William P. Seeley
Department of Philosophy
Franklin & Marshall
College
Education:
CUNY, Graduate Center, Philosophy Program & Concentration in Cognitive Science.
M.A., 2001, M.Phil., 2001.
Ph.D., May 2006.
Dissertation: "The Neurophysiology of Aesthetic Experience: 3 Case Studies."
Advisor: David M. Rosenthal.
Columbia University, School of the Arts, M.F.A., Sculpture, 1992.
Columbia University, B.A., Philosophy, 1988.
Areas of Specialization: Cognitive Science, Aesthetics, Philosophy of Mind, Sculpture.
Areas of
Competence: Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Film, Epistemology,
Biomedical Ethics, Ethics, Business Ethics, Critical Thinking.
Employment:
Philosophy:
Franklin & Marshall College, 2005 - 2008 (Visiting Assistant Professor).
Yale University, 2005 (Lecturer in Yale College and Guest Fellow in Ezra Stiles College).
Yale University, 2003 (Lecturer in Yale College and Guest Fellow in Timothy Dwight College).
Brooklyn College, CUNY, 2003 - 2005 (Visiting Instructor).
Brooklyn College, CUNY, 2001 - 2003 (Graduate Teaching Fellow).
Hofstra University, 2000 - 2003 (Adjunct Lecturer).
College of Staten Island, 2000 - 2001 (Graduate Teaching Fellow).
City University of New York 1998 - 2003 (Adjunct Lecturer):
Brooklyn College, Baruch College, College of Staten Island, Medgar Evers College.
Art:
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Fall 2002
(Course Consultant for The Kinetic Sculpture Project).
Columbia University, School of the Arts, Division of Visual Arts, Fall 1988 - Spring 1993
(Teaching Assistant).
Awards and
Honors:
Geoffrey Marshall Dissertation Fellowship for Distinguished Research in the Humanities, CUNY,
2003 – 2004 (declined, accepted position at Yale University as “Guest Fellow and Lecturer”).
Louis C. Sudler Prize in the Arts, Columbia University,1988.
Grants
and Fellowships:
Franklin &
Marshall College Committee on Grants Research Grant (2006-2008) in support of
"Artists and Non-Artists Eye Movements in Out-of-Focus Picture
Recognition."
Selected Publications & Presentations:
Articles:
“Art, Artists, and Perception: A model for premotor contributions to visual analysis and form recognition” (forthcoming). Philosophical Psychology.
“Cognitive Science and Art” (forthcoming). In Stephen Davies, Kathleen Higgins, RobertHopkins, & Robert Stecker (Eds.), Blackwell Companion to Aesthetics, 2nd Edition.
“Art,
Perception, and Cognitive Neuroscience” (forthcoming). Arts and
Neurosciences Review.
“Integrating
Art Historical, Psychological, and Neuroscientific Explanations of Artists Advantages
in Drawing and Perception” (2007). Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and
the Arts, Volume 1, Issue 2, pp. 80-90.
"Naturalizing
Aesthetics: Art and the Cognitive Neuroscience of Vision" (2006). Journal
of Visual Arts Practice, Volume 5, Issue 3,
pp. 195-213.
"Art,
Aesthetics, and Cognitive Neuroscience" (2006). In H. Gottesdiener &
J. C. Vilatte (Eds.), Culture and Communication: Proceedings of the
International Association of Empirical Aesthetics, Volume XIX, pp. 781-784.
"Imagining
Film: Seeing with the Mind's Eye" (2005). Philosophical Inquiry Volume XVII, Summer/Fall, pp. 3-14.
"A Visuomotor Skill Model for Artists' Advantages in Drawing, Visual Analysis, and Form Recognition" with Aaron Kozbelt” (2004). In J. P. Frois, P. Andrade, & J. F. Marques (Eds.), Art and Science: Proceedings of the International Association of Empirical Aesthetics, Volume XVIII, pp. 645-648.
Book Reviews:
"Book
Review: Philosophy & Conceptual Art,
edited Peter Goldie & Elisabeth Schellekens" (2007). Journal
of Aesthetics and Art Criticism
(forthcoming).
"Book
Review: The Creation of Art, edited
Berys Gaut and Paisley Livingston" (2005). Philosophical
Inquiry, Volune XVII, Summer/Fall, pp. 126-129.
