Dear all,
next week, there will be a little Easter break. Please note that our next speaker in the Philosophy of Science Colloquium organized by the Institute Vienna Circle is Adrien Champougny (IVC Fellow), who will give a talk on April 4, 4.45-6.15 pm.
All are welcome!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philosophy of Science Colloquium TALK: Adrien Champougny
Reverse Mathematics: Why Should the Philosopher Care About It?
Philosophy of Science Colloquium
The Institute Vienna Circle holds a Philosophy of Science Colloquium with talks by our present fellows.
Date: 04/04/2024
Time: 16h45
Venue: New Institute Building (NIG), Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Wien, HS 3F
Abstract:
Reverse mathematics is a sub-field of mathematical logic. It is used to, a certain theorem t being given, be able to identify exactly what is needed to prove t. The goal of this talk is to provide a brief introduction to reverse mathematics and to give a few insights on why it is an interesting subject from a philosophical point of view.
I will show how the founding fathers of reverse mathematics (that is Harvey Friedeman and Steven Simpson) offered a first philosophical reading of their work that was mainly ontological in character: according to their view, the goal of reverse mathematics is to identify “[…] which set existence axioms are needed to prove the known theorems of mathematics” [Simpson,2009].
I will then present another way to see the philosophical interest of reverse mathematics that is more focused on the epistemological side. This reading rests on a simple idea: all other things being equal, one has a deeper epistemological control over a constructive proof than over an unconstructive one (I will try to make this concept precise in the course of the presentation). According to this reading, reverse mathematics can be seen as a way to evaluate what kind of knowledge we can hope to acquire concerning a particular mathematical theorem.
Finally, assuming that time permits, I will close my presentation by mentioning a new field of research started by Benedict Eastaugh and Walter Dean: reverse philosophy. The idea in this field is to find an argument in philosophy that somehow rests on a mathematical theorem and to show that this mathematical theorem necessitates some non-trivial mathematical resources to be proven.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
Workshop on Truth, Definability and Quantification into Sentence
Position
27 and 28 September 2024, University of Vienna
Jointly organised by Max Kölbel, Julio de Rizzo and Benjamin Schnieder
--------
Can truth be defined? Frege argued that it couldn't. Ramsey argued that
defining it would be easy if only we had an analysis of judgement. Today
Horwich claims that truth cannot be defined explicitly because doing so
would require quantification into sentence position and such
quantification is not coherent. Instead he proposes a "minimal theory"
of truth, which comprises all the unproblematic instances of the
equivalence schema. Künne, by contrast, argues that quantification into
sentence position is coherent and may actually be part of some natural
languages. Künne uses such quantification to define truth explicitly:
∀x (x is true iff ∃p ((x is the proposition that p) & p)). Or in
English: a representation (belief, assertion etc) is true just if things
are as it represents them as being. Künne claims also to find this
definition in Frank Ramsey's posthumous work, which, as an exegetical
claim, is not uncontroversial.
Is truth definable? Is propositional quantification coherent? Do natural
languages involve propositional quantification, and in what sense? What
do the answers to these questions mean for philosophical attempts to
define or explain truth? Is truth redundant if explicitly definable? Not
redundant if not explicitly definable? We are interested in these and
related questions (broadly conceived).
--------
Confirmed speakers are:
Peter Fritz (Australian Catholic University)
Paul Horwich (New York University)
Wolfgang Künne (University of Hamburg)
Poppy Mankowitz (University of Bristol)
Cheryl Misak (University of Toronto)
--------
We invite submissions of extended abstracts (1000 words max.) for up to
3 further talks. Please send your anonymized abstracts by 22 March 2024
to truthwien(a)gmail.com. Selected speakers will be notified by mid April.
We will cover accommodation of selected speakers (and on application
offer them a travel subsidy of up to 400 Euros).
This workshop is supported by the FWF Cluster of Excellence project
"Knowledge in Crisis", the FWF project "Truth is Grounded in Facts" and
the University of Vienna.
Dear colleagues,
The History of Philosophy Forum at the University of Notre Dame (USA) is
hosting its annual Spring Colloquium on April 4-5, 2024. Registration is
open to attend the colloquium online or in person on Notre Dame's campus
(registration link: https://forms.gle/Pz9PQG8sjxfYRn276).
This year's theme is *"The Life of the Mind in the History of
Philosophy."* Colloquium participants consider the following issues as
they have appeared across the history of philosophy:
Could we understand thinking as an activity of life, rather than as
an abstract logical operation? How could we make sense of the
(human) mind as something living, or as fundamentally instantiated
by living beings? How can we model the characteristic dynamics of
mental development, self-formation, and personal growth? Is the life
of the mind as real as or even more real than the life of organisms?
This colloquium draws together various models of the ‘life of the
mind’ from across the history of philosophy.
