, The Science of Art: A Neurological Theory of Aesthetic Experience. Journal of Consciousness Studies, Volume 6, No.6/7, (June/July 1999)
- Mindmelding: Connected Brains and the Problem of Consciousness, W. Hirstein, Mens Sana Research Foundation Monograph Series, Vol. 6, Issue 1, 2008