What kind of representationalism has a good chance of being true
Seminar
Representationalism about perceptual experience is conventional wisdom these days. Despite this, some version is likely true, but what version? Professor Frank Jackson discusses this question after a short reminder of why representationalism is so attractive. He ends by noting an issue for…
Slopaganda: The interaction between propaganda and generative AI
Seminar
At least since Francis Bacon, the slogan “knowledge is power” has been used to capture the relationship between decision-making at a group level and information. We know that being able to shape the informational environment for a group is a way to shape their decisions; it is essentially a way to…
Between Natural Law and Positive Law: On Han Fei Zi’s “Thin Version” of the Rule of Law
Seminar
The Chinese Legalists are often condemned as defenders of despotism. But obviously, this school has the term “fa” in its name, although “fa” has a broader scope than law in the Western tradition. In the narrow sense of this term, which means “law,” the critics claim that Legalism embraces “rule by…
The Metaphysics of Biological Essentialism
Seminar
The consensus against species having intrinsic essences has recently been challenged. The challengers have taken some account of criticisms of this essentialism, but they have not fully engaged with a range of criticisms, particularly those of Dupré, stemming from views of the metaphysics of…
Counterfactual Skepticism Reloaded (and Refuted?)
Seminar
According to Counterfactual Skepticism, we know next to none of the counterfactuals we assert in ordinary life. The most influential argument for this conclusion rests on premises that are now widely disputed. This talk outlines a new argument for Counterfactual Skepticism that does not depend on…
Wonder upon Wonder
Seminar
Brandon Yip proposes a framework for wonder that accounts for its heterogeneity and explains and clarifies disputes about the ethics of wonder. The various species of wonder are unified as responses to a recurrent practical situation: that of recognising that our cognitive structures require…
A-lieving that ChatGPT loves you
Seminar
We increasingly form enduring and emotionally salient bonds with AI-powered technologies. Yet, arguably, most of the users don’t actually believe that these technologies harbour genuine affective (and more generally mental) states towards them. Why, then, do users bond with technologies? What…