Department
Department of Philosophy
Email Address
cbrown@trinity.edu
Photo of Curtis Brown

I have always been interested in philosophy, although I didn't immediately realize this. As an undergraduate at St. Olaf College, I first thought that I would major in English, but found that my interest in literary interpretation led me to aesthetics and the philosophy of language.

Later I planned to major in sociology, but my interest in sociological theory and methodology led me to the philosophy of science. Eventually I ended up where I belonged, in the philosophy department.

My interests continue to be interdisciplinary, with special interests in computer science and cognitive science. One of the great things about teaching philosophy, as I once heard the philosopher Arthur Fine point out, is that if you become interested in a subject X, no matter what X might be, you can justify studying it by declaring that you are working on the Philosophy of X.

Education

  • Ph.D. - Princeton University
  • B.A. - St. Olaf College  

Selected Publications

  • "Friendships: Epistemically Dangerous Liaisons?" in Damian Caluori, ed., Thinking About Friendship (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013).
  • "Combinatorial-State Automata and Models of Computation," Journal of Cognitive Science 13 (2012): 51-73.
  • "Narrow Mental Content," in Edward N. Zalta, ed., Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Stanford, CA: Center for the Study of Language and Information, Stanford University), 2002; revised and updated version, 2007 and 2011.

Subjects Taught

  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Philosophy of Language
  • Symbolic Logic  

Community Service & Involvement

I have served on many Trinity committees, including the UCC, the Faculty Senate, the Commission on Promotion and Tenure, and the Major Scholarships and Fellowships Committee.