Işık Sarıhan

I am an independent postdoctoral researcher based in Budapest and Ankara. I publish primarily in philosophy of mind and metaphilosophy.

I received my doctoral degree from Central European University in 2017 with a thesis that presented an internalist version of the strong representationalist theory of phenomenal consciousness. I am currently working on an account of consciousness where experiential acquaintance is explained by epistemic relations to abstract entities, and on a strategy of deflating the hard problem of consciousness by multiplying the explanatory gaps in the world with the help of a non-reductive realist view of perceptible qualities.

In metaphilosophy, I defend a conception of philosophy where philosophical questions cannot be settled by empirical data; I argue against the idea that it's ok to publish defenses of philosophical claims one does not believe; and I promote the view that widespread peer agreement on philosophical truths requires substantial reforms in the social structure of academic research.

A longer biography and a list of my past and forthcoming talks can be found on my Academia dot edu page.