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Open Day Study Programme Career Prospects Get acquainted Contact Something for you?
- This is the only research master’s in the Netherlands specifically focused on philosophy of mind and cognition.
- Our staff works closely together with the prestigiousDonders Institute.
- You’ll study the study the essence of language, that is, the ways in which we use language to communicate and cooperate.
- All research master students are assisted by a personal supervisor.
- This Research master’s specialisation is part of a broader Research Master’s programme.
- 60 EC's of the courses are tailored to academic research.
- The Radboud University campus offers an exceptionally rich environment for studying language in all its aspects, with theCentre for Language Studies, theDonders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, and theMax Planck Institute for Psycholinguistcs.
- Theprogramme offersa lively, international environment.
- This programme scores above average compared to the national average (Source: Keuzegids Masters 2024)
Why in Nijmegen? Admission requirements
Do you want to know if you can be admitted? Read more about the admission requirements of this programme.
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If you have determined that you can be admitted with your previous education, you can apply via Studielink.
Apply now Factsheet
- Main language
- English
- Study duration
- 2 years (120 EC)
- Start
- February, September
- Number of students
- 14
- Programme format
- Full time
- Degree
- Master of Arts, specialisation of Research Master's in Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies
- CROHO code
- 60128
- Accreditation
- NVAO
What will you learn
Traditionally, philosophy of mind is part of the analytical tradition in philosophy. Recently, however, a more phenomenological approach to typical questions in the philosophy of mind has provided a refreshing new look on old topics. The advance of cognitive neuroscience is also leaving its trace in the way old questions are posed and answered. Therefore, the research Master’s in Philosophy of Mind and Language combines traditional analytical theorising with insights from phenomenology and the empirical sciences. Language is without doubt one of our most complex achievements, but at the end of the day, it’s all about what wedowith it, how we use language to understand, comfort, criticise, and manipulate each other. Language is an immensely complicated tool for doing all these things, and more. We talk all the time. Language is our main form of social interaction. In the Master’s specialisation in Philosophy of Mind Language you’ll explore the richness of language from a social and evolutionary perspective.
Study Programme Future career opportunities
This programme is designed for students who wish to acquire the skills needed for a career in research, either in academia or elsewhere. The training you receive in conducting academic philosophical research will give you a head start in a search for a PhD position, but your analytical, conceptual and investigative skills also open up a wider range of career opportunities.
In recent years around 40% of graduates have chosen to continue in academia by pursuing a PhD position (with a success rate of nearly 90%). Many others have chosen to apply their skills elsewhere, in government, journalism, teaching, think tanks, NGOs, IT, consultancy and as strategists, researchers, or policy makers in a host of other fields.
Your network of Research Master’s alumni and the reputation of the philosophy departments at Radboud University will definitely serve you well, whichever career path you choose.
Here, you can read more about the experiences of former student Sümer Şen.
Career prospects Research
All of the research related to this specialisation is related to the sectionPhilosophy of Mind and Language, which focuses on the context-dependence of the interpretation of linguistic and non-linguistic behaviour. The research carried out in this section covers a number of traditional topics: mental causation, perception of, for example, colour, phenomenal consciousness and qualia, theories of mind, mental content and the nature of folk-psychology.
Our research is closely related to ongoing research in the field of cognitive neuroscience. As neuroscientists probe ever deeper into the workings of our brain new philosophical questions arise.Questions, for instance, about the reach of neuroscientific research on classic philosophical issues such as the nature of free will.
Thesis subjects in Philosophy of Mind and Language
Recent master’s theses (publishable articles) were about the following themes:
- Social cognition
- Understanding other minds (embodied perspective)
- Psychopathology (embodied perspective)
- Interdependence of culture and cognition
- Phenomenal consciousness
- Taxonomies in cognitive neuroscience
- Why don’t people lie more often?
- The evolutionary origins of cooperation
- Language and awareness
- Language and the law
- The evolution of shared meaning
- Communication in chimpanzees
- Everyday confabulation
Questions about this programme?
Do you have a question about this programme? We're happy to help. Please contact us, ask a student or check out our information activities.
Contact Tuitions & grants
If you are going to follow this Master's programme, you will pay an annual tuition fee. There are different tuition rates. The amount depends on your personal situation.
Related programmes
Philosophy of Language and Cognition
Master's specialisation NL
This specialisation combines the philosophy of language and cognition with cognition sciences. You'll study questions of cultural evolution, perception and understanding, cooperative behaviour, consciousness and free will.
