Dr Derek Brown
- Senior Lecturer (Philosophy)
Overview
Biography
I moved to the University of Glasgow in April 2017 from Brandon University in Canada.
Current positions at University of Glasgow:
- Deputy Director of The Centre for the Student of Perceptual Experience
- Director of Postgraduate Studies (Taught) Philosophy
- Convenor of MSc in Philosophy of Mind and Psychology (Founder of programme)
Current positions outwith University of Glasgow:
- Scots Philosophical Association, Secretary
- British Philsophical Association, Member of Executive Committee
- Philosophical Quarterly, Member of Executive Committee
Past visiting appointments:
- Visiting Fellow, University of Cambridge (2016)
- Visiting Professor, University of Pittsburgh (2012)
- Visiting Researcher, University of Glasgow (2012)
Evaluation of Research Proposals for:
- Cambridge University
- Polish National Science Center
- Irish Research Council
Evaluation of Tenure and Promotion Applications: University of Pittsburgh
Evaluation of PhD dissertation: University of Milan
Visit: The Illusions Index
Research interests
I work primarily in philosophy of perception and philosophy of mind more broadly. I work in an interdisciplinary manner spanning philosophy, psychology and neuroscience and have sucessfully collaborated with artists and musicians on various aspects of perceptions.
Topics I work on include:
- The distinction betweeen perceptual directness and indirectness
- The metaphysics and epistemology of colour: esp. colour constancy and colour ontology
- The nature of perceptual experience: phenomenology, qualia, sensation
- Perceptual intentionality: esp. acquaintance, representation and the relations between them
- Imagination: esp. sensory imaginings, relationship between imagination and perception
- Sense-datum theory
Grants
- June 2019 Scots Philosophical Association grant for Unity of Perception workshop (£1500)
- June 2018 Scots Philosophical Association grant for Depiction, Pictorial Experience and Vision Science workshop (£1500)
- Mar. 2018 British Society of Aesthetics Conference grant for Depiction, Pictorial Experience and Vision Science (£5000)
- Nov. 2017 Mind Association Conference grant for Depiction, Pictorial Experience, and Vision Science workshop (£1500)
- June 2017 Scots Philosophical Association grant for Particularity of Perception workshop (£1500)
- June 2016 Special Research Grant from Associate Vice-President Research at BU for You Can’t See Through White ($3,000)
- Sept. 2015 Templeton Foundation grant, via New Directions in the Study of Mind Project at Cambridge University, for Colour primitivism and non-reductive minds (£14,000)
- Jan. 2015 Brandon University Research Committee (BURC) grant for collaborative artistic project You Can’t See Through White with Ben Davis (visual artist) and Eric Platz (percussionist) ($4,000)
- Nov. 2014 Special Research Grant from Vice-President Academic at BU for You Can’t See Through White pilot ($3,500)
- Mar. 2012 Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) International Exchange Programme Grant to be Visiting Scholar at University of Glasgow Centre for the Study of Perceptual Experience, Philosophy Department, Sept.-Dec. 2012 (£3,000)
- Apr. 2010 Awarded 2-year BURC research grant ($4,000)
- Apr. 2009 Awarded special research grant from VP Academic at Brandon University. ($3,000)
- Oct. 2007 BURC travel grant ($500)
- Oct. 2005 University of Minnesota research grant ($1,000)
- Oct. 2005 University of Minnesota teaching enhancement grant ($750).
- Apr. 2003 Ontario Graduate Scholarship ($16,000).
- 2000 - 2003 Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada Ph.D. grant – 3 years funding ($48,000).
Supervision
I am happy to supervise Masters and PhD students and take on postdocs in philosophy of mind, perception, psychology, colour and related areas. I also welcome applications from students studying elsewhere who would like to spend time as a visiting research student working with me and/or at the Centre for the Study of Perceptual Experience. Please see the philosophy postgraduate webpages for details of postgraduate degrees that we offer and funding or for how to apply to be a visiting student.
Potential supervisory topics
- Colour (and other sensory qualities): metaphysics and epistemology of colour, colour phenomena, error in colour experience
- Theories of perception: representationalism, naive realism, sense-datum theory, Bayesianism, predictive coding
- Perception involving virtual or augmented reality: metaphysics, epistemology, experience or consciousness
- Imagination: sensory imagination, the relation between imagination and perception
- Perceptual experience: phenomenology, qualia, sensations
- Perceptual directedness: perceptual acquaintance, representation in perception, indirect perception
- Relation between cognition and perception
I am happy to discuss possible projects or to suggest specific ones that are ripe for a contemporary philosophical treatment. Please don't hesitate to write with queries.
Current Graduate students
- Broadrick, Steven
What can the predictive brain hypothesis usefully tell us about colour perception? - Ros Morales, Raúl
THE NATURE OF VISUAL HALLUCINATION
Past Supervisions
- 2018-2019 Sean Carrothers, MPhil, "Is Pain Necessarily Unpleasant?"
Teaching
Regular teaching
- MSc Philosophy of Mind A or B - 6 x 2hr lectures
- SH10 Philosophy of Perception (4th year undergraduate) - 16 lectures
- JH7 Philosophy of Mind (3rd year undergraduate) - 8 lectures
- Philosophy of Science Module in 2B (2nd year undergraduate) - 6 lectures