Beliefs about Beliefs and Desires about Desires

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The speakers explore the evolution of categories and cultural evolution, discussing how humans have beliefs about beliefs and desires about desires. They highlight the unique ability of humans to understand multiple levels of intentionality and argue that curiosity about the motives and knowledge of other beings is what keeps us alive.

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Daniel Dennett, preeminent philosopher and cognitive scientist, has spent his career considering the thorniest, most fundamental mysteries of the mind. Do we have free will? What is consciousness and how did it come about? What distinguishes human minds from the minds of animals? Dennett’s answers have profoundly shaped our age of philosophical thought. In this episode, he reflects on his amazing career and lifelong scientific fascinations, as well as the value of life beyond the university, one enriched by sculpture, music, farming, and family.

Daniel C. Dennett is Professor Emeritus at Tufts University and the author of numerous books, including Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking, Breaking the Spell, Darwin’s Dangerous Idea, and Consciousness Explained.