Christina Behme

Diplom Biologe (Rostock), MA (Dalhousie), PhD (Dalhousie)
Dr C Behme
Surrey Office: Fir 308

Dr. Christina Behme received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy from Dalhousie University. Her dissertation (Cartesian Linguistics: From Historical Antecedents to Computational Modeling) traces Cartesian influences from the 17th century to epistemological and metaphysical debates in contemporary linguistics and critically evaluates the work of Noam Chomsky. She also hold a science degree in Marine Biology from the University of Rostock in Germany. Before coming to KPU, Dr. Behme has taught at Dalhousie University, Saint Mary’s University, Mount Saint Vincent University, Brandon University, and gave several guest lectures at Potsdam University in Germany.

Courses taught

  • PHIL 1100 Introduction to Philosophy
  • PHIL 1145 Critical Thinking
  • PHIL 3033 Business Ethics
  • PHIL 3430 Philosophy of Mind: Consciousness
  • PHIL 4210 Topics in Epistemology
  • PHIL 4430 Topics in the Philosophy of Mind

Areas of Interest

My research and teaching interests have evolved over time and include philosophy of language (especially questions of language acquisition and language evolution), philosophy of mind, early modern philosophy, (especially the work of Rene Descartes), Critical Thinking, Political Philosophy (especially questions relating to Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Expression), Philosophy of Motivation, and Environmental Philosophy. My research is thoroughly interdisciplinary and I have presented my work at philosophy, psychology, and language evolution conferences and workshops in North-America and Europe. I was also Co-organizer of The foundations of Linguistics. an international, interdisciplinary workshop in Braunschweig, Germany (2015).

Scholarly Work

  • Books
  • Behme, C. & M. Neef (eds.) (2018). Essays on Linguistic Realism. Amsterdam: Benjamins.
  • Behme, C. (2014). Evaluating Cartesian Linguistics: From Historic Antecedents to Computational
  • Book chapters and refereed conference proceedings
  • Behme, C. (2018). Linguistic Realism and Language Evolution. In: Behme, C. & M. Neef (eds.) Essays on Linguistic Realism. Amsterdam: Benjamins.
  • Behme, C. & Neef, M. (2018). Introduction to Essays on Linguistic Realism In: Behme, C. & M. Neef (eds.) Essays on Linguistic Realism. Amsterdam: Benjamins.
  • Behme, C. (2018). Can Languages without writing systems provide new insights in language evolution? In: C. Cuskley, M. Flaherty, H. Little, L. McCrohon, A. Ravignani & T. Verhoef (eds.) The Evolution of Language: Proceedings of the 12th International Conference (EVOLANG XII)
  • Behme, C. (2016). Vom sprachlosen Affen zur Quasselstrippe: Überlegungen zur Sprachevolution. In: Hettiger, A., M. Neef, & K. Wermbter (eds.) Babel re-searched. (17-40). Marburg: Tectum. (In German)
  • Behme, C. (2014). Speaking of Language and Evolution. In: Evolution Of Language, The - Proceedings Of The 10Th International Conference (Evolang X) Singapore: World Scientific.
  • Refereed Articles
  • Behme C. & Evans V. (2015). Leaving the myth behind: A reply to Adger (2015). Lingua, 162, 149–159.
  • Behme, C. (2015). Is the Ontology of Biolinguistics Coherent? Language Sciences. 47, 32-42.
  • Behme, C. (2014). A “Galilean” Science of Language. Journal of Linguistics. 50, 671 - 704.
  • Behme, C. (2014). Connectionist Models and the Nativist Debate. Linguagem & Ensino, Pelotas, 17, 1, 87-128.
  • Behme, C. (2014). Assessing direct and indirect evidence in linguistic research. Topoi, 33, 373 - 383.
  • Behme, C. (2010). How Cartesian is Cartesian Linguistics? In: Hannah, P. An Anthology of Philosophical Studies. (pp. 79-88). Athens (Greece): ATINER.
  • Behme, C. & Deacon, H. (2008). Language Learning in Infancy: Does the Empirical Evidence Support a Domain Specific Language Acquisition Device? Philosophical Psychology 21, 641 – 671.