Stacie Friend

Reader

  • Philosophy
  • School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences

Contact details

Address

Street

Room 9.07

City
40 George Square, Edinburgh
Post code
EH8 9JX

Availability

  • Wednesdays 10am-11am during teaching weeks, or by appointment.

Biography

Background

I joined the University of Edinburgh in 2023, after teaching at Birkbeck, University of London (from 2014). I have also taught at Heythrop College, University of London;  Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania; and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, as a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow. I received my PhD from Stanford University in 2002. 

 

Responsibilities & affiliations

I am currently the President of the British Society of Aesthetics, an Editor of the journal Analysis, and the Director of the interdisciplinary research project 'Art Opening Minds: Imagination and Perspective in Film', funded by the Templeton Religion Trust. I was previously a co-investigator on a three-year Leverhulme Trust research project on 'Learning from Fiction' (2018-2022).

Research summary

My research is at the intersection of aesthetics, language and mind, especially as these pertain to our engagement with works of fiction. I have  published widely on such topics as the cognitive and aesthetic values of literature and film; the distinction between fiction and nonfiction; emotional and imaginative responses to narratives;  representations of reality in fiction; and the intentionality of thought and discourse about the non-existent, including fictional characters. Pre-print versions of many of my papers are available at PhilArchive (https://philarchive.org/s/stacie%20friend). 

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