Rachael Briggs (ANU): Fictionalism About Chance
Other
There are good metaphysical grounds for skepticism about objective chance. Yet chance is undeniably theoretically useful; its applications range from quantum mechanics to evolutionary biology to insurance sales. How can we reconcile our suspicions about the metaphysical status of chance with the…
Angela Campbell (McGill) - Polygamy: The Myths of Multiple Marriage
Other
This presentation draws from a current book project that explores the difficulties of using choice-based discourse to study, from a juridical perspective, the experiences of women who adopt morally controversial lifestyles and practices. Three case studies – related to polygamy, paid surrogacy and…
Adrian Currie (ANU): Venomous Dinosaurs and Opisthoglyphous Snakes: how to think about homology & homoplasy
Other
Philosophical discussion of homology (similarities due to shared descent) and homoplasy (similarities due to shared environment) has either focused on the homology's role in character delineation or the concepts' history. In this paper, I develop an account drawing on homology and homoplasy's use…
Rachael Briggs (ANU): Misinformed Desires
Other
Misinformed desires pose a prima facie a challenge to desire-satisfaction theories of wellbeing. I distinguish several types of misinformed desires, and argue that desire-satisfaction theorists should respond by claiming that only the satisfaction of intrinsic desires matters to wellbeing.
Amy Shuster (Virginia Tech) - The Pacifism in Plato (co-authored with Dustin Howes)
Other
This paper argues that Plato’s Republic contains a distinctive brand of pacifist political theory. Against the prevailing Greek view that honor and competitive striving through war are indicative of human excellence, the Republic associates war with vice, excessive material desires and…