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Remembrances of philosopher Daniel Dennett

nautil.us · 1,604 words · saved by 1 readers

T hey say, never meet your heroes. Daniel Dennett, who was exceptional in so many ways, and who died last month, was for me an exception to this rule, too. Like so many, I was first inspired by Dennett on reading one of his many bestsellers: Consciousness Explained. It was 1991 and I was a fresh undergraduate with a powerful but undirected interest in consciousness. I had no idea how to go about studying it, or how to think about it. I was studying physics at Cambridge and had just plowed my way through Roger Penrose’s The Emperor’s New Mind, which had left me confused and despondent. Dennett’s book, with its presumptuous but oh-so-appealing title, was both a tease and a salve. I devoured it. I didn’t agree with, or follow, everything. But I learned so much from his clear, witty writing, and from his famous “intuition pump” thought experiments. I was left with the strong impression that consciousness, if not explained, was explainable, and I now had a north star to steer by. Learning f

Remembrances of philosopher Daniel Dennett Skip to Content Advertisement Philosophy I Never Stopped Learning from Daniel Dennett Reflections on a philosopher who believed we can solve the problem of consciousness. AS By Anil Seth 9:34 AM CDT on May 2, 2024 Share on Facebook Share on X (formerly Twitter) Share on Reddit Share on Email Share on Bluesky T hey say, never meet your heroes. Daniel Dennett, who was exceptional in so many ways, and who died last month, was for me an exception to this rule, too. Featured Video Like so many, I was first inspired by Dennett on reading one of his many bes

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