VISITING WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR
TO DISCUSS THE CONCEPTS OF SELF AT OU

NORMAN – Varying fields of study try to identify concepts that define person, or self. In philosophy, people are viewed as reflective beings, capable of making conscious decisions that affect behavior. However, in the field of psychology, this concept is viewed as unrealistic; rather, it is believed that much of human behavior is not controlled consciously.

John Doris, associate professor of philosophy at Washington University, St. Louis, will visit the University of Oklahoma to discuss these concepts in “How to Build a Person.” The free, public presentation will begin at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, in 607 Dale Hall Tower, 455 W. Lindsey, Norman. This presentation is part of the Department of Philosophy Lecture Series in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Doris’ research interests include ethics, moral psychology and cognitive science. His current research involves both theoretical and empirical research on moral responsibility, evaluative diversity, psychopathology and the self.

“Many areas of humanistic inquiry assume, or attempt to articulate, a conception of the self or person,” Doris said. “All humanistic inquiry aims to render human beings intelligible and endeavor to present lifelike depictions of the person.”

In A Natural History of the Self, Doris said he undertook a project that develops a “psychologically realistic conception of human rationality and self-control” and that it will cause traditional conceptions to be rethought, impacting philosophy and other disciplines.

Doris received his doctoral and master of arts degrees in philosophy from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and his bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from Cornell University. He has held fellowships from Michigan’s Institute for the Humanities, Princeton’s University Center for Human Values and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Currently, he is on the program committee for the American Philosophical Association, Central Division. Before being hired at Washington University, Doris taught at the University of Michigan and the University of California, Santa Cruz.

For more information or accommodations on the basis of disability, call Neera Badhwar at (405) 325-6107.