Human Nature and Cognition

This area is led by Dr Mark Cain. Researchers in this area adopt a variety of perspectives to examine the nature, origins and acquisition of a range of phenomena that have traditionally been conceived as central to what makes humans distinctively human. This involves considering: the ability to deploy concepts to represent the world; the ability to use language to communicate thought; the adoption of a realist stance with respect to the external world, other minds and ethics; the adoption of religious beliefs to help deal with a hostile world; the ability to act on the basis of reasons and explain human action in terms of reasons.

Particular research interests of the group’s participants include: Philosophy of Language, Cognitive Science, Evolutionary Biology, Philosophy of Religion, Psychoanalytic Theory, and Cultural and Critical Theory. The Human Nature and Cognition Seminar provides an interdisciplinary environment for the exploration of the concept of human nature.

Staff researching in this area are:
Stephen Boulter
Bev Clack
Guida de Abreu
Perry Hinton
John O’Regan
Constantine Sandis
Tom Tyler