Associate Professor of Philosophy
PhD University of Arizona, 2003
Philosophy Department
Hyer Hall 210C
Southern Methodist University
P.O. Box 750142
Dallas TX 75275-0142
214-768-2119
bthompso@smu.edu
CV
CURRENT RESEARCH
Much of my research
concerns the relationship between the two central features of
mentality--consciousness and intentionality. I'm particularly interested in the
idea that conscious experiences have a certain kind of intentional content in
virtue of their phenomenal character. Much of my work is devoted to defending a
Fregean rather than a Russellian theory of this "phenomenal content".
I am also particularly interested in related issues concerning the relationship
between appearance and reality. Are the phenomenal properties that are present
to us in veridical perceptual experience mind-independent properties of
external objects, or are they mental or mind-dependent properties?
REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS
"The
Spatial Content of Experience," (2010)
Philosophy
and Phenomenological Research.
"Senses
for Senses," (2009) Australasian
Journal of Philosophy 87: 99-117.
“The
Inverted Spectrum,” (2009), in Bayne, T ., Cleeremans, A., and Wilken, P .
(eds.) Oxford Companion to Consciousness. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
"Representationalism
and the Argument from Hallucination," (2008) Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 89: 384-412.
"Representationalism
and the Conceivability of Inverted Spectra," (2008) Synthese 160: 203-213.
"Shoemaker
on Phenomenal Content," (2007) Philosophical
Studies 135: 307-334.
"Colour
Constancy and Russellian Representationalism," (2006) Australasian Journal of Philosophy 84: 75-94.
"Moral
Value, Response-Dependence, and Rigid Designation," (2006) Canadian Journal of Philosophy 36: 71-94.
WORK IN PROGRESS
“Seeing through Appearances”
“Perceptual Demonstratives
and Hallucination”
TEACHING
PHIL 1305H: Introduction to
Philosophy (Honors), Spring 2009
PHIL 1305: Introduction to
Philosophy, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010
PHIL 1318: Contemporary Moral
Problems, Fall 2003, Spring 2004, Fall 2004, Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008
PHIL 1318H: Contemporary
Moral Problems (Honors), Spring 2005, Fall 2005, Spring 2006, Fall 2006
PHIL 3315: Philosophy of
Mind, Fall 2004, Fall 2005, Spring 2008, Fall 2009
PHIL 3310: Advanced T opics:
Appearance and Reality , Spring 2005
PHIL 3310: Advanced Topics:
Consciousness, Spring 2006, Fall 2007, Spring 2009
PHIL 3310: Advanced Topics: Perception, Fall 2006, Fall 2008,
Spring 2010
PHIL 3310: Advanced Topics:
Personal Identity, Fall 2010