Postdoctoral Fellow | Society of Fellows, Dartmouth College
tiina [dot] rosenqvist [at] gmail [dot] com
About Me
I'm a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Dartmouth Society of Fellows and completed my PhD in Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania in May 2023. My current research focuses on empirically guided philosophy of perception, but my interests span a wide range of topics related to how humans and other animals perceive, think about, and interact with their environments. I like to think about color and pain, about the connections between intellectual traditions, about pain reports and credibility deficits, and about how we should approach metaphysical and epistemological questions relating to cognition and perception. I'm Finnish and lived in India and Hong Kong before relocating to the US, where I’ve been a green card holder since 2024. As a grad student, I was actively involved in Minorities and Philosophy (MAP) and remain committed to promoting inclusivity in academia.
Research
My area of expertise is in the philosophy of psychology and cognitive science, with a focus on perception. I investigate the "goals" of perceptual systems and use those investigations to inform my epistemology and metaphysics. I argue that the function of color vision is to help organisms manifest perceptual competences, and that color experiences are correct when they result from competence-enhancing processing (see here and here). In a similar vein, I argue that the function of pain is to enhance the manifestation of behavioral competences, and that our pain experiences are correct when they are useful (see here). On a more general level, I reject the widely held view that perception is in the business of representing the objective world "as it is" (see here and here). More recently, I have branched out to social epistemology, medical ethics, and conceptual engineering (see here and here).
Teaching & Service
In my teaching, I combine flexibility with a highly structured course design to reduce the achievement gap and improve learning outcomes across the board. I set high expectations and offer skill-building workshops to equip my students with the tools they need to succeed. My assignment and assessment structure provides ample opportunities for improvement, and my policies on due dates and attendance are flexible. I'm passionate about diversifying philosophy, promoting disability inclusion and accessibility, and fostering wellness. You can read more about my teaching experience, teaching philosophy, and service projects by clicking the buttons below.
Tibetan Language
From 2014 to 2017 I studied Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, Northern India. In 2019, LTWA published a book of Tibetan Folk Tales that I co-translated with my teacher and friend, Nyima Dekyi la. If you are interested in learning more about the Tibetan language, the book, and my reasons for studying Tibetan, click the button below.
Images
Art and artists have much to offer philosophical discussions of (visual) perception. In my free time, I enjoy creating images that illustrate fascinating perceptual phenomena. Many of these phenomena are typically labeled visual "illusions," though I believe they highlight the many ways in which perception can be useful to animals like us.
Get in Touch
tiina [dot] rosenqvist [at] gmail [dot] com
tiina [dot] C [dot] Rosenqvist [at] Dartmouth [dot] edu
Department of Philosophy
Dartmouth College
6055 Thornton Hall, 19 College Street
Hanover, NH 03755-3592, USA