Emily Esch, Ph.D.

Quad 362E
ph. 320-363-3288
Email: eesch@csbsju.edu

I'm interested in anything and everything about how the human mind works, whether discovered by a philosopher, psychologist, anthropologist or neuroscientist. For a few years, my research focused on the nature of consciousness and the mind's place in the natural world, but my interests have broadened considerably since I arrived at St. Ben's and St. John's in 2006. In addition to my work on consciousness, I have projects in epistemology (the study of knowledge) and personal identity (the nature of the self). In epistemology, my work has primarily focused on the differences between ordinary "textbook" knowledge and know-how. (How is knowing how to ride a bike differ from knowing that Canada is north of Mexico?) I'm interested in how an account of know-how might resolve some of the debates in cognitive science, like how we know what other people are thinking and the basis of human language acquisition. In my work on personal identity, I've been especially concerned with incorporating empirical findings from psychologists and sociologists into the philosophical debate over how we should understand our human selves. I'm currently organizing a symposium on happiness to be held at St. John's in fall 2010, so I've recently been thinking a lot about what makes us happy and why we are so frequently wrong in our predictions about what we want.

Before coming to Minnesota, I lived in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, where I met my husband, Gavin. Before moving to New York, I spent a year living on Mt. Hood in Oregon and four years in Portland. I grew up in southwest Missouri and miss the warm weather. Gavin and I currently live in St. Cloud with our two dogs, Bubbles and Eva, and cat, Clea.  We love canoeing and camping and want to buy a boat someday. I love to cook and Gavin loves to garden and we both love to entertain.

Teaching & Research Interests: Philosophy of Mind, Epistemology, Experimental Philosophy, Philosophy of Science

Fall 2009 Schedule:
days 1-3-5 period IV (1:00-2:10 p.m.) Quad 349
PHIL 121 Great Issues
days 1-3-5 period V (2:40-3:50 p.m.) Quad 361
PHIL 121 Great Issues
days 2-4-6 period V (2:40-3:50 p.m.) Quad 343
PHIL 364 Philosophy of Knowledge

Spring 2010 Schedule:
days 2-4-6 period V (2:40-4:10 p.m.) Quad 353
PHIL 368I Special Topics: Philosophy of Mind