Daniel Dennett

By Matthew Deaton

  • Daniel Clement Dennett III

    Birth

  • Harvard University

    Earned a B.A. in Philosophy

  • Multiple Draft Models (MDM)

    Thompson states that this method is "under continuous 'editorial revision'" (p. 47), essentially Dennett's theory is that there are multiple facets of consciousness, in this regard the "recognizers" will continuously be feeding information to your consciousness as part of a system of "judgments" (Thompson p 47), not unconscious raw data, but rather pre-determined by what we know to be true.

  • Content and Consciousness

    First published book

  • University Professor

    Moves to Tufts University in Medford, MA. He later would be appointed director of the Center for Cognitive Studies with the University.

  • Consciousness Explained

    Daniel C. Dennett is an American Philosopher most known for his published book Consciousness Explained. In which he argues against the Cartesian Theory. According to Thompson, who wrote a book to translate Dennett's theory, Cartesian theory is "To be conscious, according to this story, is for the conscious subject to have some real mental entity present before it, a representation or image of an object in the world or, in the empiricist version, a sense datum, a “quale.”

  • Heterophenomonological Method

    Daniel Dennett's direct argument against the Cartesian theory which Thompson defines as "The aim of Dennett’s heterophenomenological method is to provide replicable, third-person, empirical data about consciousness, data based on objective observation." (p. 14). Dennett describes one's self-description of consciousness as autophenomonology. (Thompson p. 14)

  • Dangerous Ideas

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9dZeJ3owGg

  • What is Consciousness?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K26fo6QRc_k

  • Noteable Works

    While Dennett eventually involved himself in many different scientific avenues including Neuroscience as well as Robotics, he is most notably an author of many well-known books such as:
    Dennett, D. C. Content and Consciousness. Routledge, 2016.
    Daniel Clement Dennett, and Mit Press. The Intentional Stance. The Mit Press, [Post, 2006.
    Dennett, Daniel C. Darwin’s Dangerous Idea Evolution and the Meaning of Life. Paw Prints, 2010.

  • Works Cited

    Thompson, David L.. Daniel Dennett, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2009. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/apus/detail.action?docID=601976.
    Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Daniel C. Dennett". Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Mar. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Daniel-C-Dennett. Accessed 5 February 2022.