"Book
Review: AngloModern: Painting and Modernity in Britain and the United States, Janet Wolff" (September, 2004). Leonardo
Reviews, www.LDR.org
"Book Review: Neurons and Networks, John Dowling," New in Brain and Behavioral Science, 2(78), November 23, 2002, http://mentalhelp.net/books/books.php?type=de&id=1407
In
Preparation:
Can Neuroaesthetics Earn Its Keep?
Imagining Crawling Home: A Case Study in Cognitive Science and Aesthetics.
Effects of Interpretation of Energetic & Emotional Costs in Picture Perception.
Hills, Energetic Costs, & Perspectival Distortions in Copies of One Point Perspective Drawings.
Art and Attention: A Diagnostic Recognition Model for Aesthetic Experience.
Disinterestedness, Defined, Discredited, and (re)Discovered.
Virtual Motions, Virtual Gestures, Proprioception, and the Philosophy of Dance.
Presentations:
“Imagining
Crawling Home: A Case Study in Cognitive Science and Aesthetics,” Aesthetic
Psychology, University of Durham, Durham,
UK, September 2007.
“Letting
the Blind Lead the Blind: Teaching Art with Mathematics and Mathematics with
Art,” Viewpoints 2007: Mathematics & Art, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, June 2007.
“Effects
of Interpretation of Energetic and Emotional Costs in Picture Perception,” Association
for Psychological Science, 19th Annual Convention, Washington,
D.C., May 2007.
“Can
Neuroaesthetics Earn It’s Keep?” American Philosophical Association, Central
Division Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, April
2007.
“How
to Learn to See the World as an Artwork,” American Society for Aesthetics,
Pacific Division Meeting, Pacific Grove,
California, March 2007.
“Art,
Aesthetics, and Cognitive Neuroscience,” XIX Congress of the International
Association of Empirical Aesthetics,
Avignon, France, September 2006.
"Static
Objects, Gestural Dynamics, and the Perception of Kinetic Art," Symposium:
RES-Arts Exhibition, ALifeX, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, June
2006.
"How Free Can Harmony Be?: Comments on Kenneth Rogerson's 'Kant, Free Harmony, and Aesthetic Ideas," American Philosophical Association, Central Division Meeting, Chicago,
Illinois,
April 2006.
"Characters,
Worlds, and Authors: Comments on Ira Newman's, ‘Virtual People: Fictional
Characters through the Frames of Reality," American Society for
Aesthetics, Eastern Division Meeting,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 2006.
"Sympathy
and Utility in Moral and Aesthetic Assessments: Comments on Eva Dadlez' ‘Jane
Austen on Aesthetics: Kantian and Humean Perspectives," American
Society for Aesthetics, Eastern Division Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 2006.
"Modernism,
Meaning, and Perception: Eye Candy and the Educated Mind," Phillips
Museum of Art, Franklin & Marshall
College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, February 2006.
"Metal,
Mobiles, and Mind: Art and the Perception of Dynamic Form," Phillips
Museum of Art, Franklin & Marshall
College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, February 2006.
"Art,
Perception, and Attention?" Philosophy and Cognitive Science Colloquium, William Patterson University, Patterson, New
Jersey, December 2005.
“A
Field Guide to Cognitive Science and Aesthetics," Humanities
Convocation, Centenary College of
Louisiana, Shreveport, Louisiana, November 2005.
“Art,
Artists, and Perception: A Model for Premotor Contributions to Visual Analysis
and Form Recognition," Natural Sciences Colloquium, Centenary College of Louisiana, Shreveport, Louisiana,
November 2005.
"Art, Aesthetics, and Cognitive Neuroscience," Department of Cognitive Science Colloquia,
Yale
University, New Haven, Connecticut, October 2005.
"As
We Can Safely Imagine: Comment on Ismay Barwell’s 'Resisting Again," Annual
Meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics,
Providence, Rhode Island, October 2005.
"The
Philosophical and Ethical Dimensions of Addiction," Biology, Behavior
and Choice: 2005 Benjamin Rush Symposium,
Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, October 2005.
"Get
Your Motor Running: A Demonstration of Contributions from Premotor Areas to
Visual Perception" (with Mike Anderson), Cognition and Neural
Representation Group Project Presentation, McDonnell Project Early Career
Researchers Workshop, California Institute
of Technology, Pasadena, California, June 2005.
"Naturalizing
Aesthetics: Art and the Cognitive Neuroscience of Vision" (poster), Neurophilosophy:
The State of the Art, California Institute
of Technology, Pasadena, California, June 2005.
