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Daniel Dennett (March 28, 1942 - April 19, 2024)
Daniel Dennett is born in Boston, Massachusetts. -
Oxford Doctoral Dissertation (1965)
In 1965, Dennett received his PhD at the University of Oxford. The title of the dissertation was The Mind and the Brain: Introspective Description in the Light of Neurological Findings; Intentionality. This was sparked by Dennett's profound interest in human conciousness, a theme that will persist throughout his lifetime.
Dennett, D. The Mind and the Brain: Introspective Description in the Light of Neurological Findings: Intentionality. University of Oxford, 1965. -
Content and Consciousness (1969)
Published originally in 1969 along with Gilbert Ryle, one of the most controversial of Dennett's works, Content and Consciousness, attempted to address the mind-body problem. This is defined by the way that the mind and the physical body interact with one another. In this, he sheds light on where pre-theoretical psychology's place is in describing how human minds work. -
Evolution - Freedom Evolves (2003)
In Dennett's 2003 book, Freedom Evolves, another very controversial topic was addressed in which he brings the theory of Evolution to the forefront. This is the topic that that this book is centered around and speaks on Dennett's stance on various issues in an around evolution such as free will, as well as altruism. He also coins a term 'evitability' as the ability of an agent to anticipate and avoid likely undesired consequences.
Dennett, D. C. Freedom Evolves. Penguin, 2003. -
From Bacteria to Bach and Back (2017)
A major topic that is seeing increased relevance in today's society is Artificial Intelligence. In Dennett's 2017 book, From Bacteria to Bach and Back, he posits that although AI is able to be created in the image of humans with similar characteristics of agency and comprehension, the challenges presented by the creation of a superintelligent agent is at least 50 years out and is less important than other problems that humans face. -
Death (April 19, 2024)
Daniel Dennett dies at the age of 82 in Portland, Maine