Department Member, Philosophy
About
Hello. I'm Charlie. I'm a research student in the Philosophy department at the University of Sussex.
I'm mainly researching aesthetics and art criticism; in particular, the problems involved in ascribing artistic status and value to phenomena with consistency, without relying on a single essentialist theory of art. Having spent some years in my non-academic life as a stand-up comedian, I'm particularly interested in how this applies to stand-up comedy. I'm currently working on a doctoral thesis on the problem of whether stand-up comedy can be called 'art'.
I am also interested in considering the ethical and political implications of this kind of criticism, on the grounds that (I argue) all human values are ultimately reducible to aesthetic value.
I am also interested in (in no particular order): nominalism; anarchism; liberalism; music; literature; human motivation and the philosophy of love; and the places where the supposed divide between 'Analytic' and 'Continental' philosophy can be breached.
I'm also keen on the practice of philosophy outside of philosophy departments - particularly in schools and in government.
I also keep an irregular blog, about stand-up, philosophy, politics and art, at http://www.charlieduncan.wordpress.com.
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