Kelly Trogdon (Lingnan): Grounding Content
Other
The responsiveness of a mental representation R to what it misrepresents depends on R’s responsiveness to what it actually represents but not vice versa. From this plausible idea Fodor fashions his influential theory of content – the asymmetric dependence theory (ADT) – understanding the relevant…
Paolo Santorio (ANU): "Cognitive Relocation"
Other
Ordinary agents are subject to changes in their position in the world: for example, their position in time. What is the appropriate cognitive response to these changes? I argue that, to answer this question, we should recognize a new kind of cognitive operation, which I dub `cognitive relocation'.…
Luke Ebbs (ANU): "How should humanitarian organisations act when their mandates clash with the desires of local people?" (6 Month Review)
Other
Humanitarian organisations base their policies on ethical principles rooted in the human rights convention and the capabilities framework. These policies often come into conflict with the values and desires of the very people they claim to be helping. This gives rise to an important ethical…
Seth Lazar (ANU): "Necessity in Self-Defence and War"
Other
It is generally agreed that using lethal or otherwise serious force in self-defence is justified only when three conditions are satisfied: first, there are some grounds for the defender to give priority to his own interests over those of the attacker (whether because the attacker has lost the…