Email:
Office Phone: 209-228-2955
Jeffrey Yoshimi
Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Science
University of California, Merced
School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts
P.O. Box 2039
Merced, CA 95344
Email:
Office Phone: 209-228-2955
Education
President’s Postdoctoral Fellow. University of California, San Diego. Department of Philosophy. 2002-2004.
Ph.D. Philosophy. University of California, Irvine. December 2001.
M.A. Philosophy. University of California, Irvine. June 1996.
B.A. Philosophy. University of California, Berkeley (with honors). June 1992.
Areas of Research
Philosophy of Cognitive Science, Philosophy of Mind, Phenomenology (especially Husserl), Neural Networks, Dynamical Systems Theory, Argumentation Analysis.
Publications
Free penultimate drafts and links to forthcoming papers coming when I get some time.
“Extending Dynamical Systems Theory to Model Embodied Cognition” (with Scott Hotton). Forthcoming in Cognitive Science.
“The Dynamics of Embodied Cognition” (with Scott Hotton). Forthcoming in International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos.
2009. “Husserl’s Theory of Belief and the Heideggerean Critique.” Husserl Studies, 25:2, pp. 121-140.
2008. “Simbrain: A Visual Tool for Neural Network Analysis and Education.” Brains, Minds and Media, 3:1.
2007. “Mathematizing Phenomenology.” Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 6:3, pp. 271-291.
2007. “Supervenience, Determination and Dependence.” Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, 88:1, pp. 114-133.
2004. “Mapping the Structure of Debate.” Informal Logic, 24: 1, pp. 1-22.
2004. “Field Theories of Mind and Brain.” in Lester Embree (ed.), Gurwitsch's Relevance for Cognitive Science. Dordrecht: Springer.
1998. Can Computers Think? (7 wall charts; senior writer and editor). Bainbridge Island, WA: MacroVu Inc.
1997. "Hapas at a Los Angeles High School: Context and Phenomenology." Amerasia Journal 23:1.
Awards and Fellowships
2009 Metaphysics and Mind Summer School. National Endowment for the Humanities.
2007 Virtual World to Study Visual Representations in Neural Networks. UC Merced, Graduate Research Council.
2007 First Annual Conference of the California Phenomenology Circle. UC Merced, Humanities Funds Grant.
2006 Course Materials Development Grant. William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (Co-PI).
2006 Conference on the Future of Cognitive Science. National Science Foundation (Co-PI).
2005 Creating a Community College Transfer Culture at UC Merced. William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (PI, $200,000).
2005 Simbrain: An Open Source Neural Network Simulation Environment. William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (Co-PI).
2003 European Union Advanced Course in Computational Neuroscience
(One of two Americans selected for a one month intensive course in Portugal)
2002 UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship
2000 UC Irvine President’s Dissertation Year Fellowship
(One year fellowship)
1997 UC Irvine Departmental Teaching Award
1996 UC Irvine Faculty Mentor Fellowship
(One year fellowship)
1995 UC Irvine Departmental Teaching Award
1994 UC Irvine Regent’s Fellowship
Presentations
"Recent advances in the scientific study of consciousness." Frontiers of Science and Engineering, UC Merced. September, 2009.
"Supervenience and the Mind-Body Problem ." Washington University in St. Louis. June, 2009.
"Naturalizing Transcendental Laws." CSU Northridge. September, 2008.
"Active Internalism and Open Dynamical Systems." Embodied, Embedded, Enactive and Extended Cognition; University of Central Florida. October, 2007.
"Active Internalism: How Brain and World Work Together to Produce Consciousness."Central Valley Philosophy Association. October, 2007.
"Husserl and Heidegger on Belief." CSU Stanislaus. April, 2006.
"Heideggerean Misreadings of Husserlian Phenomenology." California Phenomenology Circle. February, 2006.
"Externalism and Dynamical Systems Theory." Fresno State University. March, 2006.
"Open Education at UC Merced." Utah State University. September, 2005
"Philosophy and Neuroscience." Fresno City College. April, 2005.
"Language and Thought." Merced College. April, 2005.
"Dynamics of Object Perception." American Philosophical Assocation, Pacific Division. San Francisco, CA. March 2005.
"Abstract Spaces." UC Merced Spatial Studies Group. Merced, CA. February 2005.
