Samuel Todes
Encyclopedia
Samuel Todes was an American
philosopher who made notable contributions to existentialism
, phenomenology, and philosophy of mind
. He was Associate Professor of Philosophy at Northwestern University
at the time of his death in 1994. His Harvard University
doctoral dissertation, The Human Body as Material Subject of the World, written in 1963, was published in 2001 as Body and World (MIT Press).
According to philosopher Piotr Hoffman, "Had [Todes' dissertation] been published at the time it was written, it would have been recognized as one of the most valuable contributions to philosophy in the postwar period and as the most significant contribution to the field of existential phenomenology
since the work of Merleau-Ponty."
Body and World also makes a notable contribution to contemporary interdisciplinary research in the field of embodied cognitive science
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
philosopher who made notable contributions to existentialism
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
, phenomenology, and philosophy of mind
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 Associate Professor of Philosophy at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
at the time of his death in 1994. His Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
doctoral dissertation, The Human Body as Material Subject of the World, written in 1963, was published in 2001 as Body and World (MIT Press).
According to philosopher Piotr Hoffman, "Had [Todes' dissertation] been published at the time it was written, it would have been recognized as one of the most valuable contributions to philosophy in the postwar period and as the most significant contribution to the field of existential phenomenology
Existential phenomenology
Existential phenomenology is a philosophical current inspired by Martin Heidegger's 1927 work Sein und Zeit and influenced by the existential work of Søren Kierkegaard and the phenomenological work of Edmund Husserl....
since the work of Merleau-Ponty."
Body and World also makes a notable contribution to contemporary interdisciplinary research in the field of embodied cognitive science
Embodied cognitive science
Embodied Cognitive Science is an interdisciplinary field of research, the aim of which is to explain the mechanisms underlying intelligent behavior...
.