Benjamin Young: Philosophical analysis of the role olfaction plays in our sense of self
Title
Philosophical analysis of the role olfaction plays in our sense of self
Mentor
Department
Biosketch
Benjamin D. Young, Ph.D., is an associate professor in philosophy, a member of the graduate faculty in interdisciplinary neuroscience, and the Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Nevada, Reno. Previously he held a Kreitman Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at Ben-Gurion University, as well as a Visiting Assistant Professorship and Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Department of Cognitive Science at Hebrew University. He conducts research at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and philosophy with a particular emphasis on olfaction. His research on non-conceptual content, qualitative consciousness in the absence of awareness, and the perceptible objects of smell appeared in journals such as Mind & Language, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, Pacific Philosophical Quarterly and Philosophical Studies. His recent projects include the co-edited textbook Mind, Cognition, and Neuroscience (Routledge, 2022) and a co-edited collection Theoretical Perspectives on Smell (Routledge, 2023). Ben just finished a book on olfactory philosophy Stinking Philosophy! (MIT Press, 2024) and is currently working on a book about the unconscious and our sense of self tentatively titled “Don’t Tell Anyone.”
Project overview
The project continues research on unconscious process and our sense of self with a focus on how social and cultural environmental smells influence our sense of belonging. Thus, far the project has yielded one published paper on our scent of self and how it generates a sense of ourselves as an embodied entity within an environment. And two papers in progress concerning to what extent smell allows us to attain second-personal interpersonal relations, as well as how olfactory autobiographic memories ground our sense of persistence. Each of these form part of an on-going multi-year research project culminating in a book on the unconscious and our sense of self, tentatively titled, “Don’t Tell Anyone.”
Given the unique nature of the topic and research area students are not required to have any background knowledge of the subject area though an interest in philosophy and smell is suggested. Students will gain first-hand experience of how to conduct philosophical research. The project will begin with on-boarding through background reading of the project thus far. Following this initial stage, the research assistant will conduct literature reviews and summaries, including collection, analyzing, summarizing, and discussion the material. Upon completing the background literature review we will work together to brainstorm, outline, and begin writing the rough draft of a stand-alone academic philosophy paper. You will be involved in all stages of writing and will be tasked with taking the lead for writing at least one section of the paper.
Pack Research Experience Program information and application