"Food and Multi-ethnic Identity: evidence from table-tops, pantries, refrigerators, and menus." Key Ingredients (Traveling exhibit of the Smithsonian Institution). Merced Courthouse, Merced CA. February 2005.
"Open Systems and the Phenomenology of Perception." Concepts, Percepts, Actions: Negotiating the Boundaries. UC San Diego. April, 2004. Also presented at UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Spring Retreat. Lake Arrowhead, CA. May, 2004.
"Naturalizing Transcendental Laws." Case Western Reserve University. February 2004. Also presented at UC Merced. December 2004.
"Short-Term-Depression and the Tilt Aftereffect." University of Texas at Houston. January, 2004.
"Supervenience and the Dynamics of Consciousness." Experimental Philosophy Laboratory, UC San Diego. October 2003.
"Models of orientation hyper-columns in primary visual cortex to explain the tilt aftereffect." Advanced Course in Computational Neuroscience, Obidos, Portugal. August, 2003.
"Phenomenology and Cognitive Science." UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Spring Retreat. Lake Arrowhead, CA. May, 2003.
"Time and Intentionality." UC San Diego Dept. of Philosophy. November 2002.
"Field theories of mind and brain." Gurwitsch's Relevance for Cognitive Science, Del Ray Beach, FL. October 2002.
"Gauging State Space." Experimental Philosophy Labratory, UC San Diego. October 2002.
"Interfacing Philosophy using Visual Language." Computing and Philosophy Conference, Carnegie Mellon University. August 2002.
"Husserl's Many Manifolds." Society for the Study of Husserl's Philosophy. July 2002.
“Supersizing the Local: Food and Phenomenology in Postcolonial Asian America.” Association for Asian American Studies National Conference. June 1998.
"Using Argumentation Analysis to Examine a Major Debate in Cognitive Science." (Poster Session with Robert Horn and Russ McBride). Tucson III: Towards a Science of Consciousness. August 1998.
Professional Activities
Conference and Group Organizing
Chair, California Phenomenology Circle, 2001-present.
Organizer, Central Valley Philosophy Association Annual Meeting. 2008.
Organizer (with Jospeh Schear), California Phenomenology Circle Second Annual Conference. 2008.
Organizer (with Jospeh Schear), California Phenomenology Circle First Annual Conference: The Phenomenology of Cognition. 2007.
Organizer (with David Woodruff Smith), Irvine Consciousness: An Interdisciplinary Conference. 1997.
Software and Website Development
Creator of Simbrain, an open source tool for building and analyzing neural networks.
Creator (with Scott Hotton) of HiSee, a tool for visualizing high-dimensional datasets.
Creator of Husserl.net, an internet database of Husserl resources.
Reviewing and Journal Activities
Editorial Board: Brains, Minds, and Media.
Referee for:
AI and Society
Axiomathes
Brains, Minds, and Media
Informal Logic
Inquiry
Journal of Philosophical Logic
Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences
Philosophical Papers
Philosophical Psychology
Synthese
Teaching
UC Merced
Spring 2009: Philosophy of Cognitive Science
Fall 2008: Philosophy of Neuroscience
Fall 2008: Topics in Phenomenology
Spring 2008: Philosopy of Mind
Fall 2007: Seminar on Consciousness
Spring 2007: Philosophy of Cognitive Science
Spring 2007: Sartre and Merleau-Ponty
Fall 2006: Topics in Phenomenology
Fall 2006: Literature and Theory
Spring 2006: Neural Networks in Cognitive Science
Fall 2005: Introduction to Philosophy
UC San Diego (Teaching Assistant)
Spring 2004: Philosophy of Neuroscience
CSU Northridge
Winter-Spring 2002: Logic and Critical Reasoning
UC Irvine
Spring 2001: Philosophy and Psychoanalysis
UC Irvine (Teaching Assistant)
Winter 2001: Introduction to Symbolic Logic
Fall 2000: Metaphysics
Winter 1996, Fall 1999: Introduction to Ethical Theory
Spring 1996, 1999: Introduction to Philosophy
Fall, Winter 1999: Introduction to Psychology
Winter, Spring 1997: Contemporary Moral Problems
Fall 1995: Phenomenology and Existentialism