"A
Visuomotor Skill Model for Artists' Advantages in Drawing, Visual Analysis, and
Form Recognition" (poster), The 17th Annual Convention of
the American Psychological Society, Los
Angeles, California, May 2005.
"What
Is Art? A Panel Discussion," with Emily Brady (Department of Philosophy)
and Saam Trivedi (Department of Philosophy), Faculty Day, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York, May 2005.
"A
Visuomotor Skill Model for Artists' Advantages in Drawing, Visual Analysis, and
Form Recognition," Psychology Department Colloquium, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey,
May 2005.
"What Is Aesthetics and Cognitive Science?" Department of Philosophy Faculty Colloquia,
Brooklyn
College, Brooklyn, New York, April 2005.
"Can Cognitive Science Tell Us Anything about Art?:" Philosophy Lunchtime Colloquia, Yale
University,
New Haven, Connecticut, April 2005.
“Are
There Constraints on Interpretation?: Comments on Mark Silcox and Jon Cogburn’s
‘Does the Reader Make the Text?: Some Thoughts on Literary Competence," Colloquium:
Philosophyof Literature, American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division
Meeting, San Francisco, California, March
2005.
"Who's
Afraid of Interpretation: Art, Meaning, & Perception," Language and
Cognition Lab, Department of Psychology,
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, March 2005.
"What
Cognitive Science Has to Say About Art: Aesthetics and the Constructivist
Hypothesis," Annual Meeting of the American Association of Aesthetics, Houston, Texas, October 2004.
"A
Visuomotor Skill Model for Artists' Advantages in Drawing, Visual Analysis, and
Form Recognition," XVIII Congress of the International Association of
Empirical Aesthetics, Lisbon, Portugal,
September 2004.
"Naturalizing
Aesthetics: Art and the Cognitive Neuroscience of Vision," (Re)Discovering
Aesthetics, University College Cork, Cork,
Ireland, July 2004.
"Art
and the Cognitive Neuroscience of Vision" (poster), The 16th
Annual Convention of the American Psychological Society, Chicago, Illinois, May 2004.
"Imagining Film: Seeing with the Mind's Eye," Symposium on the Construction of Visual Narrative in Hitchcock's "Rear Window," Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York, May 2004.
"Mental
Imagery and the Possible Neurological Underpinnings of Aesthetic
Disinterestedness," Towards a Science of Consciousness 2004, Tucson, Arizona, April 2004.
"Naturalizing
Aesthetics: Art and the Cognitive Neuroscience of Vision," American
Philosophical Association, Pacific Division Meeting, Pasadena, California, March 2004.
"Naturalizing
Aesthetics: The Neurophysiology of Aesthetic Experience," Third
International Conference on Neuroesthetics,
Berkeley Museum of Art, University
of California, Berkeley, California, January 2004, sponsored by The Minerva Foundation, Berkeley, and The
Institute of Neuroesthetics, University College, London.
"Paying
Attention: Constructing Perception in Film and the Visual Arts: A Panel
Discussion on Film, Narrative, and Vision," with Aaron Kozbelt (Department
of Psychology), Ellen Tremper (Department of English), and Linley Hanlon
(Department of Film), Brooklyn College Cognitive Science Colloquia, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York, December
2003.
"What
Cognitive Science Has to Say About Art: Aesthetics and the Constructivist
Hypothesis," The Yale College Cognitive Science Society, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, November
2003.
"Naturalizing
Aesthetic Experience: Aesthetics and the Cognitive Neuroscience of
Vision," Hofstra Psychology Research Seminar: A Forum For the
Discussion of Research on Minds, Brains, and Behavior, Sponsored by the Departments of Psychology and
Philosophy, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, September 2003.
"Naturalizing
Aesthetics: The Neurophysiology of Aesthetic Experience," Towards a
Science of Consciousness 2003: Between Phenomenology and Neuroscience, Prague, Czech Republic, July 2003.
"Aesthetic
Perception and the Veridicality of Mental Representation," CUNY Graduate
Center Cognitive Science Symposium, New
York, New York, March 2003.
"Philosophy
and the Cognitive Science of Aesthetics: A Panel Discussion," with Aaron
Kozbelt (Department of Psychology), The Philosophy Society of Brooklyn
College, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New
York, November 2002.
"Some
Principles of Kinetic Sculpture: An Overview of the Art of Dynamics and
Motion," Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Needham, Massachusetts,
October 2002.
