Profile
Dr Tom Roberts
Senior Lecturer (Philosophy)
3366
01392 723366
Amory 323
My interests lie at the intersection of Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science, with particular reference to embodied, embedded, and extended cognition and perception. This paradigm treats an organism's thoughts and experiences as being essentially informed and determined by her location in, and interaction with, a physical and cultural environment. More radically, the approach motivates the view that the mind is not simply housed within the head, but may spread across brain, body, and world.
Research group links
Research interests
I am currently pursuing two related research themes. The first is an examination of ecological theories of perception - an approach that emphasises perceivers' embodied skills and sensorimotor knowledge - with special reference to non-visual sensory modalities. The second concerns the implications of the Extended Mind Hypothesis for epistemology, and for our mental-state concepts. Both projects continue my research interests in traditional questions in analytic philosophy of mind, considered from a naturalistic and empirically-informed perspective.
Modules taught
- PHL1002A - Knowledge and Reality 1
- PHL1006 - Introduction to Philosophical Analysis
- PHL2010A - Philosophy of Mind 1
Biography
I joined Exeter's Department of Sociology and Philosophy in September 2010. Before this, I was a teaching fellow in philosophy of mind and cognitive science at the University of Edinburgh, which is also where I received an Honours degree in Philosophy; an MSc in Cognitive Science & Natural Language; and a PhD ("Action and Experience", in late 2007). Yes; it is warmer down here.