Jeff Foss
Contact Info
Email: jefffoss@uvic.ca
Office: CLE B330
Hours: Tuesdays & Wednesdays 1:30 - 2:30
Phone: (250) 721-7513
Biography
History: B.A. (Alberta), M.A., Ph.D., (Western Ontario), professor, has taught at the University of Saskatchewan, University of Alberta, University of Regina, University of Winnipeg, and the University of Manitoba and joined this department in 1984.
Interests: philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, and philosophy of nature.
Dr. Foss's statement: I believe philosophy is much more than an academic discipline. For students of philosophy it is a preparation for life; for those who become philosophers it is a way of life. My own philosophical orientation is entirely naturalistic: I do not rely on God or any supernatural entity, force, standard of rationality, or source of knowledge. When it comes to understanding the world I build upon scientific foundations, and when it comes to ethics I build upon the values of life, consciousness, and caring. I find great satisfaction in my family and friends as well as in my philosophical work as a teacher, scholar, and writer. When not otherwise occupied, I enjoy travel, hiking, mountaineering, writing fiction, playing guitar, writing songs, and walking my dog.
Presentations: Copenhagen Debate on the Future of Environmentalism.
Books
- Science and the Riddle of Consciousness: A Solution (2000) aims to demystify consciousness as a subject of scientific research and theory by illustrating the potential reach of scientific methods into what have traditionally been thought of as necessarily private, ineffable aspects of individual conscious experience.
- Can Science Explain the Soul? (2003) is a brief monograph arguing that the answer to the title question is: yes. The essence of the soul is consciousness, and consciousness is the information processing of the brain as it is apprehended within that process itself.
- Beyond Environmentalism: A Philosophy of Nature (2009) moves beyond the loose collection of putative facts, questionable creeds, and hastily conceived calls for action of popular environmentalism to establish a philosophical basis for reasoning about nature, finding our place within the order of nature, and learning how humankind and all of the rest of nature can flourish together symbiotically.
- Science and Philosophy: The Broad Spectrum of Issues (forthcoming 2010) is designed as an introductory textbook in the philosophy of science that includes not only standard metaphysical, epistemological, and methodological issues, but historical, cultural, and ethical issues as well. Humans create science, but science in turn is recreating humankind itself. Thus the philosophical significance of science extends far beyond the traditional epistemological and metaphysical concerns with scientific theories. The cultural and ethical aspects of science are of vast significance since science is not just discovering the truth about nature, but transforming nature - and human nature - as well.
Articles
Dr. Foss contributes to philosophical journals such as Canadian Journal of Philosophy, Journal of Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Transactions of the Charles Peirce Society, Hypatia, Inquiry, American Philosophical Quarterly, and Dialogue.
Other
Dr. Foss is Associate Editor of Philosophy in Review, a Canadian journal that reviews philosophical books. He is also a freelance writer for the Toronto Globe and Mail, reviewing books about the mind and brain.
Course Materials
Curriculum Vitae
Courses Currently Taught
As taught by Jeff Foss
This class is a first introduction to philosophy, in which you will discuss a wide variety of readings on a wide variety of philosophical topics. Philosophy is the love of wisdom, "philia" being the Greek word for friendly (as opposed to erotic) love, "sophia" being the Greek word for wisdom. Wisdom is not easy to attain, but nevertheless permits being pursued. Everyone has a philosophy, although they may not have actually put it into words. Philosophies often run deep, unseen, below the surface, supporting the things we believe as well as the things we believe in. Philosophical study begins when we bring our own guiding beliefs and values to the surface of our thought and examine them to discover their strengths and the weaknesses. In this examination we see what is missing, and by reflection glimpse what it is we seek: wisdom. In this section of Philosophy 100 our readings will include the following topics: Is there a God? Does life have a purpose? Does reason, or science, reveal truth? Are there truths that reason or science cannot reveal? What is consciousness? What is a person? Are we free? What is the basis of our ethical judgments? Which actions are right and which are wrong? What is justice?