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Varun Ravikumar

PhD Student and Rotman Institute Member

Department of Philosophy
Western University

• Biography
•  Publications
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I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Philosophy at Western University (UWO), Canada. I am also a member of the Eclectic Minds Research Group (EMRG Lab) at the Rotman Institute of Philosophy at UWO. Prior to my doctoral studies, I completed my M.A in Philosophy from Northern Illinois University, U.S.A, and my M.Eng. in Engineering Mechanics from The Pennsylvania State University, U.S.A. I received my B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from Shiv Nadar University, India, in 2015.
 
I primarily work in the philosophy of embodied cognitive and social sciences, philosophy of mind, and social epistemology, with a focus on topics ranging from social cognition and social interaction to collective action. I approach these topics through a Bourdieusian-Gibsonian lens, and my dissertation focuses on developing this sociopsychological lens from a pragmatist perspective. I am also interested in topics in the philosophy of science, such as scientific practice, interdisciplinarity, and sociology of science, topics in the philosophy of technology, such as human-digital interactions, and in practical issues on sustainability. With respect to the latter, I helped develop and coordinate UWO’s Thinking Globally, Acting Locally innovative pilot program, which supported student-led research projects that tackled sustainability issues in the local London (Ontario) community.
 
In my spare time, I play a variety of sports – badminton, cricket, football, and table-tennis – and reflect upon folk Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. I also enjoy spending time with my family.

Ravikumar, V. (forthcoming). A Bourdieusian response to Zahavi. In Australasian Philosophical Review.
 
Ravikumar, V., Bowen, J., & Anderson, M. L. (2023). A more ecological perspective on human-robot interactions. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 46, e42. https://www.doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X22001613
 
(Last updated: December 2023)​

Conference presentations

• “Habitus and affordance: Socializing ecological psychology.” 1st Annual Web Conference of the International Society for the Philosophy of the Sciences of the Mind. (December 2023)
• “Philosophy of embodied cognitive science: On habitus and habit.” Copenhagen Summer School in Phenomenology and Philosophy of Mind 2023. Copenhagen, Denmark. (August 2023)
• “Habitus and affordance: Towards a radical embodied cognitive social science.” Annual Meeting of The Canadian Philosophical Association 2023. Toronto, Canada. (May 2023)  
• “What are we? How radical embodied cognitive social science illuminates our nature.” Western Research Forum 2023. London, Canada. (March 2023)

Conference organization

• Thinking Globally, Acting Locally Research Forum. Western University. (June 2023)
• Rotman Institute Graduate Student Conference. Western University. (May 2021).
• Philosophy of Logic, Math, and Physics Graduate Student Conference. Western University. (Cancelled due to COVID–19).

 
(Last updated: December 2023)