Theoretical Philosophy denotes an area of academic philosophy constituted by the subdisciplines of epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, metamathematics, logic, and metaphysics.
Specific foci of "Theoretical Philosophy" at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz are
- Analytical Philosophy of Mind
- Philosophy of Cognitive Science
- Philosophy of Neuroscience
- Connections between Philosophy and Mind and Applied Ethics
A second, closely associated, work area has been the research unit for neuroethics, also directed by Thomas Metzinger, previously co-ordinated by Elisabeth Hildt.
For example, there is
- the neuroethics portal,
- or research on the applied ethics of cognitive enhancement,
- the EU-funded project TOBI (Tools for Brain-Computer Interaction).
In addition, there is also an independent group of advanced students, the MIND Group at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Study.
To get an idea, see our publications: Open MIND and Philosophy and Predicitive Processing
All three work areas are associated with a whole range of national and international academic institutions, for example
- the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness,
- the German Society for Cognitive Science,
- the Gutenberg Research College
- or, to give one past example, the EU-funded VERE project (Virtual Emodiment and Robotic Re-Embodiment).