Hi! I'm Carolyn Dicey Jennings.

About Me

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I am Associate Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Science at University of California, Merced. I work across multiple disciplines, but especially neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology. In general, my work aims at understanding the nature of attention and its impact on the mind (e.g. on perception, consciousness, and action). Distinctive about my work is the claim that attention is directed by a subject, or self. I defend this view, for example, in The Attending Mind (CUP 2020): I argue that evidence from neuroscience points to the existence of an emergent subject that directs attention, which I define in natural terms. I also have a long-standing research project that tracks employment for philosophy PhDs, Academic Philosophy Data and Analysis, funded for much of its existence by the American Philosophical Association. Outside of work I am a certified yoga teacher and an uncertified (but keen) gardener. I live with my husband and two dogs in Merced.
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Upcoming Talks

"Consciousness as Relation" Invited Talk for Sussex Workshop on Emergence, May 2023

"Consciousness as Relation" Submitted Talk for ASSC, June 2023

"Attention, Memory, and Altered States" Invited Talk for Attention and Memory Conference (Université Grenoble Alpes), June 2023

TBD Invited Talk for Co-Embodied Self Lab (Lisbon), September 2023

Books

Book Reviews

Nico Silins. CUP Review.

“While centered on attention, the self, and action, the breadth of Carolyn Dicey Jennings’ rich work is extraordinary, with important discussions of a wide range of subfields of philosophy (not to mention Cat Power), informed by an uncommon openness to a diverse range of resources in past and present philosophy and psychology.”

J. R. Shook. Choice Reviews.

"In this concise, lucid book … Jennings offers a reconciliation between agent-centered freedom and compatibilism. Philosophical psychology is enriched by this valuable exploration."

Jesse Prinz. The Philosophical Review.

"Jennings offers fresh perspective on the nature of attention, and its role in meaningful perception, consciousness, action, and responsibility. Each chapter can be read separately, but they hang together well, and each reflects her thesis that attention is essentially linked to the self."