Carrie Figdor is an associate professor of philosophy at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

. Her research focuses on the

philosophy of mind Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of the mind and its relation to the Body (biology), body and the Reality, external world. The mind–body problem is a paradigmatic issue in philosophy of mind, although a ...

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...

, and

ethics Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...

. Before pursuing a career in

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

, Figdor was a

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

with the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

for eleven years.

Education and career

Figdor received a bachelor's degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

in 1981. She went on to receive a master's degree and doctorate in philosophy from the

City University of New York Graduate Center The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY Graduate Center) is a public university, public research institution and post-graduate university, postgraduate university in New York City. Formed in 1961 as Divi ...

in 1997 and 2005, respectively. Before beginning her career in philosophy, Figdor served as a local correspondent in

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

for ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' between 1986 and 1988. She also began to work for the

in 1986, where she served as a reporter and editor in various locations until 1997. While at the AP, she primarily reported on issues related to government, international relations, and society. After receiving her master's degree in philosophy, she accepted a position as an adjunct professor at the

College of Staten Island The College of Staten Island (CSI) is a public university in Staten Island, New York, United States. It is one of the 11 four-year senior colleges within the City University of New York system. Programs in the liberal arts and sciences and pro ...

, and later a position as adjunct professor at

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

. After finishing her doctorate, she served as a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at

Claremont McKenna College Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It has a curricular emphasis on government, economics, public affairs, finance, and internat ...

for two years, before accepting a permanent position as assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy and the Interdisciplinary Program in Cognitive Neuroscience at the

in 2007, where she received tenure in 2013. (She also served as a visiting assistant professor at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

for a term.) Outside of her university and journalistic work, Figdor is also a co-host of the '' New Books in Philosophy'' podcast, a member of the

American Philosophical Association The American Philosophical Association (APA) is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarl ...

, the

Society for Philosophy and Psychology A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soc ...

(where she has served on the executive committee and co-chaired the Diversity Committee), the

Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology The Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology is an American learned society. It promotes philosophy and psychology in the Southern United States. History The Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology was co-founded by 36 charter members ...

, and the

Philosophy of Science Association The Philosophy of Science Association (PSA) is an international academic organization founded in 1933 that promotes research, teaching, and free discussion of issues in the philosophy of science from diverse standpoints. The PSA engages in activi ...

Research areas

Figdor's research revolves around issues involving the

, the

philosophy of cognitive science Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary, scientific study of the mind and its processes. It examines the nature, the tasks, and the functions of cognition (in a broad sense). Mental faculties of concern to cognitive scientists include percep ...

, and

neuroethics In philosophy and neuroscience, neuroethics is the study of both the ethics of neuroscience and the neuroscience of ethics. The ethics of neuroscience concerns the ethical, legal, and social impact of neuroscience, including the ways in which ne ...

, with a secondary focus in

media ethics Media ethics is the subdivision of applied ethics dealing with the specific ethical principles and standards of media, including broadcast media, film, theatre, the arts, print media and the internet. The field covers many varied and highly contro ...

and other issues related to journalism. Her current research focuses on mechanistic explanations for

mind The mind is that which thinks, feels, perceives, imagines, remembers, and wills. It covers the totality of mental phenomena, including both conscious processes, through which an individual is aware of external and internal circumstances ...

and metaphysics, as well as the practical implications of recent scientific findings for

social relations A social relation is the fundamental unit of analysis within the social sciences, and describes any voluntary or involuntary interpersonal relationship between two or more conspecifics within and/or between groups. The group can be a language or k ...

. Figdor has suggested that the existence of objective news is theoretically possible, but that contemporary journalistic practices prevent it from being realized. Apart from her primary interests, Figdor has taken a quantitative approach to examining the gender gap in philosophy as a field, finding that the stage of education where the gap grew the most was between those taking introductory philosophy courses and those pursuing undergraduate degrees in philosophy, finding further that the size of this gap was reduced in schools with a high proportion of women philosophy faculty. Figdor's research has been recognized and disseminated through a series of invited talks at universities across the country. She, for instance, delivered a keynote speech at the 30th Boulder Conference on the History and Philosophy of Science in October 2014, a conference that addressed the historical and philosophical questions raised by cognitive neuroscience. Figdor also delivered a talk at Rice University in March 2014 on gender diversity in philosophy. In addition to these invited talks, Figdor also participated in a yearlong residency as a Scholar at the Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh from fall 2013 until summer 2014.Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh: "Visiting Fellows." http://www.pitt.edu/~pittcntr/People/visiting_fellows/vf_2013-14/figdor.html

Publications

Figdor's professional philosophical work has been published in a number of refereed journals, including ''

The Journal of Philosophy ''The Journal of Philosophy'' is a monthly peer-reviewed academic journal on philosophy, founded in 1904 at Columbia University. Its stated purpose is "To publish philosophical articles of current interest and encourage the interchange of ideas, es ...

'', ''

Philosophy of Science Philosophy of science is the branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. Amongst its central questions are the difference between science and non-science, the reliability of scientific theories, ...

'', ''

Neuroethics In philosophy and neuroscience, neuroethics is the study of both the ethics of neuroscience and the neuroscience of ethics. The ethics of neuroscience concerns the ethical, legal, and social impact of neuroscience, including the ways in which ne ...

'', and '' The Journal of Mass Media Ethics''. She has also contributed a number of book chapters, including a chapter about the possibility of the existence of objective news, and a number about topics in the philosophy of mind. Figdor published a book on July 17, 2018, titled ''Pieces of Mind: The Proper Domain of Psychological Predicates''. In this volume she aims to develop a theoretical foundation for scientific attempts to explain the relationship between the mind and the brain, focusing on the differences between processes and

objects Object may refer to: General meanings * Object (philosophy), a thing, being, or concept ** Object (abstract), an object which does not exist at any particular time or place ** Physical object, an identifiable collection of matter * Goal, an ai ...

. It is billed as the "first book to examine how mathematical models provide an important new kind of evidence for mental capacities in nonhumans." As a journalist for a wire service, Figdor's journalistic work was published in a wide variety of places.

References

External links

Carrie Figdor on PhilPapers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Figdor, Carrie 20th-century American essayists 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American women journalists 20th-century American philosophers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American essayists 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American women journalists 21st-century American philosophers 21st-century American women writers American ethicists American women essayists American women non-fiction writers American women philosophers Analytic philosophers American epistemologists CUNY Graduate Center alumni Living people Mass media theorists American media critics American women critics Members of the American Philosophical Society Ontologists American philosophers of art American philosophers of culture American philosophers of mind Philosophers of psychology American philosophers of social science American philosophers of technology American philosophy writers University of Iowa faculty Year of birth missing (living people)