Jacob Beck
Professor
York Research Chair in Philosophy of Visual Perception
Office: Ross Building, S439
Phone: (416)736-2100 Ext: 22582
Email: jbeck@yorku.ca
Primary website: http://www.jacobbeck.org
Media Requests Welcome
Accepting New Graduate Students
Degrees
Ph.D. Philosophy, Harvard UniversityB.A. Philosophy & Cognitive Science, University of Pennsylvania
Research Interests
Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Animal Minds (co-edited with Kristin Andrews), New York: Routledge, 2017, 522 pages
Do Nonhuman Animals Have a Language of Thought? Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Animal Minds</i, K. Andrews & J. Beck (eds.), New York: Routledge, 2017, pp. 46–55
Review of Ned Block’s The Border between Seeing and Thinking. Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. June 2, 2023.
Review of Christopher Peacocke’s The Primacy of Metaphysics. European Journal of Philosophy , 28(1), 266–270.
Clarke, S. & Beck, J. (2023). "Border Disputes: Recent Debates along the Perception–Cognition Border." Philosophy Compass, 18, e12936.
Beck, J. & Clarke, S. (2023). "Born to Count." Scientific American, 328(3), 42–49.
"Contents and Vehicles in Analog Perception," Crítica, 55(163), 2023, 109–127.
"Mundane Hallucinations and New Wave Relationalism." Noûs, 57(2), 2023, 391–413.
Beck, J. & Languedoc, W. (2023). "Perceptual Noise and the Bell Curve Objection." Analysis, 83(3), 429–436.
Clarke, S. & Beck, J. (2021). "The Number Sense Represents (Rational) Numbers" Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 44, e205.
"On Perceptual Confidence and 'Completely Trusting Your Experience'." Analytic Philosophy, 61, 2020, 174–188.
Can We Really Know What Animals Are Thinking? The Conversation, September 5, 2019
"Perception Is Analog: The Argument from Weber’s Law." The Journal of Philosophy, 116, 2019, 319–349.
"Marking the Perception–Cognition Boundary." Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 96, 2018, 319-334.
"Attention and Mental Primer" (with Keith Schneider). Mind & Language, 32, 2017, 463–494
"Can Bootstrapping Explain Concept Learning?" Cognition, 158, 2017, 110–121
“Analogue Magnitude Representations: A Philosophical Introduction.” The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 66, 2015, pp. 829–855.
“Analogue Magnitudes, the Generality Constraint, and Nonconceptual Thought.” Mind, 123, 2014, pp. 1155–1165
“Sense, Mentalese, and Ontology.” Protosociology, 30: Concepts: Contemporary and Historical Perspectives), 2013, pp. 29–48.
"The Only Good Reason to Ban Steroids in Baseball: To Prevent an Arms Race. The Atlantic, June 17, 2013
“Why We Can’t Say What Animals Think.” Philosophical Psychology, 26, 2013, pp. 520-546
“Do Animals Engage in Conceptual Thought?” Philosophy Compass, 7, 2012, pp. 218-229
“The Generality Constraint and the Structure of Thought.” Mind, 121, 2012, pp. 563-600
"Between Perception and Thought." Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, forthcoming.
"Analog Magnitudes: A Philosophical Introduction." Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Austin, February 2013.
"Can Bootstrapping Explain Concept Learning?" Centre for the Study of Mind in Nature, University of Oslo, May 2013. Queen’s University, Kingston, November 2012.
“Marking the Perception–Cognition Boundary.” 9th International Symposium: Perception and Concepts, University of Latvia, Riga, May 2013. Department of Philosophy, Carleton University, Ottawa, March 2013.
“Why We Can’t Say What Animals Think.” Bard College, April 2013. University of Missouri at Saint Louis, April 2012. York University, January 2011.
“Comments on ‘God Knows (But Does God Believe?).’” Pacific APA, March 2012
“The Generality Constraint and the Structure of Thought.” Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh, October 2011. Concepts and Perception Workshop, National University of Cordoba, Argentina, December 2012.
“An Empirical Objection to Concept Atomism.” Society for Philosophy & Psychology, Montreal, July 2011
“Comments on Cameron Buckner’s ‘Reforming the Distinction between Cognition and Mere Association.’” Pacific APA, April 2011
“Analog Magnitudes: A Case Study in Nonconceptual Thought.” Texas Tech, February 2010
“Sense, Mentalese, and Ontology.” Texas Tech, November 2010; Washington University in Saint Louis, September 2010
“The Problem of Animal Minds.” Texas Tech, November 2010
“Simulation or Theory? Comments on William M. Ramsey’s ‘How Not to Build a Hybrid.’” Pacific APA, April 2009
“The Mixed View of Concepts: A Defense.” Central APA, February 2009
“The Roots of War: Evolutionary and Cognitive Origins of Human Warmongering.” Philosophical Perspectives on Peace III, Boazici University, Istanbul, June 2009
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2024 | GS/PHIL6355 3.0 | A | Major Problems in the Philosophy of Mind | SEMR |
| Fall 2024 | GS/PHIL6800 6.0 | A | First-Year Seminar | SEMR |
Degrees
Ph.D. Philosophy, Harvard UniversityB.A. Philosophy & Cognitive Science, University of Pennsylvania
Research Interests
All Publications
Do Nonhuman Animals Have a Language of Thought? Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Animal Minds</i, K. Andrews & J. Beck (eds.), New York: Routledge, 2017, pp. 46–55
Review of Ned Block’s The Border between Seeing and Thinking. Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. June 2, 2023.
