Benjamin Young: Exploring olfactory philosophy or research and publishing
Title
Exploring olfactory philosophy or research and publishing
Mentor
Department
Biosketch
Benjamin D. Young, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy, a member of the graduate faculty in interdisciplinary neuroscience, and the Institute for Neuroscience at the ÍƼöÐÓ°ÉÔ´´. Previously he held a Kreitman Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at Ben-Gurion University, as well as a visiting assistant professorship and post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Cognitive Science at Hebrew University. He conducts research at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and philosophy with a particular emphasis on olfaction. His research on non-conceptual content, qualitative consciousness in the absence of awareness, and the perceptible objects of smell appeared in journals such as Mind & Language, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, Pacific Philosophical Quarterly and Philosophical Studies. His recent projects include the co-edited textbook Mind, Cognition, and Neuroscience (Routledge, 2022) and a co-edited collection Theoretical Perspectives on Smell (Routledge, 2023). Young just finished a book on olfactory philosophy Stinking Philosophy! (MIT Press, 2024) and is currently working on a book about the unconscious and our sense of self tentatively titled Don’t Tell Anyone.
Project overview
There are two projects for interested students to choose from.
Project 1: Philosophical analysis of the role olfaction plays in our sense of self
The project continues research on unconscious process and our sense of self with a focus on how social and cultural environmental smells influence our sense of belonging. Thus far, the project has yielded one published paper on our scent of self and how it generates a sense of ourselves as an embodied entity within an environment. There are two papers in progress concerning to what extent smell allows us to attain second-personal interpersonal relations, as well as how olfactory autobiographic memories ground our sense of persistence. Each of these form part of an on-going multi-year research project culminating in a book on the unconscious and our sense of self, tentatively titled, Don’t Tell Anyone.
Given the unique nature of the topic and research area students are not required to have any background knowledge of the subject area though an interest in philosophy and smell is suggested. Students will gain first-hand experience of how to conduct philosophical research. The project will begin with on-boarding through background reading of the project thus far. Following this initial stage, the PREP student will conduct literature reviews and summaries, including collection, analyzing, summarizing, and discussion the material. Upon completing the background literature review we will work together to brainstorm, outline, and begin writing the rough draft of a stand-alone academic philosophy paper. The PREP student will be involved in all stages of writing and will be tasked with taking the lead for writing at least one section of the paper. By the end of the project, the PREP student should be able to identify a publishable idea, collect and analyze the relevant literature, brainstorm, outline and segment a rough draft, and write a philosophy paper. No prior skills or knowledge are expected for this role, but strong analytic reading, writing, and reasoning skills are recommended.
Project 2: Back of the house academic philosophy publishing and editing
The project will involve assisting the editorial team of a special issue for Philosophy and the Mind Sciences on “,” and possibly the editorial team of The Oxford Handbook of Smell (we are still awaiting the contract). Students will gain a first-hand perspective on back-of-house academic publishing. You will learn how to manage correspondence with contributors, collect and log incoming submissions, select reviewers, handle revisions, and submit the final version of the special issue/edited collection for publication. In doing so, students will gain knowledge of a wide range of research on olfactory philosophy and the chemosensory sciences, as well as be able to identify those with expertise across these areas. No prior knowledge or skills are required for this project, but strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and some level of administrative skills are highly recommended. The project provides a unique experience not often available to undergraduates through which you will learn a vital skillset required for navigating academic publishing. This body of knowledge and associated skills would be ideal for anyone considering a career as a research professor and/or anyone interested in pursue a career in publishing more generally.
Pack Research Experience Program information and application