Mind, Language and Metaphysics

The Mind, Language and Metaphysics research cluster is the largest group in the department and obviously covers a broad range of key philosophical disciplines.  The scope of the group means that postgraduates, when presenting their work, are exposed to a wide range of philosophical theory and feedback.  The group has been home to a number of major projects over the last few years: The New Ontology of the Mental Causation was a two year research project, headed by Sophie Gibb and E.J. Lowe, which has just come to a close; Un-Cartesian Linguistics was a project running 2009-2012 headed by Wolfram Hinzen, involving many of the postgraduates in the department working on the philosophy of language; Sastravid is a new project run by Jan Westerhoff which is a four-year research project into key Indian philosophical texts.

The Metaphysics Reading Group meets weekly on a Friday afternoon.

Durham Cathedral at dusk

The following are members of the Mind, Language and Metaphysics research group:

Staff

Dr. Sophie Gibb (Co-ordinator) - Mental causation, categories of being, causation and laws.

Dr. Robin Hendry - Metaphysics and semantics of science (especially chemistry)

Prof. Wolfram Hinzen - Syntax and semantics, Kant, Chomsky.

Prof. E J Lowe - Locke, contemporary metaphysics, metaphysics of logic and language, mind and action.

Dr. Jan Westerhoff - Metaphysics of language, Indo-Tibetan philosophy, history of philosophy (16th - 17th Century).

Dr Peter Vickers - Metaphysics of science, eliminativism

Students

Mr. Stefano Catelan - Metaphysics of time, history of science and philosophy of physics.

Mr. Alex Carruth - Ontology, C.B. Martin, Buddhist philosophy.

Ms. Arlette Frederik - Heidegger and correspondence theories of truth, A.I.

Mr. Mihretu Guta - Personal identity

Mr. Daniel Kinninmont - Metaphysics/political philosophy

Mr. David Kirkby - Cognitive science, syntax and semantics.

Mr. Alex Malt - Phenomenology, language and semantics.

Mr. Thomas Hughes - Syntax and semantics, phenomenology, philosophy of science, logic, theoretical biology, eastern philosophy.

Mr. James Miller - Linguistics, philosophy of mind, cognitive science, philosophy of science, logic and philosophy of religion.

Mr. Ulrich Reichard - Philosophy and metaphysics of language and linguistics.

Mr. John Henry Taylor - Philosophy of mind, metaphysics, cognitive science

Mr. David Westland - Categories of being, causation and laws, space and time.

Mr. Andrew Woodard - Philosophy of language and linguistics.

Ms. Pallavi Worah - Philosophy of language and mind.