John Dorsch

Alumnus in Philosophy and Previous Staff Member

  • Philosophy
  • School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences

Contact details

Address

Street

Dugald Stewart Building

City
3 Charles Street, Edinburgh
Post code
EH8 9AD

Background

Dr John Dorsch is a postdoctoral researcher in Philosophy of Mind and Cognition at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München in the interdisciplinary research lab Cognition, Values, and Behaviour (CVBE). He completed his PhD in the Philosophy of Cognitive Science at the University of Edinburgh (2022) under the supervision of Tillmann Vierkant and Dave Ward. In Aug 2022, he was examined by Andy Clark and Alistair Issac, passing the PhD viva voce without corrections. He finished his MA (Research) and BA (Hons) at the Centrum für Integrativen Neurowissenschaften (CIN) at Universität Tübingen under the supervision of Hong Yu Wong. He also holds an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Keiser University in Florida and worked for many years in IT, most notably for Intel Corporation in Oregon.

Research

His research focuses on issues in the philosophy of cognitive science, as well as issues in the ethics of AI, in particular he is interested in both philosophical and scientific problems surrounding self-knowledge and metacognition. He has published on metacognition, embodiment, the phenomenology of reasoning, and on the foundations of epistemic agency, as well as some vulnerabilities this agency has in the digital age. Currently, he is working on a two-year project exploring the relationship between trust and confidence in human-AI interactions funded by the Bayerisches Forschungsinstitut für Digitale Transformation.

Qualifications

  • PhD in Philosophy, University of Edinburgh
  • MA (Research) in Philosophy, Universität Tübingen, Centrum für Integrative Neurowissenschaften
  • BA (Hons) in Philosophy, Universität Tübingen, Centrum für Integrative Neurowissenschaften
  • ASc in Computer Science, Keiser University

Responsibilities & affiliations

  • Peer Review: Reviewer at journal Philosophical Psychology
  • Peer Review: Reviewer at journal Topoi 

Undergraduate teaching

Tutor

  • PHIL08017 Knowledge and Reality, Spring 2019
  • PHIL08014 Mind, Matter and Language, Autumn 2019
  • PHIL08016 Greats: From Plato to the Enlightenment, Spring 2020
  • PHIL08005 Philosophy of Science, Autumn 2020
  • PHIL08004 Logic, Spring 2021
  • PHIL08004 Logic, Spring 2022

Research summary

John's research focuses on issues in the philosophy of cognitive science, as well as issues in the ethics of AI, in particular he is interested in both philosophical and scientific problems surrounding self-knowledge and metacognition. He has published on metacognition, embodiment, the phenomenology of reasoning, and on the foundations of epistemic agency, as well as some vulnerabilities this agency has in the digital age. Currently, he is working on a two-year project exploring the relationship between trust and confidence in human-AI interactions funded by the Bayerisches Forschungsinstitut für Digitale Transformation.

Current research interests

Philosophy of Cognitive Science, Philosophy of Psychology, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Language, Phenomenology

Past research interests

History of Western Philosophy, German Idealism, Post-Kantian Philosophy, Georg Hegel, Friedrich Schelling, Friedrich Hölderlin

Invited speaker

Aug 2022, “Hijacking Epistemic Agency: How Emerging Technologies Threaten Our Wellbeing as Knowers” The Fifth AAAI/ACM (viz. Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence /Association for Computing Machinery) Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Society, Keble College, University of Oxford.

May 2022, “What Do You Feel When You Feel Confident? The Bayesian Brain and Embodied Metacognition”, Consciousness Club, Wellcome Centre, University College London.

Oct 2021, "Embodied Metacognition: How We Feel Our Hearts to Know Our Minds", Cognition, Values & Behaviour Research Group,  Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München.

Jun 2021, "The Case for Embodied Metacognition: Between Evaluative and Metarepresentational Accounts", Metacognition: New Directions Conference, University of London.

Jun 2021, "The Case for Embodied Mnemonic Cognition", Centre for Philosophy of Memory, Université Grenoble Alpes .

May 2020, "The Interoceptive Basis of Epistemic Emotions", Metacognition: New Directions Conference, University of London (cancelled due to Covid-19).

Apr 2020, "What are Epistemic Emotions? Interoception and Metacognition", Glasgow Graduate Conference in Epistemology and Mind , University of Glasgow (cancelled due to Covid-19).

Aug 2019, "What's on the Tip of Everybody's Tongue: The Tip-of-the-Tongue Experience and Its Underlying Predictive Processes", Fifth Philosophy of Language and Mind (PLM) Network Conference, University of St. Andrews.

Organiser

May - Aug 2020, The Perplexities of Thinking Online Seminar Series, Sponsered by Philosophy, Psychology, and Informatics Group and X-Spect, University of Edinburgh and University of Sussex.

May 2019, Workshop on Mental Actions and Cognitive Phenomenology, Sponsered by Philosophy, Psychology, and Informatics Group and Eidyn Research Centre, University of Edinburgh.

