About
Dr Nishanth K S
My intellectual home is the hard problem of consciousness — the question of why physical processes give rise to inner experience at all. I approach this through three lenses: metaphysical analysis, cognitive neuroscience, and applied ethics for AI systems.
Before joining MIT, I held positions at the University of Edinburgh and the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics. I completed my doctorate at Oxford under the supervision of Prof. John Hare, with a dissertation on higher-order theories of consciousness.
Outside the academy I write for Aeon, Nautilus, and The Atlantic, bringing philosophy of mind to broader audiences. I am the author of *The Observing Mind: Consciousness, Computation, and the Self* (Cambridge University Press, 2022) and *Against the Inner Theatre* (Oxford University Press, 2017).
Research Interests
My work spans several intertwined research programs. In philosophy of mind, I develop and defend a form of illusionism that reconceives phenomenal properties without eliminativism. Rather than denying that consciousness exists, I argue that our intuitive picture of it — as composed of ineffable, intrinsic qualia — is systematically misleading.
In cognitive neuroscience, I collaborate on empirical studies of how the brain constructs a sense of self across time. Our studies examine dissociative disorders, meditation practices, and predictive processing models to understand how the brain maintains (and sometimes loses) its sense of a unified self.
In AI ethics, I argue that functional integration — not substrate — is the right criterion for moral status. A system deserves moral consideration if it has internal states that influence each other in a globally coherent way, shape behavior across time, and are responsive to the system’s own representations of itself.
Public Philosophy
I believe philosophy too often remains locked in academic journals. My public work aims to bring philosophical questions about consciousness, AI, and the self to broader audiences — not by simplifying them, but by showing that these questions matter for how we live.
I write regularly for Aeon, Nautilus, The Atlantic, and The Guardian. I host the podcast *The Observing Mind* — conversations about consciousness and AI. I have given public lectures at TED, the Royal Institution, and the Festival of Philosophy. I advise government bodies on AI consciousness policy, including the UK AI Safety Institute and EU AI Act working groups.
Education
- BA, Cognitive Science — University of Edinburgh, 2002–2005
- MPhil, Philosophy — University of Cambridge, 2005–2007
- DPhil, Philosophy of Mind — University of Oxford, 2007–2010
- Research Fellow — Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, 2010–2013
- Associate Professor of Philosophy — University of Edinburgh, 2013–Present
Contact
Get in touch
I welcome correspondence from researchers, students, journalists, and anyone curious about philosophy of mind. I try to respond to all email, though it may take a few weeks during the semester.
Email
evoss@mit.edu
Office
Building 46, Room 4053 · Cambridge, MA 02139
Office Hours
Tuesdays 2–4 pm & by appointment
Phone
+1 (617) 253-0000