Daniel Stoljar (ANU): Philosophy as Synchronic History
Other
Bernard Williams argues in several places that philosophy is in some deep way akin to history. This paper explores and defends the Williams thesis—though in a way anathema to Williams himself. In particular, I argue that David Lewis’s account of causal explanation may be modified to bring out what…
Kevin Zollman (Carnegie Mellon): "The Credit Economy and the Economic Rationality of Science"
Seminar
Theories of scientific rationality typically pertain to belief. This talk argues that we should expand our focus to include not just scientists' beliefs but also their motivations. An economic model is used to evaluate whether science is best served by scientists motivated only by truth, only…
Brian Garrett (ANU): Eternalism, time travel and 'can'-questions
Other
Some philosophers have argued that eternalism (the thesis that past, present and future are equally real) leads to fatalism. That is not my argument here. Instead, I argue that eternalism leads to an uncomfortable dilemma, of which fatalism is one fork. Of course, we want to avoid…
Alex Miller (Otago): "Rule-Following, Meaning and Primitive Normativity"
Seminar
In “Inside and Outside Language: Stroud’s Non-Reductionism about Meaning” (2011), “Primitive Normativity and Skepticism about Rules” (2011) and”Meaning, Understanding and Normativity” (2012), Hannah Ginsborg develops what she describes as a “partially reductionist” account of meaning. Ginsborg’s…
Dr. Victoria McGeer (ANU): “Scaffolding Agency: A proleptic account of the reactive attitudes”
Other
ABSTRACT: This paper examines the methodological claim made famous by P.F. Strawson: that we understand what features are required for responsible agency by exploring our attitudes and practices of holding responsible. What is the presumed metaphysical connection between holding…