Sean Winkler – Looking Forward to New Perspectives on Philosophy
On September 1, 2017, Sean Winkler joined the School of Philosophy as a research fellow for one year. Originally from Chino Hills, California, he holds an undergraduate and Master’s degree in philosophy from Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, California), as well as a Master’s degree and PhD from KU Leuven (Leuven, Belgium).
During his time at HSE, Winkler’s research will focus on early modern philosophy, specifically the use of mechanical metaphors to describe psychological processes in the works of thinkers from the 17th century.
‘I was interested in the programьу at the HSE because of the very diverse and wide-ranging interests of the professors and other researchers in the School of Philosophy’, he said in a recent interview with the HSE News Service shortly before his arrival in Moscow. ‘On an earlier occasion, I had the pleasure of meeting Professor Stefan Hessbruggen, an expert in early modern philosophy at HSE, and I was interested in the possibility of working with him on my new project. Finally, I am interested in the work of a Russian philosopher of early modern science named Boris Hessen, and the possibility of working in the context of a Russian university might provide me with greater access to and new perspectives on his work’.
A specific area of Winkler’s work will involve the Hessen-Grossmann thesis, a hypothesis on the rise of mechanical philosophy in light of the emergence of the growing prevalence of machine manufacturing in the early capitalist economy.
Over the next year, Winkler intends to write three articles; two of which develop the Hessen-Grossmann thesis and a third that serves as a case study aiming to apply and test the thesis. He is also looking forward to gaining additional teaching experience, advising undergraduate and Master’s students on their theses, and collaborating with other members of the School of Philosophy on mutual research interests.
Winkler is excited to be living in Moscow. ‘I am very much looking forward to spending the next year in this vibrant city’, he says. ‘I had the chance to visit Moscow last summer and really enjoyed the energy of the people in the city, the history and the city's beautiful architecture. I've just started learning Russian, mainly from my girlfriend who is from St. Petersburg, but I will be taking a Russian language course once I am settled in to begin developing a more comprehensive knowledge of the language’.
Sean Winkler’s recommended reading list on Russian history and literature
- The Double, Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Viy, Nikolai Gogol
- The Socio-Economic Roots of Newton's Principia, Boris Hessen
- State and Revolution, Vladimir Lenin
- Fathers and Sons, Ivan Turgenev
- Poems and Political Letters, Fyodor Tyuchev
- Everything was Forever, until it Was No More, Alexei Yurchak
Anna Chernyakhovskaya, specially for HSE News service
Хессбрюгген-Вальтер Штефан
See also:
‘Philosophy Is Thinking Outside the Box’
In October 2024, Louis Vervoort, Associate Professor at the School of Philosophy and Cultural Studies of the Faculty of Humanities presented his report ‘Gettier's Problem and Quine's Epistemic Holism: A Unified Account’ at the Formal Philosophy seminar, which covered one of the basic problems of contemporary epistemology. What are the limitations of physics as a science? What are the dangers of AI? How to survive the Russian cold? Louis Vervoort discussed these and many other questions in his interview with the HSE News Service.
Artificial Intelligence Tested by Kant Philosophy
The Baltic Federal University (Kaliningrad) recently hosted an International Congress entitled ‘The World Concept of Philosophy’ in honour of the 300th anniversary of the birth of the philosopher and thinker Immanuel Kant. The event brought together about 500 scientists and experts from 23 countries. HSE Rector Nikita Anisimov took part in the opening plenary session of the congress titled ‘Critique of Artificial Intelligence: Being and Cognition in the Context of Artificial Intelligence Development.’
The Perfect Trap: How the Relationship between Humans and AI Is Transforming
Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming an integral part of our life. We are now so used to its help and services that we get completely lost when we can’t connect to the internet. Could a person fall in love with AI? What will its humanisation lead to? These and other questions were discussed at this year’s LSES Christmas movie seminar, which was dedicated to Spike Jonze's film Her.
‘Working on the Fringes of Philosophy and Discovering New Territory’
On January 10-11, metaphysics negativity research group from the HSE University School of Philosophy held its first international event, an online conference entitled ‘Defining Nothingness’. One of the members of the organizing committee, as well as some of the international participants share their impressions and talk about their research.
‘Today, Ethical Questions Are Front and Centre’
The conference on Philosophy and Culture in Time of Pandemics ran from September 30 to 2 October 2021. It was divided into seven sessions held in a hybrid format. The organizers and participants discussed major topics such as social transformation during the pandemic, the role of mass media in shaping perceptions of the pandemic, and the epistemological and ethical issues that have arisen as a result.
Master's Programme 'Politics. Economics. Philosophy': Perfect Combination of Three Disciplines
Modelled on classical British programmes, the HSE Master's Programme 'Politics. Economics. Philosophy' (PEP) helps students delve deeper into economics and political science, broaden their philosophical outlook, develop their critical thinking skills, and enhance their social and academic capital. HSE News Services spoke with current first-year student Tamás Barnák and programme alumnus Franz Walternberger about why they chose PEP and what it is like to study at HSE University.
Interdisciplinary Research: New Prospects for Philosophy
What connects philosophers, linguists, and logicians? How do you develop partnerships with dozens of foreign research centres in just six months? Can science exist in isolation from the outside world? Elena Dragalina-Chernaya, Head of the International Laboratory for Logic, Linguistics, and Formal Philosophy, discusses these and other issues.
Between Two Universities
Alina Pertseva, who earned her PhD in Philosophy from the Doctoral School of Philosophy at HSE in 2017, defended her dissertation at two universities at once — HSE and the University of Paris VIII. In an interview with the HSE news service, Pertseva discussed how she managed to do this and how the Russian and French approaches to research differ.
HSE Academic Is Reviving the Spirit of Socrates
HSE Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Aaron James Wendland, recently launched a popular philosophy column in a prominent British Magazine: The New Statesman. In this interview, we ask Aaron about his research interests, his experience at HSE, and the rationale behind his new column on popular philosophy.
Spiritual Importance of Russian Culture for European History
International Laboratory for the Study of Russian and European Intellectual Dialogue was established at HSE in 2017 with the purpose of showcasing the Russian philosophy, literature and art, and focusing on its universal spiritual significance for the fate of Europe and Russia. HSE News Service has talked to Leonid Luks, Academic Supervisor of the laboratory, about the place of Russian culture in the world and the research the laboratory is undertaking.