#269 Colin Allen: Minds, Cognition, and Cognitive Ethology
RECORDED ON OCTOBER 3rd, 2019.
Dr. Colin Allen is Distinguished Professor, and Director of Graduate Admissions in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Allen’s main areas of research concern the philosophical foundations of cognitive science and neuroscience. He is particularly interested in the scientific study of cognition in nonhuman animals and computers, and he has published widely on topics in the philosophy of mind, philosophy of biology, and artificial intelligence.
In this episode, we explore some topics of the cognitive sciences and philosophy of mind. We start by discussing what is a mind, how minds evolved, and our wrong intuitions about minds. We then address the topic of cognition, and what it is about, and talk about cognitive ethology. We also discuss issues surrounding the massive modularity of mind proposal. We get into the role of philosophy in the modern intellectual environment. Finally, we talk about what is cognitively special about humans, and animal ethics.
Time Links:
What is a mind, and where in evolution did minds appear?
Embodied cognition
Our wrong intuitions about minds
What is cognition?
Does cognition have to always be conscious?
Comparative psychology, and cognitive ethology
Issues regarding modularity of mind
The role of philosophy, and its relationship with modern science
What is cognitively distinct about humans?
Animal ethics
Follow Dr. Allen’s work!
Follow Dr. Allen’s work:
Personal website: http://bit.ly/2TFlFiv
Faculty page: http://bit.ly/33FoG79
ResearchGate Profile: http://bit.ly/2KIvVlO
Amazon page: https://amzn.to/2IlhPXf
Relevant books:
Species of Mind: The Philosophy and Biology of Cognitive Ethology: https://amzn.to/2o1OxpU
The Cognitive Animal: Empirical and Theoretical Perspectives on Animal Cognition: https://amzn.to/2OguBKt