Daniel Stoljar

Daniel Stoljar
Name	Daniel Stoljar
Birth place	Melbourne, Australia
Alma mater	University of Melbourne; Harvard University
Occupation	Philosopher
Institutions	Australian National University; University of Sydney
Notable works	Consciousness and Illusion

Daniel Stoljar is an Australian philosopher known for his work in philosophy of mind, metaphysics, and epistemology. He has held academic positions at leading universities and contributed influential arguments on consciousness, physicalism, and conceptual analysis. His scholarship engages with debates involving notable philosophers and institutions across analytic philosophy.

Early life and education

Stoljar was born in Melbourne and received early schooling in Victoria before studying at the University of Melbourne where he completed undergraduate work. He pursued graduate studies at Harvard University under the supervision of prominent philosophers associated with analytic philosophy and the Harvard Philosophy Department. During this period he engaged with the works of David Chalmers, Frank Jackson, Tyler Burge, Hilary Putnam, and Wilfrid Sellars.

Academic career

Stoljar held positions at the Australian National University and the University of Sydney, among other institutions. He has taught courses linked to programs at the Sydney Philosophy Department, the ANU Research School of Philosophy, and participated in events hosted by the American Philosophical Association, the Australasian Association of Philosophy, and the Mind Association. He has been a visiting scholar at centres such as the Philipps-Universität Marburg, the National University of Singapore, and research institutes affiliated with the British Academy and the Australian Research Council. His supervision and collaboration connect him to students and colleagues influenced by Tim Crane, John Searle, Frank Jackson (philosopher), and Patricia Churchland.

Philosophical work and contributions

Stoljar's work focuses on the philosophy of mind, especially the nature of consciousness, the metaphysics of physicalism, and epistemic issues about mental content. He has defended positions concerning the explanatory gap debated by Joseph Levine, responded to anti-physicalist intuitions linked to David Chalmers and Frank Jackson, and addressed conceptual challenges posed by Thomas Nagel and Frank Jackson (philosopher). His arguments engage with formulations of physicalism articulated by philosophers such as Jaegwon Kim, David Lewis, and Daniel Dennett.

He is noted for clarifying distinctions between epistemic and metaphysical formulations, interacting with debates about a priori knowledge as discussed by Saul Kripke, Hilary Putnam, and Galen Strawson. Stoljar's analyses examine the role of conceivability in modal reasoning, connecting to work by P. F. Strawson, Saul Kripke, and Hilary Putnam, and critique of intuitions examined by Ernest Sosa and Timothy Williamson. In metaphysics, he engages with issues concerning reductionism and non-reductive accounts debated by David Lewis, Jerry Fodor, and Jaegwon Kim.

His contributions intersect with topics in cognitive science and neuroscience, engaging with empirical programmes at institutions like the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University College London. These interactions inform his treatment of consciousness, qualia, and the relationship between subjective experience and physical processes, in dialogue with researchers influenced by Antonio Damasio, Christof Koch, and Patricia Churchland.

Major publications

Stoljar is author of the monograph Consciousness and Illusion, which addresses debates initiated by Frank Jackson (philosopher), David Chalmers, and Thomas Nagel. He has edited and contributed to volumes alongside scholars such as Stuart Ritchie, Tim Crane, David Papineau, and Derk Pereboom. His articles have appeared in journals including Philosophical Review, Mind (journal), The Journal of Philosophy, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, and Noûs (journal), where he engages current debates with figures like Michael Tye, Adrian Gopnik, and Frank Jackson (philosopher).

He has also written influential papers on physicalism and concepts of the mental that interact with essays by David Lewis, Jaegwon Kim, Daniel Dennett, and David Chalmers, and contributed chapters to handbooks published by the Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and the Routledge series in analytic philosophy.

Awards and honours

Stoljar has received recognition from philosophical societies including prizes and fellowships funded by the Australian Research Council, the British Academy, and awards associated with the Australian Academy of the Humanities. He has been invited to give named lectures at venues such as the Kurt Gödel Research Center, the Centre for Consciousness Studies at University of Arizona, and colloquia at the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton). His work has been cited in international prize committees and curricula for graduate programmes at Harvard University, University of Oxford, and Princeton University.

Category:Australian philosophers Category:Philosophers of mind Category:Living people