Project Summary
This project is hosted by: Institute of Philosophy
- Research interests:
- Culture, Neuroscience, Philosophy
- Project period:
- 01-Sep-2016 - 31-Aug-2022
- Project categories:
- Research project
- Project summary:
This project will investigate the thoughts and feelings that accompany the use of concepts. Concepts lie at the heart of the extraordinary power of the human mind. They are the building blocks of thought, the tools with which we think. Like physical tools, they can be more or less dependable, more or less fit for purpose: e.g. for most people GENE feels like a better concept than MEME. We have an intuitive sense of how dependable a concept is, which is crucial when we decide whether to rely on the concept. It can underpin our decision to reject some concepts (e.g. RACE) and embrace others in our theorising (e.g. SPECIES). Similarly in everyday thinking: when concepts are selected for reasoning and induction, and when different cognitive processes compete for control of action, the metacognition that accompanies the concepts involved will have a powerful effect. However, metacognition directed at concepts is still poorly understood. We lack even a clear theoretical framework to underpin research in this area.
Management Details
Lead researcher & project contact:
| Name | Position | Institute | Organisation | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professor Nicholas Shea | Professor of Philosophy | Institute of Philosophy | SAS | nicholas.shea@sas.ac.uk |
Funding:
| Funder | Grant type | Award |
|---|---|---|
| European Research Council | Consolidator Grant |