Don Dedrick

Ph.D. (1993) University of Toronto
B.A. (1982), M.A. (1984) Carleton University

Colour perception and categorization, cognitive science and its foundations, culture and cognition.

Much of my research has been focused on the study of colour categorization (colour concepts & colour language). I am interested in the cognitive abilities that underlie colour naming, and in the ways in which those abilities interact with and are shaped by culture. I have published a book and a number of articles on these topics. I have general interests in the foundations of cognitive science and in the relevance of evolution to culture in a broad sense. Most of my publications can be accessed here.

I'd like to talk to MA and PhD students that are interested in cognitive science and its foundations, culture and cognition, evolutionary psychology, and the philosophy of art. I am always interested in the intersection of philosophy and other disciplines and practices such as psychology, biology, cognitive science, and art.

Recent Publications

The origin and development of colour names and categories, and the biological basis for colour categories. 2023. Proceedings of the International Colour Association (AIC) Conference 2023, Chaing Rai, Thailand. 443-439.

Color Phenomenology. 2023. In: Shamey, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Color Science and Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89862-5_56

Two kinds of explanation for basic colour terms? 2022. Proceedings of the International Colour Association (AIC) Conference 2022, Toronto, ON. 112-118.

Colour Classification in Natural Languages. 2021. Knowledge Organization, v. 48, 563-579.

Colour, colour language, and culture. 2020. In D. Brown and F. Macpherson (eds) Routledge Handbook to the Philosophy of Colour. Routledge, 439-455.

Is an appeal to popularity a fallacy of popularity? 2019. Informal Logic, Vol. 39, p. 147–167.

[Most of my publications can be acessed here]

2013. LEH (Learning Enhancement Fund), University of Guelph. "Logic in context." $12,900.

2005-2008. SSHRC Standard Research Grant. "Cognition and Colour." $59,759.

2005. SSHRC Workshop Grant. "Zencon: The work of Zenon Pylyshyn." $16,713.

In the winter term 2025 I am teaching PHIL 2100 Critical Thinking.