University of Edinburgh

Graduate Student, Classics, History and Archaeology

Other Affiliations: University of California, Berkeley, History
Princeton, Philosophy

College of Humanities and Social Science

Thesis Title: Dissecting the Soul: Medical Theory and the Making of a 'Science of Man' in the Scottish Enlightenment [subject to change]

Supervisors: Thomas Ahnert
John Henry

About

I have an M.A. in history from the University of California, Berkeley (2008) and a B.A. in philosophy from Princeton University (2002).

I am currently a PhD postgraduate at the University of Edinburgh. I began doctoral research in history—with a focus on the history of science and medicine—in September 2009.

I'm interested in the histories of the human sciences—especially those focused on mind, brain and behavior—and the history of medicine, with side interests in genetics and evolutionary biology. Philosophical issues that arise from these areas, including the nature of science/pseudoscience, causation, scientific explanation, and the mind-body problem, I'm fascinated by as well. 

The area of focus for my thesis ('dissertation' in the U.S.) is the development of natural philosophy and medical theory during the Enlightenment in Europe. More specifically, I'm interested in the way that medical theorists—physicians, anatomists, physiologists, and like-minded professionals—contributed to a broader eighteenth-century debate about how to relate the soul (or, increasingly, the mind) to the body. This, in turn, was a critical component of religious and scientific debates about human nature during the Enlightenment.

Beyond academics: I love films, live music, traveling, foreign languages, culture, writing, and exploring.

Contact Information

Email:

Homepage: http://www.jcwolf.net

Address: Edinburgh, UK

Instant Messengers/Skype: Skype: jwolf4of5
AIM: jwolf4of5