Keith Peterson, Associate Professor of Philosophy (Colby College)
The content and function of what has been considered to play a preconscious-determining role in human cognition and experience has changed from Kant to the present. Whether the determining factors are described as concepts and categories, stereotypes and intuitions, or historico-cultural expectations, the view that human experience is shaped by a priori determining factors of which individuals are usually entirely unaware has remained an important finding of critical philosophy. After discussing some historical versions of the notion, I consider one current account that attributes our widespread inability to act on knowledge of global climate disruption, at least in part, to certain properties of human cognition that function in an automatic and a priori way.
Keith Peterson is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Colby College. His primary areas of interest include philosophies of nature and environment, value theory, philosophical anthropology, and Continental philosophy. He teaches courses in all of these areas, and his monograph on environmental philosophy entitled A World not Made for Us: Topics in Critical Environmental Philosophy should appear sometime in 2019.
- holding academics accountable April 8, 2019
gohwil21 In her talk Toward an Environmental Theory of Early Sexuality, Dr. Greta LaFleur explored the connection between race, environment and sexuality studies of humans. She discussed how early scientists used taxonomic ... - Reluctant to Change April 1, 2019
Grace Eagan Two weeks ago, Professor Peterson of Colby College gave an interesting talk that was centered around the relationship between German philosophy and how we view environmental changes that are slowly ... - A Priori, Climate Change and Technology April 1, 2019
Adam Zarfos The last lecture we attended from Colby’s Keith Peterson was very interesting and enlightening in relation to our previous discussions. I hadn’t thought in philosophical terms for a while but ... - Pride, Prejudice, and Philosophy April 1, 2019
Lyla Jones On March 18th, Colby’s own Philosophy professor Keith Peterson contributed to our lecture series with a presentation titled, “The Past that has never been Present: The Changing Role of the ... - how we know what we know & its implications for the environment April 1, 2019
gohwil21 In his lecture, professor Peterson explored Kantian ethics, focusing more specifically on the idea of a priori- things prior to experience that we use to categorize and process information, life, ... - How powerful is the effect of A Priori? April 1, 2019
Nathaniel Dowd The speaker in this talk emphasized how a priori knowledge, or the lack thereof has led to major problems in society, particularly in the realm of environmental activism. A priori ... - A Priori and the Environment April 1, 2019
easogu21 Professor Keith Peterson’s lecture, “The Past that has never been Present: The Changing Role of the a Priori in Philosophical Anthropology was very educational for me. I have never taken ... - The Fallacies of a priori March 27, 2019
Zaie Nursey Keith Paterson’s lecture about the preconscious explores a priori, and its role in shaping our societal and cultural assumptions. a priori, or “from the former”, comes from Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason ... - The Root of Environmentalist Debate, and Who Should Care March 26, 2019
Audrey Bell One member of the audience asked who should be included in this reorientation of the social narrative of environmental debate. Peterson’s lecture clearly wanted to encourage a place at the ... - Has the Past Ever Been Present? March 25, 2019
egrubman This Monday, Professor Peterson (Associate Professor in the Colby College Department of Philosophy) gave an insightful lecture discussing the relationship between classical German philosophy and environmentalism. Specifically, he used the ...