- Department
- Department of Philosophy
- Email Address
- cbrown@trinity.edu
I have always been interested in philosophy, although I didn't immediately realize this. As an undergraduate at St. Olaf College, I first thought that I would major in English, but found that my interest in literary interpretation led me to aesthetics and the philosophy of language.
Later I planned to major in sociology, but my interest in sociological theory and methodology led me to the philosophy of science. Eventually I ended up where I belonged, in the philosophy department.
My interests continue to be interdisciplinary, with special interests in computer science and cognitive science. One of the great things about teaching philosophy, as I once heard the philosopher Arthur Fine point out, is that if you become interested in a subject X, no matter what X might be, you can justify studying it by declaring that you are working on the Philosophy of X.
Education
- Ph.D. - Princeton University
- B.A. - St. Olaf College
Selected Publications
- "Friendships: Epistemically Dangerous Liaisons?" in Damian Caluori, ed., Thinking About Friendship (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013).
- "Combinatorial-State Automata and Models of Computation," Journal of Cognitive Science 13 (2012): 51-73.
- "Narrow Mental Content," in Edward N. Zalta, ed., Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Stanford, CA: Center for the Study of Language and Information, Stanford University), 2002; revised and updated version, 2007 and 2011.
Subjects Taught
- Philosophy of Mind
- Philosophy of Language
- Symbolic Logic
Community Service & Involvement
I have served on many Trinity committees, including the UCC, the Faculty Senate, the Commission on Promotion and Tenure, and the Major Scholarships and Fellowships Committee.