Review of Christopher Peacocke’s The Primacy of Metaphysics. European Journal of Philosophy , 28(1), 266–270.
Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Animal Minds (co-edited with Kristin Andrews), New York: Routledge, 2017, 522 pages
Clarke, S. & Beck, J. (2023). "Border Disputes: Recent Debates along the Perception–Cognition Border." Philosophy Compass, 18, e12936.
Beck, J. & Clarke, S. (2023). "Born to Count." Scientific American, 328(3), 42–49.
"Contents and Vehicles in Analog Perception," Crítica, 55(163), 2023, 109–127.
"Mundane Hallucinations and New Wave Relationalism." Noûs, 57(2), 2023, 391–413.
Beck, J. & Languedoc, W. (2023). "Perceptual Noise and the Bell Curve Objection." Analysis, 83(3), 429–436.
Clarke, S. & Beck, J. (2021). "The Number Sense Represents (Rational) Numbers" Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 44, e205.
"On Perceptual Confidence and 'Completely Trusting Your Experience'." Analytic Philosophy, 61, 2020, 174–188.
Can We Really Know What Animals Are Thinking? The Conversation, September 5, 2019
"Perception Is Analog: The Argument from Weber’s Law." The Journal of Philosophy, 116, 2019, 319–349.
"Marking the Perception–Cognition Boundary." Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 96, 2018, 319-334.
"Attention and Mental Primer" (with Keith Schneider). Mind & Language, 32, 2017, 463–494
"Can Bootstrapping Explain Concept Learning?" Cognition, 158, 2017, 110–121
“Analogue Magnitude Representations: A Philosophical Introduction.” The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 66, 2015, pp. 829–855.
“Analogue Magnitudes, the Generality Constraint, and Nonconceptual Thought.” Mind, 123, 2014, pp. 1155–1165
“Sense, Mentalese, and Ontology.” Protosociology, 30: Concepts: Contemporary and Historical Perspectives), 2013, pp. 29–48.
"The Only Good Reason to Ban Steroids in Baseball: To Prevent an Arms Race. The Atlantic, June 17, 2013
“Why We Can’t Say What Animals Think.” Philosophical Psychology, 26, 2013, pp. 520-546
“Do Animals Engage in Conceptual Thought?” Philosophy Compass, 7, 2012, pp. 218-229
“The Generality Constraint and the Structure of Thought.” Mind, 121, 2012, pp. 563-600
"Between Perception and Thought." Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, forthcoming.
"Analog Magnitudes: A Philosophical Introduction." Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Austin, February 2013.
"Can Bootstrapping Explain Concept Learning?" Centre for the Study of Mind in Nature, University of Oslo, May 2013. Queen’s University, Kingston, November 2012.
“Marking the Perception–Cognition Boundary.” 9th International Symposium: Perception and Concepts, University of Latvia, Riga, May 2013. Department of Philosophy, Carleton University, Ottawa, March 2013.
“Why We Can’t Say What Animals Think.” Bard College, April 2013. University of Missouri at Saint Louis, April 2012. York University, January 2011.
“Comments on ‘God Knows (But Does God Believe?).’” Pacific APA, March 2012
“The Generality Constraint and the Structure of Thought.” Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh, October 2011. Concepts and Perception Workshop, National University of Cordoba, Argentina, December 2012.
“An Empirical Objection to Concept Atomism.” Society for Philosophy & Psychology, Montreal, July 2011
“Comments on Cameron Buckner’s ‘Reforming the Distinction between Cognition and Mere Association.’” Pacific APA, April 2011
“Analog Magnitudes: A Case Study in Nonconceptual Thought.” Texas Tech, February 2010
“Sense, Mentalese, and Ontology.” Texas Tech, November 2010; Washington University in Saint Louis, September 2010
“The Problem of Animal Minds.” Texas Tech, November 2010
“Simulation or Theory? Comments on William M. Ramsey’s ‘How Not to Build a Hybrid.’” Pacific APA, April 2009
“The Mixed View of Concepts: A Defense.” Central APA, February 2009
“The Roots of War: Evolutionary and Cognitive Origins of Human Warmongering.” Philosophical Perspectives on Peace III, Boazici University, Istanbul, June 2009
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2024 | GS/PHIL6355 3.0 | A | Major Problems in the Philosophy of Mind | SEMR |
| Fall 2024 | GS/PHIL6800 6.0 | A | First-Year Seminar | SEMR |