FAQs
Some of the major issues at the intersection of philosophy of language and philosophy of mind are also dealt with in modern psycholinguistics. Some important questions regard the amount of innate language, if language acquisition is a special faculty in the mind, and what the connection is between thought and language.
What is philosophy of mind study? ›
The philosophy of mind covers all philosophical topics pertaining to the mind and mental states. Its subtopics can be divided in two main ways. First, by the traditional divisions drawn between kinds of mental states: consciousness, intentionality, perception, and other states and processes.
What is the MA philosophy of mind? ›
On this programme you will explore issues in philosophy of mind and the cognitive sciences, such as the nature of intentionality, physicalism, rationality and interpretation, computation, perception, and consciousness.
What is the difference between epistemology and philosophy of mind? ›
While epistemology is the study of knowledge in the broadest sense, the philosophy of mind is the study of the ontology and nature of the mind and its relationship with the body.
What does the philosophy of language study? ›
philosophy of language, philosophical investigation of the nature of language; the relations between language, language users, and the world; and the concepts with which language is described and analyzed, both in everyday speech and in scientific linguistic studies.
What is the relationship between language and mind? ›
Language expresses the mind and the process of expressing the mind takes place in many ways manipulated by language itself. Language can directly divulge the form and order of the mind, at the same time it can represent mind in an indirect manner.
What is the main problem of philosophy of mind? ›
Collectively they are called "the mind-body problem". This problem is central question of philosophy of mind since Descartes formulated it three centuries ago [1, p. 148-208]. This problem of clarifying and making understandable the relation between mental and physical properties.
What is the difference between psychology and philosophy of mind? ›
Psychology is based on the observation of individuals, often in experimental and laboratory conditions. In contrast, the philosophy of mind is not in the category of experimental disciplines. The philosophy of mind does not require scientific observations in the real world.
Who is the father of philosophy of mind? ›
René Descartes is often credited with being the “Father of Modern Philosophy.” This title is justified due both to his break with the traditional Scholastic-Aristotelian philosophy prevalent at his time and to his development and promotion of the new, mechanistic sciences.
Is MA in philosophy worth it? ›
A master's degree in philosophy may be a valuable educational investment depending on the individual's career goals. Those with a graduate-level education in the field of philosophy have access to a variety of career paths, including: Teaching: Postsecondary instructor.
The emotional mind reacts to life encouraging feelings with happiness, the body-mind reacts with vitality; and the soul reacts with joy. The emotional mind reacts to life discouraging feelings with anger; the body mind reacts with fear; and the soul mind reacts with sadness.
What is mental illness philosophy of mind? ›
The Philosophy of Mental Illness is an interdisciplinary field of study that combines views and methods from the philosophy of mind, psychology, neuroscience, and moral philosophy in order to analyze the nature of mental illness.
How is philosophy of mind different from philosophy of language? ›
The philosopy of mind explores the relationship between minds and bodies, artificial intelligence, and the nature of human consciousness and human perception. The philosophy of language explores the meaning of linguistic terms, semantics, and the ways in which language structures our world.
What is the meaning of philosophy of mind? ›
The philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of the mind and its relation to the body and the external world.
Are the mind and brain the same philosophy? ›
Mind-brain identity theory is a philosophy that purports the mind and brain are the same. In other words, the state of mind is the same as brain processes; that mental state is the same as the physical state of the brain. British philosopher and psychologist U.T.
What is language and thought in philosophy? ›
Language of thought theories rely on the belief that mental representation has linguistic structure. Thoughts are "sentences in the head", meaning they take place within a mental language. Two theories work in support of the language of thought theory.
What is the language for theory of mind? ›
Language at age 3 predicts children's theory of mind (ToM) in early adolescence. Receptive vocabulary and receptive grammar differ in predictive utility for ToM. Receptive grammar at age 5, but not receptive vocabulary, predicts change in ToM. ToM at age 5 predicts change in receptive vocabulary between age 5 and 12.
What is your philosophy of language? ›
Philosophy of language investigates the nature of human language, its origins and use, the relationship between meaning and truth, and how language relates to human thought and understanding, as well as to reality itself.
What is the thing called philosophy of language? ›
Philosophy of language explores some of the fundamental yet most technical problems in philosophy, such as meaning and reference, semantics, and propositional attitudes.
