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Michael Tye (philosopher)
Encyclopedia
Michael Tye is a philosopher at the University of Texas at Austin who has made significant contributions to the philosophy of mind
. He was educated at Oxford University in England, studying first physics and then physics and philosophy. Before moving to Texas, Tye taught at Temple University
in Philadelphia. He was also a visiting professor at King’s College, London for some ten consecutive years while at Temple and briefly took up a chair at the University of St. Andrews. Besides philosophy of mind, Tye has interests in cognitive science
, metaphysics
, and philosophical logic
, especially problems relating to vagueness
.
Tye's third book, Ten Problems of Consciousness (1995), was an alternate selection of the Library of Science Book Club. Along with Fred Dretske
, Tye defends the representationalist view of consciousness.
Tye is also the author of numerous articles, some of which can be found on his University of Texas webpage.
Philosophy of mind
Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain. The mind-body problem, i.e...
. He was educated at Oxford University in England, studying first physics and then physics and philosophy. Before moving to Texas, Tye taught at Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
in Philadelphia. He was also a visiting professor at King’s College, London for some ten consecutive years while at Temple and briefly took up a chair at the University of St. Andrews. Besides philosophy of mind, Tye has interests in cognitive science
Cognitive science
Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary scientific study of mind and its processes. It examines what cognition is, what it does and how it works. It includes research on how information is processed , represented, and transformed in behaviour, nervous system or machine...
, metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
, and philosophical logic
Philosophical logic
Philosophical logic is a term introduced by Bertrand Russell to represent his idea that the workings of natural language and thought can only be adequately represented by an artificial language; essentially it was his formalization program for the natural language...
, especially problems relating to vagueness
Vagueness
The term vagueness denotes a property of concepts . A concept is vague:* if the concept's extension is unclear;* if there are objects which one cannot say with certainty whether belong to a group of objects which are identified with this concept or which exhibit characteristics that have this...
.
Tye's third book, Ten Problems of Consciousness (1995), was an alternate selection of the Library of Science Book Club. Along with Fred Dretske
Fred Dretske
Frederick Irwin Dretske is a philosopher noted for his contributions to epistemology and the philosophy of mind. His more recent work centers on conscious experience and self-knowledge. Additionally, he was awarded the Jean Nicod Prize in 1994...
, Tye defends the representationalist view of consciousness.
Works
- The Metaphysics of Mind (1989)
- The Imagery Debate (1991)
- Ten Problems of Consciousness (1995)
- Consciousness, Color, and Content (2000)
- Consciousness and Persons (2003)
- Consciousness Revisited: Materialism without Phenomenal Concepts (2009)
Tye is also the author of numerous articles, some of which can be found on his University of Texas webpage.
See also
- ConsciousnessConsciousnessConsciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
- Direct realism
- Fred DretskeFred DretskeFrederick Irwin Dretske is a philosopher noted for his contributions to epistemology and the philosophy of mind. His more recent work centers on conscious experience and self-knowledge. Additionally, he was awarded the Jean Nicod Prize in 1994...
- Mind-body dichotomyMind-body dichotomyThe mind-body problem is a philosophical problem arising in the fields of metaphysics and philosophy of mind. The problem arises because mental phenomena appear to be qualitatively and substantially different from the physical bodies on which they appear to depend. There are a few major theories on...
- Philosophy of mindPhilosophy of mindPhilosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain. The mind-body problem, i.e...
- QualiaQualiaQualia , singular "quale" , from a Latin word meaning for "what sort" or "what kind," is a term used in philosophy to refer to subjective conscious experiences as 'raw feels'. Examples of qualia are the pain of a headache, the taste of wine, the experience of taking a recreational drug, or the...
External links
- Michael Tye's Page at the University of Texas (includes articles for download).
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Qualia
- Interview for Mind and Consciousness https://webspace.utexas.edu/tyem/www/
- A review of Consciousness, Colour, and Content by Bill Brewer of Oxford University.