Patrick Williamson
Position: Current PhD Student
School: School of Philosophy
Email: Patrick.Williamson@anu.edu.au
Location: Level 6, RSSS Building, 146 Ellery Crescent
Qualification:
Bachelor of Philosophy (Hon) (ANU)
Thesis title: Cluelessness
I'm interested in rational/moral decision making. Of late, I've been interested in so-called 'cluelessness arguments' against consequentialism. Such arguments typically worry that consequentialist principles can't be true given that we are clueless as to the total consequences of our acts.
My Honours thesis was in population ethics. I defended critical-level axiologies but have since changed my mind here. In office 6.18, I'm responsible for writing David Lynch's number of the day on the board (except for the days when I forget).
Normative ethics (esp. consequentialism, objections to consequentialism), population axiology, value theory, epistemology, decision theory.
Williamson P (forthcoming). 'A New Argument Against Critical-Level Utilitarianism', Utilitas, 1–18.
University Medal (ANU), Quentin Gibson Prize (ANU), Forethought Undergraduate Thesis Prize.
Tutoring:
- PHIL1004: Fundamental Ideas In Philosophy (2020)
- PHIL2125: Rationality and Social Cooperation (2021)
- PHIL2290: Philosophy, AI, and Society (current)
