Dennis des Chene is Professor of Philosophy at Washington University in Saint Louis, USA, and an outstanding expert on philosophy and the history of science in the early modern period.

His current research emphasis is on the theory of the passions in premodern times. His widely acclaimed works include the study "Spirits and Clocks. Organism and Machine in Descartes" (Cornell UP, 2001).

In July 2010, Dennis des Chene will be a visiting fellow at the CAS. During his stay, he will give a lecture as part of the workshop "Menschen, Tiere, Automaten: Die Debatte über die Tierseele" entitled "Seventeenth-Century Self-Movers" on the automata theory according to Descartes.