Guy Dove
Philosopher
University of Louisville
Guy Dove is a philosophy professor at the University of Louisville. He is interested in how the mind works and believes that philosophical accounts of the mental should be informed by findings from anthropology, cognitive science, linguistics, neuroscience, psychology, and related fields. His research falls under the category of philosophy of psychology, broadly construed, and contains both philosophical and empirical elements.
An Interdisciplinary Researcher
Prior to his appointment in the philosophy department, Guy Dove served as a post-doctoral fellow in the Developmental Neuropsychology and Electrophysiology Lab at the University of Louisville from 2002-2003. He taught in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences from 2004-2008.
Guy Dove has published in prominent interdisciplinary journals such as Cognition, Cognitive Neuropsychology, Mind and Language, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, and Topics in Cognitive Science.
Recent Book
Abstract Concepts and the Embodied Mind
As researchers have sought to explain how our brains can store and access general knowledge, a growing body of evidence suggests that many of our concepts are grounded in action, emotion, and perception systems. Abstract concepts represent a clear challenge to this embodied approach. This book argues that a successful theory of semantic memory must embrace multimodal representations, hierarchical architecture, and linguistic scaffolding. Abstract concepts are the product of an elastic mind.
Advance Praise
“Drawing on both classic and current research in linguistics, philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience, Guy Dove not only identifies the pros and cons of numerous positions on numerous issues involving the mental and neural representation of abstract concepts, but also builds a novel, multidimensional, and compelling framework that will provide guidance for this rapidly accelerating field of study.”
— David Kemmerer, Professor of Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience, Purdue University
“The challenges posed by abstract concepts have never been so forcefully articulated. Drawing on the latest findings in multiple fields, Dove crafts a lens through which the path forward becomes gleamingly clear. Essential reading for anyone interested in the building blocks of thought.”
— Jesse Prinz, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, City University of New York, Graduate Center
“A wonderful book, a must read for people interested in abstract concepts, but more generally in how we think and speak. It is written compellingly, has a very clear structure, and is a pleasure to read. Guy Dove highlights our conceptual system’s elasticity, multimodality, and contextual dependency. Concepts rely on experience, as grounded approaches posit. However, the time has come to stretch grounded approaches, showing that concepts reuse experience but in a flexible way and underlining the role of language in enhancing cognition. This book opens new exciting research avenues and reminds us of the limits of dichotomy thinking about language, concepts, and knowledge.”
— Anna Borghi, Associate Professor in Psychology, University of Bologna
Reviews
Christian Michel (2023) Towards a new standard model of concepts?, Philosophical Psychology, DOI: 10.1080/09515089.2023.2177144