Hyeongseok Na
PhD Student
I am a PhD student in philosophy at Sungkyunkwan University, working on consciousness and artificial minds. My research asks whether artificial systems could be conscious, and what moral status they would have if they were. I am currently Principal Investigator of "A New Consideration of Consciousness Theories," supported by a Doctoral Student Research Fellowship from the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF).
About
I'm a PhD student in the Department of Philosophy at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), having commenced my doctoral studies in 2025.
I primarily work in philosophy of mind, philosophy of AI and ethics. I am interested in philosophical problems related to our mind. My work focuses on philosophical questions concerning the nature of consciousness, the possibility of artificial consciousness, and the moral status of artificial agents.
In recognition of this research direction, I was awarded a Doctoral Student Research Fellowship by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF). As the Principal Investigator of this project (2025–2027), I am currently leading a study titled "A New Consideration of Consciousness Theories."
While my main specialization is philosophy of mind/AI and Ethics, I also have research interests in several areas of contemporary analytic philosophy, including philosophy of language, metaphysics, and epistemology.
Before beginning my PhD, I received my M.A. in Philosophy from Sungkyunkwan University in 2024 under the supervision of Prof. Byeong D. Lee, My master’s thesis examined David Benatar’s pessimism concerning the meaning of life. Prior to that, I completed my B.A. in History and Philosophy at the Gyeongsang National University. Within the Department of Philosophy, I wrote an undergraduate thesis on Kuhn and Feyerabend’s views on normal science in the philosophy of science under the supervision of Prof. Namjoong Kim.
I currently serve as the Vice Chair of the Korea Association for Consciousness Sciences.
Education
2025 -
Sungkyunkwan University
PhD Student in Philosophy
2021 - 2024
Sungkyunkwan University
M.A. in Philosophy
2016 - 2021
Gyeongsang National University
B.A., Dual Major in History and Philosophy
Talks
-
“Does Nussbaum’s Cultivation of Public Emotions Undermine Autonomy?” The 25th Research Conference of the Institute for Philosophy and Humanities Education, August 2026
-
“The Tension between the Theory of Emotion and Liberalism in Nussbaum’s Capabilities Approach,” Sungkyunkwan Suseon Philosophy Society Graduate Conference, June 2026
-
“A Variabilist Account of Real Names in Fiction,” Korean Society for Analytic Philosophy (KSAP) Grad Student Division, February 2026
-
“Philosophy of Psychiatry and Consciousness,” Korean Association for Consciousness Sciences, February 2024
-
3rd Prize, SKKU Research Matters, SKKU, 2022
-
Undergraduate Thesis Excellence Scholarship, Dept. of Philosophy, GNU, 2021
-
2nd Prize, The 14th Book Review Competition, GNU Library, 2020
-
1st Prize, Undergraduate Academic Essay Competition, College of Humanities, GNU, 2019
-
2nd Prize, The 39th International Conference on Chinese Studies in 2019 Undergraduate Student Paper Presentation Competition, The Korea Society for Chinese Studies, 2019
-
1st Prize, Department of Philosophy Presentation Competition, GNU, 2019
Selected Awards
Public Philosophy
-
A Critique of Benatar's Pessimism on the Meaning of Life, Philosophy Stay hosted by Cheolhakman, a philosophy content creator, Sorakjae, Chuncheon, 2026