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Department of Cognitive Science

Mirko Farina

BA Milan, MSc Milan/Amsterdam, MPhil Edinburgh.

PhD Student

Contact Details

Office : 3.320
Phone : +61 2 9850 2931
Fax : +61 2 9850 6059
email : mirko.farina@mq.edu.au
Homepage : http://mq.academia.edu/MirkoFarina

External Address

Department of Cognitive Science
Australian Hearing Hub
16 University Avenue
Macquarie University NSW 2109

Profile

I hold an MPhil in Philosophy of MInd from the University of Edinburgh where I have been supervised by Andy Clark and Julian Kiverstein and an MSc by Research in Logic and Philosophy of Science from the University of Amsterdam/Milan. I am currently a PhD Candidate in the Department of Cognitive Science ( the Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders) at Macquarie Univesity (where I am supervised by John Sutton, Richard Menary, and Greg Downey). I am also a visiting fellow at Sydney Uni (under Karola Stotz/ Paul Griffiths), and at the ILLC (under Julian Kiverstein). My research is concerned with so-called second wave extended mind theories, which I defend based on empirical evidence drawn from developmental neuroscience and Developmental Systems Theory in evolutionary biology.

SKILLS: Philosophy of Mind, Cognitive Science, Philosophy of Biology, Sensory Substitution and Brain Plasticity, Consciousness.

AREAS OF RESEARCH: 1) Extended Mind; 2) Enactivism; 3) Externalism/Internalism; 4) Neural Plasticity; 5) Embodiment; 6) Sensory Substitution; 7) Cross-modal Neuromodulation; 8) Cognitive Extension; 9) Augmented Cognition; 10) Dominance & Deference Theories; 11) Artificial Synaesthesia; 12)Consciousness; 13) Neuroconstructivism; 14) Neural-Darwinism; 15) Developmental Systems Theory; 16) Dynamical Systems Theory; 17) Individuation of Senses; 18) Extended Consciousness; 19) Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience; 20) Fundamentals of Body Representation; 21) NeuroPhilosophy; 22) Cognitive Ethnography; 23) Neuroanthropology

I am a tutor for Critical Thinking (PHL 137)

Thesis Details

Extend mind, DST, neuro constructivism, complementarity.

  • Scholarship : Other
  • Workload : full time
  • Supervisors : Professor John Sutton, Dr Richard Menary and Dr Greg Downey (Macquarie University)

External Appointments

  • Reviewer, Philosophical Psychology. (2013)
  • Reviewer, Topoi. (2013)

Awards

  • International Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarship (iMQRES) (2012), Farina, M. January 2012 – June 2015 Fee Waiver ($125,060) + living allowance ($83048) + travelling allowance ($15000)
  • MSc by Research with Distinction (2009), Farina, M. State University of Milan / University of Amsterdam
  • LLP, EU’s Lifelong Learning Programme (2008), Farina, M. (€2,000) European Union
  • LLP, EU's Lifelong Learning Programme (2008), Farina, M. (€500) European Union
  • BA (with Hons) (2007), Farina, M. State University of Milan
  • Official Mention and Scholarship (2004), Farina, M. (€250) Bolsena City Hall

Grants Awarded

  • Postgraduate Research Fund. (2013) Macquarie University. Farina, M. ($5,000)
  • Junior Researchers Grant. (2013) Danish Government and Aarhus University. Farina, M. ($3,500)
  • Travel Bursary. (2013) University of Riga. Farina, M. ($200)
  • Travel Bursary. (2013) British Society for the Philosophy of Science. (£100) Farina, M.
  • Travelling Subsidy. (2012) University of Auckland and AAP. Farina, M. ($205)
  • Research Travel & Support Grant (2011) The University of Edinburgh. (£713.98) Farina, M.
  • Research Travel & Support Grant (2010) The University of Edinburgh. (£272) Farina, M.
  • Research Travel & Support Grant (2010) The University of Edinburgh. (£578) Farina, M.
  • Research Travel & Support Grant (2009) The University of Edinburgh. (£350) Farina, M.
  • Research Grant for Erasmus Students (2008) University of Milan. (€2,500) Farina, M.

Selected Publications

Book Chapters

  • Kiverstein, J., & Farina, M. (2012). Do sensory substitution devices extend the conscious mind? In F. Paglieri (Ed.), Consciousness in Interaction: The role of the natural and social context in shaping consciousness (pp. 19-40). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
  • Kiverstein, J., Farina, M., & Clark, A. (In Press). Substituting the senses. In M. Matthen (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Perception. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Kiverstein, J., Farina, M., & Clark, A. (In Press). The extended mind. In D. Pritchard (Ed.), Oxford Bibliographies Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Periodicals

  • Farina, M. (In Press). Neither Touch nor Vision: Sensory substitution as artificial synaesthesia? Biology and Philosophy.
  • Farina, M. (In Press). On the Boundaries of Vision Biology and Philosophy.
  • Farina, M. (2012). Review/Critical Notice: The evolved apprentice: How evolution made humans unique. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences. doi:10.1007/s11097-012-9276-9
  • Farina, M. (2012). Review of beyond the brain: How body and environment shape animal and human minds. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 11(3), 415-421. doi:10.1007/s11097-011-9247-6
  • Farina, M. (2011). Review of cognitive systems and the extended mind. Humana.Mente, Journal of Philosophical Studies, 15, 283-290.
  • Farina, M. (2011). Review of Perception, Action and Consciousness: Sensorimotor dynamics and two visual systems. The Journal of Mind and Behavior, 32(4), 361-366.
  • Kiverstein, J., & Farina, M. (2011). Embraining culture: Leaky minds and spongy brains. Teorema, 32.2, 35-53. [Link]
  • Farina, M. (2010). Review of supersizing the mind: Embodiment, action and cognitive extension. Humana.Mente, Journal of Philosophical Studies, 14, 225-233.

Conference Presentations, Colloquia, and other presentations

  • Farina, M. (2013, April). The scientist as a child, modern perspectives on theory-theory. Presentation given at the Foundation of Cognitive Science Seminar, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
  • Farina, M. (2012, December). Re-thinking neuroconstructivism through dynamic enskilment. Paper presented at the Skills and Expertise Workshop: Perspectives from Philosophy, Psychology and Education, Macquarie University, Sydney.
  • Farina, M. (2012, November). Re-thinking neuroconstructivism through dynamic enskilment: a critique of neo-nativism. Paper presented at the MacNaP - Reading Group in Naturalistic Philosophy of Mind, Macquarie University, Sydney.
  • Farina, M. (2012, September). Substituting the senses. Paper presented at the Australasian Postgraduate Philosophy Conference, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
  • Farina, M. (2012, August). Neither touch nor vision: Sensory substitution as artificial synaesthesia? Poster session presented at the Annual Workshop of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders (CCD), Macquarie University, Sydney.
  • Farina, M. (2012, July). Neither touch nor vision: Sensory substitution as artificial synaesthesia? Paper presented at the Australasian Association of Philosophy Annual Conference, University of Wollongong, Wollongong.
  • Farina, M. (2012, June). Watt governor: A case study for dynamical systems theory? Presentation given at the Cognitive Science Reading Seminar, Macquarie University, Sydney.
  • Farina, M. (2012, April). Criss-crossing the boundaries of the mind: Complementarity in action. Invited paper presented at the Workshop on Emergence, Dynamics and Cognition, University of Wollongong, Wollongong.
  • Farina, M. (2012, March). Transforming the enculturated mind: Sensory substitution, cognitive transformation and complementarity. Paper presented at the CCD/CAVE Distributed Cognition and Distributed Agency Workshop, Macquarie University, Sydney.
  • Farina, M. (2011, December). Sensory substitution, cognitive transformation and complementarity. Presentation given at the Workshop on Multisensory Integration and Perceptual Unity, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
  • Farina, M. (2011, July). Slaying the Chimera: Complementarity and the Enculturated Mind. Presentation given at the Extended Cognition Workshop, University of Edinburgh, U.K.
  • Farina, M. (2011, June). Ontogenetic Niche Construction: Human Nature and the Plastic Human Mind. Paper presented at the Extended Cognition Workshop, Amsterdam, Nederlands.
  • Farina, M. (2011, March). Finding my mind: A case for extended cognition. Poster session presented at the Workshop on Embodied, Distributed and Extended Cognition, Barcelona, Spain.
  • Farina, M. (2010, October). Pressing the flesh: A transcranial, holistic and environmentally augmented approach to cognition. Invited paper presented at the PhiloNeuro Seminar, Milan State University, Milan, Italy.
  • Farina, M. (2010, September). Body representation in physical and Virtual Reality with application to rehabilitation. Paper presented at the Centro Stefano Franscini, Monte Verità, Ascona, Switzerland.
  • Farina, M. (2010, July). Brain Plasticity and Sensory Substitution devices: new evidence for the Extended Mind Thesis? Paper presented at the Multimodal Approaches in Neuroscience, ax Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.