Cynthia Macdonald is a British philosopher and academic, and is a full professor at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

, specialising in mind-body identity theory, and

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 ...

. She is a professor emerita at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury (UC; ; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbur ...

in New Zealand.

Academic career

Macdonald completed BPhil and MPhil degrees at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. Her DPhil thesis, completed in 1984, was titled ''Events and mind-body identity''. Macdonald first lectured at the University of Manchester, before joining the faculty of the University of Canterbury in New Zealand in 1998, where she was appointed full professor. Macdonald was Professor of Philosophy at

Queen's University, Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

from 2005 to 2011. Macdonald then rejoined the faculty of the University of Manchester. She was appointed professor emerita at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand in 2009. Macdonald's research is 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 ...

and

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 ...

. Macdonald received a

Marsden grant Marsden Fund grants are contestable funding for investigator-led fundamental research in New Zealand. Grants are made in all areas of research in science, engineering, and mathematics. The grants are made from the Marsden Fund, which was establish ...

on the metaphysics of

mental causation The problem of mental causation is a conceptual issue in the philosophy of mind. That problem, in short, is how to account for the common sense idea that intentional thoughts or intentional mental states are causes of intentional actions. The pro ...

with Graham Macdonald, also an emeritus professor at Canterbury. Macdonald has also received grants from the

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

and the

Mind Association The Mind Association is a philosophical society whose purpose is to promote the study of philosophy. The association publishes the journal ''Mind'' quarterly. It was established in 1900 on the death of Henry Sidgwick Henry Sidgwick (; 31 M ...

. Macdonald was awarded the Belle van Zuylen Distinguished Visiting Professorship at

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public university, public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of ...

in 1995. She has also been a visiting 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 ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. Macdonald is a Consulting Editor for the Swedish journal ''

Theoria Christian mysticism is the tradition of mysticism, mystical practices and mystical theology within Christianity which "concerns the preparation f the personfor, the consciousness of, and the effect of ..a direct and transformative pr ...

'', and was on the consulting board of the University of Manchester postgraduate-edited journal ''

Praxis Praxis may refer to: Philosophy and religion *Praxis (process), the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practised, embodied, or realised * Praxis model, a way of doing theology * Praxis (Byzantine Rite), the practice of fai ...

''.

Selected works

Authored and edited books * * Cynthia Macdonald (1989). '' Mind-Body Identity Theories.'' Routledge, London. * Cynthia Macdonald; Graham Macdonald. (editors; January 1991). ''Connectionism: Debates on Psychological Explanation, Volume 2.'' Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-631-19745-4 Journal articles * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Cynthia New Zealand academics New Zealand women academics Alumni of the University of Oxford Academic staff of the University of Canterbury Academics of the University of Manchester Academics of Queen's University Belfast British philosophers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people