"In
Search of the Brain's Mind's Eye: Can Evidence from Cognitive Neuroscience Tip
the Scales in the Mental Imagery Debate?" CUNY Graduate Center
Cognitive Science Symposium, New York, New
York, March 2002.
“Neurophysiology
and the Structural Elements of Visual Perception: Monet’s Brain and Calder’s
Mobiles," The Annual Celebration of Science, Engineering, and
Mathematics at the CUNY Graduate Center,
New York, New York, March 2001.
"Levels
and Scientific Explanation," First Annual Michigan State University
Graduate Student Philosophy Conference,
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, October 1999.
"Realism, Projectability, and Mental Properties," First Annual Rocky Mountain Philosophy Conference, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, March 1999.
Professional
Activity:
Program
Chair, American Society for Aesthetics, Eastern Division Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 2008.
"Aesthetics
and Cognitive Science: syllabus," listed in the bibliography of resources
for teaching cognitive science and the arts on the website of the American
Society for Aesthetics, Aesthetics-Online.Org, http://www.aesthetics-online.org/teaching/index.html
Referee,
Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism.
Referee,
Leonardo: Journal of the International Society for Arts, Science, and
Technology.
Leonardo
Digital Reviews Panel, Leonardo: Journal of the International Society for
Arts, Science, and Technology,
2003-Present.
Viewpoints
2007: Mathematics and Art Workshop,
Franklin & Marshall College, June 2007.
Chair,
“Author-Meets-Critics: Peter Carruthers, The Architecture of the Mind:
Massive Modularity and the Flexibility of Thought,” American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division
Meeting, San Francisco, California, April
2007.
Chair, “Symposium: Picture Perception,” American Society for Aesthetics, Annual Meeting, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, October 2006.
Chair,
“Infectious Music: Music Listener Emotional Contagion,” Stephen Davies, Empathy:
An International Interdisciplinary Conference,
California State University, Fullerton, California, June 2006.
Chair,
"Colloquium: Extended Memories and the Functional Role Objection," American
Philosophical Association, Pacific Division Meeting, Portland, Oregon, March 2006.
McDonnell Project Early Career Researchers Workshop, California Institute of Technology,
Pasadena,
California, June 2005.
Chair,
"Panel Session: The End of Art and the End of Aesthetics?" (Re)Discovering
Aesthetics, University College Cork,
Ireland, July 2004.
Referee, Society for Student Philosophers, 2004-2006.
University
Service:
Search Committee, Head Coach, Varsity Women’s Field Hockey, Franklin & Marshall College, Spring 2008.
Academic
Advisor, Beginnings 2007, New Student
Orientation, May 2007.
Instructor,
Liberal Education 2006: “Federalist Papers 10,” New Student Orientation, Franklin and Marshall College, August 2006.
Steering
Committee, Brooklyn College Cognitive Science Colloquia, Brooklyn College, 2003-2005.
Secretary,
Department of Philosophy, Brooklyn College, 2004 – 2005.
Arrangements
and Calendar Committee, Department of Philosophy, Brooklyn College, 2003-2005.
Organizing
Committee, Humanities Division Outcomes Assessment Meeting, Brooklyn College, October 2003.
Grade
Grievance Committee, Department of Philosophy, Brooklyn College, Fall 2003.
Adjunct Representative to the Department Personnel Committee, Hofstra University, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, 2003.
Thesis
Supervision:
Senior
Thesis Advisor, Sarah Baron, Department of Cognitive Science, Yale University, 2004. Thesis title: "Is
Facial Attractiveness Asymmetrically Dependent on Holistic Face
Perception?"
Senior
Thesis Advisor, Elliot Platt, Scientific & Philosophical Studies of Mind, Franklin & Marshall College, 2007. Thesis
title: "Effects of Changes in Emotional Costs on the Perceived Spatial
Extent of ‘Christina’s World’?"
Senior
Thesis Advisor, Emily Halldorson, Biological Foundations of Behavior, Franklin & Marshall College, 2007. Thesis
title: "Motor Simulation & Motor Unit Action Potential for Imagined
Actions in Picture Perception: an EMG Study”
Senior
Thesis Advisor, Sahil Patel, Biological Foundations of Behavior, Franklin & Marshall College, 2007. Thesis
title: "A Unified Model for the Effects of Motor Planning and Emotional
Response on Apparent Egocentric Distance.”
