The Philosophy of Daniel Dennett

Daniel C. Dennett began publishing innovative philosophical research in the late 1960s, and he has continued to do so for the past 45 years. He has addressed questions about the nature of mind and consciousness, the possibility of freedom, and the significance of evolution to addressing questions across the cognitive, biological, and social sciences. The Philosophy of Daniel Dennett explores the intellectual significance of this research project, bringing together the insights of eleven researchers who are currently working on themes that are relevant to Dennett's philosophical worldview. Some of the contributions address interpretive issues within Dennett's corpus, and aim to bring increased clarity to Dennett's project. Others report novel empirical data, at least in part, in the service of fleshing out Dennett's claims. Some of them provide a fresh take on a Dennettian theme, and others extend his views in novel directions. Like Dennett's own work, these papers draw on a wide range of different methodologies, from appeals to intuition pumps and scientific data, to turning the knobs on a theory to see what it can do. But each of them aims to be readable, and approachable. And as a whole, the volume provides a critical and constructive overview of Dennett's stance-based methodology, as well as explorations of his claims about metal representation, consciousness, cultural evolution, and religion.

Bryce Huebner is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University. His previous books include, Macrocognition (2013).

Introduction: Dennettian themes will not go away Bryce Huebner

Part I: Person-level and subpersonal explanations

1.1 Embodied stances: Realism without literalism Rebecca Kukla
1.2 Reflections on Rebecca Kukla Daniel C. Dennett

2.1 The many roles of the intentional stance Tadeusz Zawidzki
2.2 Reflections on Tadeusz Zawidzki Daniel C. Dennett

3.1 Memory and the intentional stance Felipe De Brigard
3.2 Reflections on Felipe De Brigard Daniel C. Dennett

4.1 Representations and rules in language Ray Jackendoff
4.2 Reflections on Ray Jackendoff Daniel C. Dennett


Part II: Conscious experience

5.1 Seeming to Seem David Rosenthal
5.2 Reflections on David Rosenthal Daniel C. Dennett

6.1 Is consciousness a trick or a treat? Jesse Prinz
6.2 Reflections on Jesse Prinz Daniel C. Dennett

7.1 Strange Inversions: Prediction and the Explanation of Conscious Experience Andy Clark
7.2 Reflections on Andy Clark Daniel C. Dennett

Part III: Evolution, Sociality, and agency

8.1 Towers and trees in cognitive evolution Peter Godfrey-Smith
8.2 Reflections on Peter Godfrey-Smith Daniel C. Dennett

9.1 Mother Culture, meet Mother Nature Luc Faucher & Pierre Poirier
9.2 Reflections on Luc Faucher & Pierre Poirier Daniel C. Dennett

10.1 Planning and prefigurative politics: The nature of freedom and the possibility of control Bryce Huebner
10.2 Reflections on Bryce Huebner Daniel C. Dennett

11.1 Dennett on Breaking the spell Lynne Rudder Baker
11.2 Reflections on Lynne Rudder Baker Daniel C. Dennett