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Early life
Daniel Dennett was born on March 28, 1942, in Boston, Massachusetts, Dennett spent part of his childhood in Lebanon. When he was five, his family moved back to Massachusetts after his father died in a mysterious plane crash. He was first introduced to the notion of philosophy at the age of 11 while attending a summer camp. Ever since his love philosophy grew and he decided to pursue his education in it. -
Education
Dennett received his degree in Bachelors of Arts in philosophy from the University of Harvard in 1963. As soon as he graduated, Dennett was admitted to the University of Oxford, where he studies under Gilbert Ryle. In 1965, when Dennett received his Ph.D. in Philosophy He accepted a teaching position at UC Irvine, where he taught for the next six years later in 1971, Dennett was offered a professorship at the University of Tufts, where he continues to serve till date. -
Daniel Dennett first book
In 1978 Dennett published his first book titled “Brainstorms: Philosophical Essays on Mind and Psychology” In his book, he talks about his theories of artificial intelligence, consciousness, theory of mind, and free will. The main discussion of the book was whether psychology can support a vision of humans as moral agents, free to choose what they do and responsible for their actions. -
Dennett first book cont.
I this book He stated, "Those considerations that are selected by the agent as having a more than negligible bearing on the decision then figure in a reasoning process, and if the agent is in the main reasonable, those considerations ultimately serve as predictors and explicators of the agent's final decision."(Daniel Dennett, 1978) here he discusses his views on free will -
Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennett
Darwin’s Dangerous Idea was Dennetts greatest work yet this book was loved worldwide and widely discussed, it was nominated for the 1995 National Book Award in non-fiction. It was also awarded the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction. the central idea of his work was whether or not darwins ideas are overturned there is no going back from the dangerous idea that darwin designed he goes on by saying-CONT -
Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennett CONT.
"To put it bluntly but fairly, anyone today who doubts that the variety of life on this planet was produced by a process of evolution is simply ignorant"(Daniel Dennett, 1995) Dennett is explaining how there is no going back from the dangerous idea that darwin designed even if his Theory is overturned -
Humanist of the Year
"The Humanist of the Year award was established in 1953 to recognize a person of national or international reputation who, through the application of humanist values, has made a significant contribution to the improvement of the human condition." (American Humanist Association,2022)The American Humanist Association named him Humanist of the Year. He even received a Humanist Laureate of the International Academy of Humanism -
Freedom From Religion Foundation
Dennett was enlisted in the Freedom From Religion Foundation's Honorary Board of distinguished achievers. -
Erasmus Prize
Dennett also received the Erasmus Prize the Erasmus Prize is an annual award for a person who has made an exceptional contribution to culture, society, or social science. His contributions in translating the cultural significance of science and technology to a wide range of audiences helped him achieve this award -
Youtube video
I think this is a great video because he explains the reasoning behind his ideas. “Dangerous Ideas.” YouTube, 1 Sept. 2020, https://youtu.be/v9dZeJ3owGg. Accessed 6 Feb. 2022. -
Citations
Dennett, Daniel Clement. “Chapter 15/On Giving Libertarians What They Say They Want.” Brainstorms: Philosophical Essays on Mind and Psychology, The Harvester Press, 1985.
Dennett, Daniel C. Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life. Penguin, 1995.
“Annual Humanist Awardees.” American Humanist Association, 4 Feb. 2022, https://americanhumanist.org/awardees/. -
Conclusion
Daniel Dennett was the most well-known figure in the philosophy of mind. He was an influential philosopher that has published a great deal of work, influenced many people, and generated interesting new discussions. Though his work was very controversial he kept everyone's mind thinking Bennette is an established philosopher with much influence He is the top most-cited philosopher for articles on contemporary philosophy in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy