Lauener Foundation for Analytical Philosophy

Symposium

Friday 10 September 2004
Bern, Switzerland

1st International Lauener Symposium on Analytical Philosophy
in honour of Professor Patrick Suppes

Professor Patrick Suppes

(Stanford University)

A Revised Agenda for the Philosophy of Mind

Historically, the central focus of the philosophy of mind has moved away from the long tradition that extends from Aristotle's De Anima to Hume's Treatise of Human Nature. This tradition tried to provide elements of a theory of perception and of learning.

Many details were necessarily lacking, but a systematic survey of the functions of the mind was expected. Philosophy of mind in the twentieth century moved away from many parts of this tradition. I propose to revive it, with the additional consideration of what has been learned about the mind in modern psychology and about the brain in modern neuroscience. Three fundamental topics will be emphasized: the central role of processes of perception, methods of computation embodied in brain activity, and the nature of language processing in the brain.

 

Professor Patrick     Suppes

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