Eleanor Helms

Do thought experiments provide new evidence, and if so, what kind? Current accounts of thought experiment emphasize reason and explanation rather than perception. Drawing on philosophical research in aesthetics, this study proposes a new account of how thought experiments help people to see differently. The project integrates contemporary work in philosophy of perception with Søren Kierkegaard’s use of the term tankeexperiment in the 1800s. The grant will support summer research in preparation for a trip to the Kierkegaard Research Center in spring 2019.