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I graduated from the department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh in 2005. I am currently Professor of Philosophy in the Philosophy Department at Georgia State University. I work primarily in philosophy of mind.  I am also a member of the Neuroscience Institute (NI).

You can reach me at ascarantino (at) gsu (dot) edu.

My current research focuses on three main areas:

• Emotion: What is an emotion? How have theories of emotion changed over time? What are the advantages and shortcomings of competing theories of emotion? I propose a Motivational Theory of Emotion, which holds that emotions are essentially irruptive and prioritized impulses to behave.

•  Information: What is information? How can we move from a theory of information to a theory of mental content? I propose a Probabilistic Difference Theory of Information, which holds that information is transmitted between A and B when the occurrence of A changes the probability of B, relative to background data. 

• Communication: How did language evolve from more primitive forms of non-verbal communication, for instance from the non-verbal expression of emotion? I propose a Theory of Affective Pragmatics, which holds that emotional expressions are not only a means of expressing an inner state, but also of directing other people’s behavior, of representing what the world is like and of committing to future courses of action. If so, they foreshadow the main types of illocutionary acts language makes available.

I also help organizing the NeurophilosophyForum, which gathers a group of faculty and students who meet to discuss issues at the intersection of philosophy, neuroscience, and cognitive psychology. 

News: After 6 years of work, Emotion Theory: the Routledge Comprehensive Guide will finally be published on July 23, 2024. I strongly encourage you to take a look at it if you are interested in emotions.