Duygu Aktaş

Duygu Aktaş works in the philosophy of mind and metaphysics. Her research explores what is required for consciousness (its grounds) and what the limit of consciousness are (its bounds). Aktaş is particularly interested in the possibility of phenomenal consciousness in distributed systems such as split-brain subjects, octopuses, forests, artificial intelligence systems (AIs), or social groups. Her research takes an interdisciplinary approach—drawing on philosophy, cognitive sciences, psychology, biology, and computer science—to explain how consciousness arises across diverse systems and to expand the boundaries of which systems we consider conscious.

In her teaching, she draws on her research about consciousness to guide students in investigating topics about minds, AIs, social groups, and the social and political lives of humans and non-human animals. She teaches courses on philosophy of mind, philosophy of AI, logic, ethics, and political philosophy. Her courses focus on connecting philosophical arguments to real-world examples and daily problems in order to help students carefully examine their initial intuitions on both daily life and philosophical topics.