Sep 2019 - Sep 2020, “Postgraduates Work in Progress Seminar”, Sponsored by the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Languages Sciences, University of Edinburgh.

Participant

Jul 2019, "Cognitive Phenomenology", Summer University program of the Central European University, Budapest.

Papers delivered

May 2020, "What are Epistemic Emotons? a polemic about our tragically flawed epistemic agency", Postgraduates Work in Progress Seminar, University of Edinburgh.

May 2019, "In Defence of the Feeling of Knowing: Tracking the Target of the Tip-of-the-Tongue Experience", Mental Actions and Cognitive Phenomenology Workshop, University of Edinburgh.

Mar 2019, "What's on the Tip of Everybody's Tongue: Predictive Processing and the Tip-of-the-Tongue Experience", Mind and Cognition Work in Progress Seminar, University of Edinburgh.

Jan 2019, "Embodied Cognitive Phenomenology: Drafting a Peace Treaty in the Battle over the Daseinsberechtigung of Cognitive Phenomenology", Postgraduates Work in Progress Seminar, University of Edinburgh.

Aug 2018, "On the Phenomenology of Meaning (Über die Phänomenologie der sinnverleihenden Erlebnisse)", Research Forum of the Chair for the Philosophy of Cognitive Science Universität Tübingen, Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Universität Tübingen.

Jun 2018, "Experiencing Meaning and Cognitive Phenomenology: Meeting the Carruthers-Veillet Constitutivity Challenge", Philosophy of Neuroscience Group Research Forum, Universität Tübingen.

Sep 2017, "Perception: a discriminating capacity or a predictive capacity?",  9th Annual Junior Neuroscientist Conference, Universität Tübingen.

May 2016, "Irreducible Cognitive Phenomenology and the 'Aha!' Experience", Philosophy of Neuroscience Group Research Forum, Universität Tübingen.

Publications

  • "Embodied Metacognition: The Role of the Body in the Formation of Self-knowledge". (forthcoming). Springer Verlag.
  • "Are Noetic Feelings Embodied? The Case for Embodied Metacognition". (forthcoming). Philosophical Psychology.
  • "Hijacking Epistemic Agency: How Emerging Technologies Threaten our Wellbeing as Knowers". (2022). Proceedings of the AAAI and ACM on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Society 5.
  • "Descartes on the Passions of the Soul and Internal Emotions: Two Challenges for Interoception Research in Emotions." joint publication with Helena De Preester. (2021). Danish Yearbook of Philosophy, 54(1), 65-92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/24689300-bja10021
  • "On Experiencing Meaning: Irreducible Cognitive Phenomenology and Sinewave Speech." (2017). Phenomenology and Mind 12: 218-227. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.13128/Phe_Mi-21120.
  • "Irreducible Cognitive Phenomenology and the 'Aha!' Experience." (2016). Phenomenology and Mind 10: 108-121. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.13128/Phe_Mi-20095.

Creative Work

  • "Haufen Philosaufen: ein Liebesbrief an Tübingen". Nny Taschenbuch Verlag. 2020. Print.
  • "Animal Bones". Phi Magazine Φ. July 2020: 3(2). Print.
  • "Whether Creatures of Becoming Dream of Becoming Creatures of Being...". Phi Magazine Φ. November 2019: 2(4). Print.
  • "Meditation on Experience and Its Supposed Ineffability...". Phi Magazine Φ. June 2019: 2(3). Print.

Pedagogical Work

  • "Medical English Coursebook I: Grundlagenseminar (Engl: Introductory Seminar)". Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut Tübingen. 2018. Print.
  • "Medical English Coursebook II: Vertiefungsseminar (Engl: Advanced Seminar)". Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut Tübingen. 2018. Print.

Awards and Grants

  • School of Philosophy, Psychology, and Language Sciences PhD Scholarship, University of Edinburgh, 2018 - 2022.
  • Mentorship for PhD Candidates on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Society at Keble College, University of Oxford.
  • Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (in progress).
  • Tutor of the Year (finalist), University of Edinburgh, Students' Association, 2021.
    • 5 nominations for Logic I (PHIL08004)
    • 1 nomination for Philosophy of Science I (PHIL08005)
  • Tutor of the Year (nominated 3 years in a row), University of Edinburgh, Students' Association, 2020, 2021, 2022.
  • Deutschlandstipendium/Germany Scholarship (twice awarded), Universität Tübingen, 2017 - 2019.
  • Essay Winner at Missing Shade of Blue, University of Edinburgh Sponsored International Competition for Master's Students of Philosophy, 2017.
    • Title: "Perception: a Discriminating Capacity or a Predictive Capacity?"
  • Best Presentation Award at 9th Annual Conference of Junior Neuroscientists, Universität Tübingen, 2017.
    • Title: "Is Perception Prediction? A Discussion Based on the Ganzfeld Effect."