Woojin Han

Followers

Following

Public Views

I am a philosopher of mind and cognitive science. My interests include metaphysical or epistemological problems of consciousness, perception, nonconceptual content, etc.

I am a Professor of the department of philosophy at Duksung Women's University in Seoul. I was a postdoctoral researcher at SNU (2008-2010), and the director of the Korean Organizing Committee of the XXII World Congres of Philosophy (2007-2008).

I received my PhD in 2007 from Duke University. Before transferring to Duke, I was a graduate student at Syracuse (2001 to 2002). I earned my BA and MA from Seoul National University.

I was a visiting scholar at Duke (2017 – 2018).
Supervisors: Owen Flanagan, Guven Guzeldere, and Hyo-Myung Kim
Phone: 822-901-8252

less

Daniel D. Hutto

University of Wollongong

Galen Strawson

The University of Texas at Austin

Philip N Pettit

Princeton University

Michael Spivey

University of California, Merced

Richard Menary

Macquarie University

Brian Leiter

University of Chicago

David Seamon

Kansas State University

Remo Caponi

University of Cologne

Ned Block

New York University

Martin O'Neill

University of York

Interests

Uploads

Papers by Woojin Han

Can memory color effects be explained by cognitive penetration?

Philosophical Psychology, 2023

Orange heart shapes are commonly perceived as slightly reddish, which is an example of the memory... more Orange heart shapes are commonly perceived as slightly reddish, which is an example of the memory color effect (MCE). Given that the MCE is a modulation of visual memories of typical colors of familiar objects, it can be considered to be a top-down effect. Whether cognitive penetration can explain MCEs has been actively debated since Macpherson argued that the belief that hearts are red alters orange perception. This paper aims to provide a credible explanation of the MCE that is consistent with scientific studies. I first prove that Macpherson’s theory is not properly supported by the psychological evidence that she provides. I also show that her model contradicts a report on the neural correlate of the MCE. Next, I examine color constancy, which enables the perception of colors as constant under various illuminations, as a possible noncognitive principle for the MCE. The relationship between them, however, is not well established. Using statistical analyses of scenes around us, Purves suggests that perception is determined by the most frequent percepts. I argue that Purves’ view better explains the noncognitive aspects of visual memory and is consistent with the finding of the neural correlate of the MCE.

Social Cognition, Points of View, and Elements of Empathy

Journal of the New Korean Philosophical Association, 2020

Theory theory assumes that we read other minds through theories of mind from the 3rd person point... more Theory theory assumes that we read other minds through theories of mind from the 3rd person point of view, while simulation theory supposes that empathy is equivalent to putting oneself in someone’s situation from the 1st person point of view. As an alternative, interaction theory is other-oriented by taking the 2nd person point of view and pays attention to the perceptual and embodied aspect of daily interactions. Debates over social cognition have centered on which theory better explains specific dimensions of mindreading, empathy, or interaction. Although interaction theory is meaningful in that it focuses on the reciprocity of interactions, empathy is not monopolized by one theory or point of view but instead has multi-levels. We interact with others on various levels, each of which corresponds to related theories and points of view. Based on reciprocity, a key feature of empathy, this study distills a comprehensive set of elements of empathy from theories and points of view for each level.

Woojin Han

Uploads

Papers by Woojin Han

Log In