Podcast appearances and mentions of Austin B Fletcher

Wilfrid Sellars described the task of philosophy as explaining how things, in the broadest sense of term, hang together, in the broadest sense of the term. (Substitute “exploring” for “explaining” and you’d have a good mission statement for the Mindscape podcast.) Few modern thinkers have pursued this goal more energetically, creatively, and entertainingly than Daniel Dennett. One of the most respected philosophers of our time, Dennett’s work has ranged over topics such as consciousness, artificial intelligence, metaphysics, free will, evolutionary biology, epistemology, and naturalism, always with an eye on our best scientific understanding of the phenomenon in question. His thinking in these areas is exceptionally lucid, and he has the rare ability to express his ideas in ways that non-specialists can find accessible and compelling. We talked about all of them, in a wide-ranging and wonderfully enjoyable conversation.Support Mindscape on Patreon.Daniel Dennett received his D.Phil. in philosophy from Oxford University. He is currently Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy and co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University. He is known for a number of philosophical concepts and coinages, including the intentional stance, the Cartesian theater, and the multiple-drafts model of consciousness. Among his honors are the Erasmus Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the American Humanist Association’s Humanist of the Year award. He is the author of a number of books that are simultaneously scholarly and popular, including Consciousness Explained, Darwin’s Dangerous Idea, and most recently Bacteria to Bach and Back.Web siteBibliographyGoogle Scholar pageAmazon author pageWikipediaTalk on The Illusion of ConsciousnessCenter for Cognitive StudiesThe Clergy ProjectTwitter

My "Future of Faith" series continues with a conversation with Daniel Dennett. He is the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University. He along with Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the late Christopher Hitchens are seen as prominent voices for The New Atheism. He is the author Breaking the Spell: Religion As A Natural Phenomenon. Dennett and colleague, Linda LaScola, published an article that has received a great deal of attention, Preachers Who Are Not Believers. He was awarded the 2012 Erasmus Prize for his work in communicating science to the public and has appeared on numerous television and radio programs including TED (Responding to Rick Warren, Dangerous Memes, The Illusion of Consciousness, and Cute, Sexy, Sweet, Funny). He joined me on Religion For Life to discuss possible futures for religion. This is part two of a two-part conversation.

My "Future of Faith" series continues with a conversation with Daniel Dennett.  He is the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University.   He along with Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the late Christopher Hitchens are seen as prominent voices for The New Atheism.   He is the author Breaking the Spell:  Religion As A Natural Phenomenon.  Dennett and colleague, Linda LaScola, published an article that has received a great deal of attention, Preachers Who Are Not Believers.    He was awarded the 2012 Erasmus Prize for his work in communicating science to the public and has appeared on numerous television and radio programs including TED (Responding to Rick Warren, Dangerous Memes, The Illusion of Consciousness, and Cute, Sexy, Sweet, Funny).   He joined me on Religion For Life to discuss possible futures for religion.   This is part one of a two-part conversation.

Lin’s appearance at the School of Engineering was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Stephanie Forrest, chair, UNM Department of Computer Science. In addition to Lin, panelists are: Andrew Ross, director, UNM Center for Science, Technology and Policy and professor, UNM Department of Political Science Daniel Dennett, Austin B. Fletcher professor of philosophy, Tufts University and Miller scholar, Santa Fe Institute David Ackley, associate professor, UNM Department of Computer Science and external professor, Santa Fe Institute Robert Hutchison, senior manager for computer science and information operations, Sandia National Laboratories

Herbert Lin is chief scientist for the National Research Council’s Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, where he directs major study projects at the intersection of public policy and information technology. In this lecture he talks about cyberattack and the technical and ethical implications of using it as an instrument of U.S. policy. Lin’s appearance at the School of Engineering was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Stephanie Forrest, chair, UNM Department of Computer Science. In addition to Lin, panelists are: Andrew Ross, director, UNM Center for Science, Technology and Policy and professor, UNM Department of Political Science Daniel Dennett, Austin B. Fletcher professor of philosophy, Tufts University and Miller scholar, Santa Fe Institute David Ackley, associate professor, UNM Department of Computer Science and external professor, Santa Fe Institute Robert Hutchison, senior manager for computer science and information operations, Sandia National Laboratories

Feb. 17: Darwin's Strange Inversion of Reasoning Daniel Dennett is the Austin B. Fletcher professor of philosophy at Tufts University. Before Charles Darwin wrote "Origin of the Species," people assumed that living organisms were built according to a pre-existing plan. When Darwin showed that species change because they inherit traits that ensure their better chances at survival, critics lashed out at Darwin for his "strange inversion of reasoning." Dennett argues that evolution can explain some of the content-producing features of consciousness, that researchers can observe and understand Darwin's reasoning in terms of "trillions of tiny robotic agencies called cells, that know nothing of the role they are playing, yet work together to compose the human minds that are able to discover this very fact."