Daniel Dennett
American philosopher and cognitive scientist (1942–2024); philosophy of mind and evolution, at Tufts for five decades.
At a glance
Main ideas
Multiple drafts, Consciousness as user illusion, Evolution as an algorithm …
See all 5Books to start with
The Mind's I, The Intentional Stance, Consciousness Explained …
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Douglas Hofstadter, Richard Dawkins and 3 others
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Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Dennett was an American philosopher and cognitive scientist.
- His work centred on philosophy of mind, science and biology, as they relate to evolution and cognitive science.
- He taught at Tufts University for five decades and co-directed its Center for Cognitive Studies.
- He argued that consciousness is entirely the result of physical processes in the brain.
- A vocal atheist, he was called one of the "Four Horsemen" of New Atheism.
Why it matters
- He has been described as one of the most widely read and debated American philosophers; his books on consciousness, evolution, free will and religion reached far beyond philosophy.
Key facts
- Born
- 28 Mar 1942, Boston, Massachusetts1
- Died
- 19 Apr 2024, Maine Medical Center, of interstitial lung disease, aged 821
- Education
- BA in philosophy, Harvard (1963), a student of W. V. O. Quine; DPhil in philosophy, Oxford (1965), under Gilbert Ryle1
- Career
- Taught at the University of California, Irvine from 1965 to 1971, then at Tufts University; Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy; retired emeritus in 20221
- Recognition
- Humanist of the Year 2004 (American Humanist Association); Erasmus Prize 20121
- Co-founded
- The Clergy Project1
Main ideas
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Multiple drafts1
Streams of information processing compete in the brain; the self is a "center of narrative gravity".
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Consciousness as user illusion1
Phenomenal consciousness hides the brain's complexity from itself; he argued the concept of qualia is too confused to use.
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Evolution as an algorithm2
Natural selection is a mindless, algorithmic process that can produce design without a designer.
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Free will is compatible1
A compatibilist, he argued free will fits a naturalist view of the world (Freedom Evolves).
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Religion as a natural phenomenon1
Religious belief can be explained naturalistically, with possible evolutionary reasons.
Books to start with
The line under a date fills as it gets older: empty when new, full at 2 years.
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The Mind's I1
Edited and written with Douglas Hofstadter.
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The Intentional Stance1
His essays on mental content.
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Consciousness Explained1
A materialist theory of consciousness and the multiple drafts model.
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What follows from design without a designer.
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Freedom Evolves1
How free will fits a naturalist view of the world.
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Breaking the Spell1
Religion as a natural phenomenon.
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From Bacteria to Bach and Back1
The evolution of minds, and memes as building blocks of understanding.
Connections
Related
- Douglas HofstadterPersonCo-edited The Mind's I (1981)
- Richard DawkinsPersonShared his adaptationist view of evolution; both named among the "Four Horsemen" of New Atheism
- Stephen Jay GouldPersonLong dispute over adaptationism; Gould called his view "Darwinian fundamentalism"
- The Blank SlateBookPraised it as "strikingly subversive" of misinformation
Links
Sources
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