Beate Krickel

I am a philosopher of science and cognitive scientist. I work on the metaphysics of science, philosophy of biology, cognitive science and psychology, the metaphysics of mind and causation.

In June 2017, I started working as a post-doctoral researcher, principal investigator, and scientific coordinator of the Research Training Group Situated Cognition at Ruhr-University of Bochum. Before that, I worked as an Assistant Professor at the Philosophy Department II of Ruhr-University Bochum. I was lecturer at Humboldt University Berlin and at Westfälische Wilhelms University Münster. I studied Cognitive Science at University Osnabrück, Philosophy at Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster. I obtained my PhD at Humboldt University Berlin.

View my academia.edu and my researchgate profile.

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My Research Projects

Together with my PhD-student, Matej Kohár, I investigate the theoretical basis of approaches to 4E-cognition.

visit meta4e website

4E-Cognition: Meta-Questions

Can the body or elements of the environment be constituents of cognitive processes? What does it mean to be a constituent of cognition? How can we empirically find constituents? As a part of the Meta-questions project, I investigate how we can empirically and theoretically distinguish inputs/outputs of cognition from constituents of cognition.

Biologists explain phenomena by describing mechanisms that are responsible for these phenomena. What are mechanisms? What are the ontological commitments of biology implied by this explanatory practice? In a recent book and various articles, I provide a realist interpretation of mechanisms and show which consequences follow for philosophical theories of causation, constitution, levels of science, and explanation.

There is a growing consensus among psychologists and philosophers that many of our mental processes occur unconsciously. What does it mean for a mental process to be unconscious? How do scientists justify the postulation of unconscious mental processes? In a recent paper, I ask these questions with respect to one phenomenon that is currently a hot topic in philosophy and psychology: implicit bias.