Machiel Keestra
University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Fall Term 2018

Dr. Machiel Keestra is an assistant professor of philosophy at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Amsterdam. He is also a researcher at the Institute for Language, Logic and Computation and member of the Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Center and of the research group ‘Neuroaesthetics and Neurocultures’ at the UoA. He has been a visiting scholar at the Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Unit, University of Ottawa. Machiel is past-president of the international Association for Interdisciplinary Studies.

Having studied philosophy and psychology in Amsterdam (at the University of Amsterdam) and Heidelberg (Germany), Machiel’s PhD thesis ‘Sculpting the Space of Actions: Explaining Human Action by Integrating Intentions and Mechanisms’ covered the overlap between philosophy of science, cognitive neuroscience, hermeneutics and ethics, while presenting a novel framework for the interdisciplinary explanation and understanding of human action. He has published edited volumes on the history of physics, mathematics and philosophy and various articles on philosophy of cognitive neuroscience and hermeneutics, philosophy of interdisciplinarity, and on expertise and intentional action.

During his stay at the Center for Philosophy of Science, Machiel will work on a new project titled: ‘Neurofication’ as an example of interdisciplinary integration: a systematic analysis of the emergence of robust neurodisciplinary insights – focusing on neuro-theology, neuro-anthropology and neuro-linguistics.

Apart from his academic interests, Machiel is a passive and active lover of classical singing (having even dared to publish on opera composer Richard Wagner) and is involved in an interracial (post-slavery) reconciliation dialogue initiative, ‘Keti Koti Table’, in the Netherlands.

Some relevant publications:

- Drawing on a Sculpted Space of Actions: Educating for Expertise while Avoiding a Cognitive Monster. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 2017: 51(3), pp. 620-639.
- Editor’s Introduction to the Special Section: Multi-Level Perspectives on Interdisciplinary Cognition and Team Collaboration - Challenges and Opportunities. Issues in Interdisciplinary Studies, 2017: 35, pp. 113-120.
- Metacognition and Reflection by Interdisciplinary Experts: Insights from Cognitive Science and Philosophy. Issues in Interdisciplinary Studies, 2017: 35, pp. 121-169.
- An Introduction to Interdisciplinary Research: Theory and Practice, eds. Menken, S. & Keestra, M., Amsterdam University Press 2016, 130 pp
- Sculpting the Space of Actions. Explaining Human Action by Integrating Intentions and Mechanisms. Institute for Logic, Language and Computation, University of Amsterdam, 2015, 440 pp.
- - Understanding human action: integrating meanings, mechanisms, causes, and contexts, in: V. Bazhanov & R.W. Scholz (ed.), Transdisciplinarity in Philosophy and Science: Approaches, Challenges and Prospects. Navigator publishers, Moscow 2015, pp. 201-235.
- Mirrors of the Soul and Mirrors of the Brain? The Expression of Emotions as the Subject of Art and Science, in: G. Schwartz (ed.), Frans Halsmuseum catalogue ‘Painted emotions’, Nai10 publishers, Rotterdam, 2014, pp. 81-92.
-Bounded mirroring: joint action and group membership in political theory and cognitive neuroscience, in: F. Vandervalk (ed.), Thinking about the Body Politic: Essays on Neuroscience and Political Theory. Routledge, 2012, pp. 222-248.