assistant professor of philosophy, Nazarbayev University- PhD, Syracuse University, 2015
- areas of specialty: philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, philosophy of biology
I investigate issues pertaining to mind, life, language, agency, and technology, in order to explain how a fundamentally non-rational world can give rise to the rational features of human existence, features such as acting on reasons, striving to attain goals, or desiring to know the truth.
Aside from rational human behavior, we often encounter purpose-like phenomena in the non-rational realms of biologically evolved adaptations and of societally evolved conventions. Among the latter, a particularly important case are linguistic conventions. I research the nature of such purpose-like phenomena—in particular, the nature of biological and technological functions, and the meanings of words and representations.
Although at the bottom of reality, as I see it, lies purposeless matter, our lives revolve around knowledge, intentions, means, and purposes. If the fundamental impulse behind my work is right, then these two sides of reality are never separated by chasms that we cannot bridge.
mihnea capraru 