Second Reader, Emily Ward, Biological Foundations of Behavior, Franklin & Marshall College, 2007. Thesis Title: “Effects of two-Dimensional Noise and Feature Configuration on the Recognition of Faces in Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus apella)”
Courses Taught:
Philosophy:
Aesthetics and Cognitive Science
Art, Meaning, and Perception
Naturalizing Aesthetics
Philosophy of Film
Philosophy of the Arts
Aesthetics
Senior Research Seminar, Scientific and Philosophical Studies of Mind Program
Possibility of Artificial Intelligence
Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence
Philosophy of Mind
Biomedical Ethics
Bioethics: First-Year-Seminar
Introduction to Ethics
Business Ethics
Epistemology
Twentieth Century Philosophy
Knowledge, Existence, and Value
Practical Logic
Reasoning
Introduction to Logic
Art:
The Kinetic Sculpture Project
Construction: Steel Sculpture (Teaching Assistant)
Advanced Sculpture (Teaching Assistant)
Foundations Workshop for “Construction: Steel Sculpture”
Psychology:
Introductory Psychology Lab
Current
Research & Collaboration:
“Does Motor Unit Action Potential Reveal a Role for Motor Simulation in Picture Perception?” Department of Psychology & Biological Foundations of Behavior Program, Franklin & Marshall College.
“Effects of Interpretation of Emotional and Energetic Cost of Actions in Picture Perception,” Perception Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Franklin & Marshall College.
“Effects of Interpretation of Energetic Costs on Perspectival Distortions in the Perception of Drawings in One Point Perspective,” with Norman Freeman, University of Bristol.
“Artists and Non-artists Eye Movements in Out of Focus Picture Recognition,” Perception Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Franklin & Marshall College.
“Effects of Learning to Draw on Performance in Visual Analysis and Form Recognition,” with Aaron Kozbelt, Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College.
“Brain Mechanisms Supporting the Understanding of Action Sentences (MEG study),” with Michael L. Anderson & Tony Chemero, Cognitive Neuroscience of Language Laboratory University of Maryland, College Park.
Selected
Exhibitions:
Phillips
Museum of Art, Franklin & Marshall
College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, “Movements & Marks,” Collaborative
Installation Project, March 2008.
Phillips
Museum of Art, Franklin & Marshall College,
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, “Location Drawings: After Sol Lewitt,” Collaborative
Installation Project, November 2007.
SOFA
Gallery, Indiana University, Bloomington,
Indiana, "Robotic Emergent Systems – Arts," Group Show, June
2006.
Phillips
Museum of Art, Franklin & Marshall
College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, "The Suntrap and Other Abstract Forms in
Motion," Solo Exhibition, March 2006.
Turner
Gallery, Centenary College, Shreveport,
Louisiana, “Untitled,” Solo Exhibition, November 2005.
Studio
Facchetti, Brooklyn (Williamsburg), New
York, Group Show, January 2003.
Studio
Facchetti, Brooklyn (Williamsburg), New
York, "Gestural Vectors," Solo Exhibition, May 2002.
The
Roger Smith Gallery, New York, New York,
Group Show, February 1994.
The
Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover,
Massachusetts, Group Show, Spring 1993.
Ezra
Styles College, Yale University, New Haven,
Connecticut, Solo Exhibition-Outdoor Works, April 1992.
Ira
Wallach Gallery, Columbia University, New
York, New York, Group Show, May 1990.
Proceedings
and Addresses of the Annual Meeting of the College Arts Association, Hunter College, New York, New York, Annual
Exhibition, December 1990.
National Arts Club, New York, New York, Annual Student Show, December 1989.
Other Work Experience:
Head
Assistant to the Sculptor Ursula Von Rydingsvard, Brooklyn, NY 1990-1993.
Steel and Aluminum Fabricator, Kern-Rockenfield, Inc., Brooklyn, NY, 1993-1997
(custom
fabrication for art and architectural design).
Installations
Assistant, Grand Lobby Project, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY, 1993-1994.
Wilderness Canoe Guide, Keewaydin Camps Ltd., Lake Temagami, Ontario, Canada,1984, 1989, 1992-1998
(responsibilities
included planning and leading one six-week wilderness expedition to Hudson Bay
in northern Quebec per year).
Co-director, Terra Incognita Ltd., 1993 – 1994
(Terra
Incognita was a not-for-profit company started with a colleague to develop
multi-media educational resources for secondary school earth sciences
curricula).
Writer’s Assistant, Maria Reidelbach, New York, NY, 1993 – 1994.
Artist’s Assistant, Reeva Potoff, Sculptor, 1990.
Artist’s
Assistant, Jonathan Silver, Sculptor, 1989.