Philosophy Postgraduates
Wilson Cooper
wilson.cooper@scmp.mq.edu.au
(02) 9850 6770
Office: W6A 730
Degree: PhD
Thesis topic: Mental Causation
Supervisor: Prof Peter Menzies
Associate Supervisor: Prof John Sutton
Research Interests
My research interests are predominantly centred on issues in the Philosophy of Mind and Metaphysics of Mind. One of the major themes of my work is reconciling the notion of mental causation within physicalist ontology.
Traditionally, the source of mental causes has been situated outside the physical realm, and this has led to a dilemma about how non-physical mental causes can be accounted for while respecting scientific principles that place ontological priority on the physical.
In many ways, modern science can be seen to hold an authoritative position in providing answers to questions relating to the constitution of reality. Such a reverence for science and its assumption of a monastic physical universe has led to the claim that if minds cause, then they are physical entities explainable in terms of lawlike regularity. Such a commitment, however, can be seen to rob human mentality of the intuitive autonomy it displays with regard to physical laws that the fundamental sciences develop to explain causal processes. As such, the deference for science seems to wain somewhat when dealing with our mental lives thereby placing pressure back on science’s ontological commitment to physicalism.
Many philosophers have grappled with this problem, but to date, I don’t believe there has been a doctrine that adequately explains the connection between our intuitive understanding of mental causal autonomy and the assumption that the universe is a fundamentally law abiding physical causal nexus.
Such a tension gives much scope for research into the coherence of each doctrine as well as an abundance of issues contained within the debate.
I graduated from Macquarie University with a BA with honours in philosophy in 2002 and a MA with honours in philosophy in 2007.
Other interests include art, music, and surfing.
Publications and Conferences
- ‘A Vicious Intention of Collective Human Agency’ in Cogito (2008)
- ‘Is downward Causation Compatible with Physicalism?’ Australasian Postgraduate Conference (2008)
Teaching
Tutor of:
- PHIL131 Mind, Meaning, and Metaphysics
- PHIL132 Philosophy, Morality, and Society
- PHIL137 Critical Thinking