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Dr Paulo Sousa

Paulo Sousa

BA (University of Brasilia), MAs (University of Brasilia; Centre de Recherche en Epistémologie Appliquée), PhD (Michigan)

Director, Institute of Cognition and Culture and Senior Lecturer in Cognitive Anthropology


Tel:      +44 (0) 28 9097 1304
E-mail: p.sousa@qub.ac.uk

Office: ICC, Fitzwilliam St


Paulo Sousa did his studies of anthropology in Brazil and the United States, and in Paris, he had another MA in cognitive science. He is also assistant director of the Institute of Cognition and Culture at Queen’s.

 

Research Interests

Paulo Sousa has participated in many cross-cultural projects and has published numerous articles in the field of cognition and culture. He has also applied an epidemiological approach to the history of ideas of anthropology that has stimulated a major controversy. His research interests focus on folk conceptions of mind, agency and morality, religious representations and kinship relatedness. He is currently writing a book on the folk concept of moral responsibility (in the sense of culpability).

 

 

Selected Publications

Folk concepts of intentional action in contexts of amoral and immoral luck, Review of Philosophy and Psychology, 2010, 1(3), 351-70

A cognative approach to moral responsibility - the case of a failed attempt to kill, Journal; of Cognition and Culture, 2009, 9(3-4), 171-94

The morality of harm, Cognition, 2009, 113, 80-92

On testing the 'Moral Law', Mind and Language, 2009, 24(2), 209-34

(Ed.) Special Issue on Folk Conceptions of Mind, Agency and Morality, Journal of Cognition and Culture, 2006, 6(1-2), 1-342.

(With Knight, N., Barrett, J. & S. Atran.) Children’s attributions of belief to humans and God: cross-cultural evidence. Cognitive Science, 2004, 28, 117-126.

The fall of kinship – towards an epidemiological explanation. Journal of Cognition and Culture, 2003, 3(4), 264-303.

(With Atran, S. & D. Medin) Essentialism and Folkbiology: evidence from Brazil. Journal of Cognition and Culture, 2002, 2(3), 195-223.

Teaching

Religion and Ritual, SAN3006 [download word doc]

 

Relevant Websites

www.qub.ac.uk/schools/InstituteofCognitionCulture/