History and Philosophy of Science

Holly K. Andersen

In my dissertation, I examine the role that background causal assumptions play in the incorporation of scientific results into philosophical views of conscious agency, and how a careful application of methods of causal analysis justifies the view that there are substantive causal contributions by conscious awareness to human agency. I illustrate how contemporary philosophical positions that incorporate cognitive scientific experiments to purportedly demonstrate the causal inefficacy of conscious agency actual rely on intuitions about the metaphysics of causation, or what is allowed to count as being genuinely causal; the scientific results themselves do not demonstrate any such thing, unless they are conjoined with these intuitions.

I offer a metaphysically deflationary but empirically enriched view of conscious human agency: using basic interventionist causal analysis and an array of experimental results, I demonstrate how consciously held goals or intentions, conscious perceptual awareness relevant to an action, and conscious execution of action are distinct substantive causal factors in conscious agency. Defending this view involves a detailed look at causation in complex, multi-level systems, and I develop a version of downwards causation in such systems that undermines intuitions about the causal inertness of higher level entities or processes, and provides general grounds for accepting the position that conscious awareness is causally efficacious in action.

Education

• Mellon Pre-doctoral Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh (September 2006-August 2007)
• Arts and Sciences Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh (September 2002-April 2003)
• Lakatos Prize for best thesis on a philosophical subject, London School of Economics (2001)
• Distinction on each of three examination subjects, London School of Economics (2001)
• Presidential Scholarship (full tuition), University Honors College, Montana State University (1995-1999)

Publications

• "Contemporary Human Automatism." Talk at biennial meeting of International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology, Exeter, UK (July 25-29, 2007)
• "The Reification of 'Volition': A Rylean interpretation of the significance of Libet's experiment." Poster presentation at annual meeting of Society for Philosophy and Psychology, York University, Toronto (June 14-17, 2007)
• "Two Causal Mistakes in Wegner's Illusion of Conscious Will." Talk at biennial meeting of Philosophy of Science Association, Vancouver, British Columbia (November 2-5, 2006)
• "De-pathologizing Bipolar Disorder." Talk at 'Beyond Dichotomies, Across the Boundaries' interdisciplinary conference, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (April 14-17, 2005)
• Commentary on Josh Stuchlik, University of Pittsburgh/CMU Graduate Student Conference in Philosophy (April 2005)
• "Two Varieties of Reduction." Talk at graduate student conference, University of California, San Diego (April 11-13, 2003)

Professional service

Independent Teaching
Problem Solving, Fall 2007. This quantitative reasoning course for lower level undergraduates looks at the methods scientists use in their work, including statistics and probability.
Causal Reasoning, Spring 2007. This course utilizes the online module-based course developed by Carnegie Mellon University (http://www.cmu.edu/oli/courses/enter_causal.html).
Morality and Medicine, Spring 2006. This is a discussion-oriented biomedical ethics course for mid- to upper-level undergraduates.
Principles of Scientific Reasoning, Spring 2005. This quantitative reasoning course for lower level undergraduates investigates formal and informal reasoning, common fallacies, and application of basic quantitative methods to everyday reasoning situations.
Magic, Medicine, and Science, Fall 2004, Summer 2004. This introductory history course covers important episodes in the development of what will become science, from Plato through Newton, emphasizing continuity and changes in key ideas.

Teaching Assistant
Morality and Medicine, Fall 2005, for Karin Boxer.
Magic, Medicine, and Science, Spring 2004, for J.E. McGuire.
Thinking About the Environment, Fall 2003, for John Earman.

Other work experience