The following scholars are scheduled to present:
* Anne Clausen, University of Göttingen
* Alix Cohen, University of Notre Dame
* Gerad Gentry, Johannes-Gutenberg University Mainz
* Peter John Hartman, Loyola University Chicago
* Julia Jorati, University of Massachusetts Amherst
* Jari Kaukua, University of Jyväskylä
* Katharina Kraus, Johns Hopkins University
* Hannah Laurens, University of Oxford
* Scott MacDonald, Cornell University
* Wiebke Marie Stock, University of Notre Dame
* Mark Textor, King’s College London
More details about the colloquium, including the schedule of
presentations, can be found on the poster and program attached below, as
well as on the colloquium webpage
(https://historyofphilosophy.nd.edu/colloquium/2024-the-life-of-the-mind-in-…
<https://historyofphilosophy.nd.edu/colloquium/2024-the-life-of-the-mind-in-…>).
Registrants who opt to attend online will receive a zoom link via email
in advance of the colloquium. Registrants attending in person are
invited to join for breakfast and lunch during the colloquium
proceedings. Should any questions arise, please reach out to
historyofphilosophy(a)nd.edu.
With warm regards,
Katharina Kraus, Johns Hopkins University
Stephen Ogden, University of Notre Dame
Therese Cory, University of Notre Dame
---------------------------------------------------------------------
History of Philosophy Forum
University of Notre Dame
https://historyofphilosophy.nd.edu
historyofphilosophy(a)nd.edu
(574) 631-3610 (direct line)
(574) 631-0588 (fax)
430 Geddes Hall
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Dear all,
this is a reminder to come to the next talk organized by APSE – Applied
Philosophy of Science and Epistemology. Mirjam Faissner (Charité -
Universitätsmedizin Berlin) will give a talk titled "Epistemic
Oppression and Trans Healthcare". We are very excited about her talk!
Where and When: 21.3.2024, 15:00, HS 3A (NIG).
Abstract:
To understand and communicate our social experiences, we rely on
epistemic resources, such as words, concepts, metaphors, or social
meanings. Yet, which epistemic resources are socially available depends
on power structures. The concept of epistemic oppression, as developed
by Kristie Dotson, is helpful in understanding how power structures
enable and constrain epistemic agency, i. e. our ability to use, develop
and adapt our shared epistemic resources.
In this talk, I argue that institutional epistemologies in healthcare
sustain the epistemic oppression of trans people. More specifically, I
suggest that dominant narratives on transition and detransition
available in healthcare result in hermeneutical injustice and
smothering, two types of epistemic injustice that uphold epistemic
oppression. I discuss consequences of the epistemic oppression of trans
people for trans healthcare.
Bio:
Mirjam Faissner is a medical ethicist working at the Institute of the
History of Medicine and Ethics in Medicine at Charité -
Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Trained as a medical doctor and a
philosopher, she works on questions of structural and epistemic
injustice in healthcare, combining philosophical and empirical research.
Looking forward to seeing you at the talk! Please also let me know if
you would like to join for dinner afterwards :)
All the best,
Flora Löffelmann on behalf of APSE
--
Flora Löffelmann, MA MA
University assistant & doctoral candidate
Department of Philosophy at University of Vienna
Pronouns: they/them (for more info see:
https://www.mypronouns.org/what-and-why/)
Happy about a gender neutral "hello"!
*WIP Series 21.03.2024 - Thursday, HS 3A, NiG - "Katharsis: On the
Platonic Adaptation of an Orphic Idea" by Hermann Crüwell*
Dear all,
This is an email to inform you that the next presentation in the
Work-In-Progress series will be given by Hermann Crüwell (Ernst-Mach
Postdoc, University of Vienna; Ph.D., University of Oxford)) this coming
Thursday. The presentation is entitled "Katharsis: On the Platonic
Adaptation of an Orphic Idea"
Abstract:
At the time when Plato wrote his dialogues, many people sought meaning
and salvation in Orphic mystery cults. In short, Orphism taught that the
soul was once in a state of primordial blessedness in the company of the
gods. Because of an original sin, it fell away from this state and is
now trapped in circles of reincarnation in human bodies. Only initiation
into the Orphic mysteries and purification from its current impure
condition can help the practitioner to be released from this circle,
restore itself in its original condition and attain eternal bliss in the
company of the gods once again.
Plato was critical of these cults, which often demanded fees in exchange
for salvation by purifying rituals and initiation into the mysteries
(cf. Republic 364b–c). At the same time, he took on central concepts and
narratives from the Orphics to give expression to his own philosophical
outlook on the soul, its fate, and its quest for self-perfection.
Focusing on the Phaedo and its concept of katharsis (purification), I
explore how Plato transforms an Orphic idea to conceptualize the soul's
cognitive progress towards wisdom and virtue of character by means of
philosophy.
The meeting will take place in lecture hall 3A (NIG, Universitätsstraße
7, 3rd floor) at 17:15 and will last up to 18:45. All are invited to
join us for dinner or drinks afterward. If possible, please let us know
in advance by email.
You can write towip.philosophie(a)univie.ac.atif you have any questions or
would like to present for the Work-in-Progress series in the SoSe24.
Calendar and event information can be found
at:https://vd-philosophy.univie.ac.at/phd-program/doctoral-training/wip-series/
Best wishes and we hope to see many of you there!
The Organizing Team (Chiara Dankl, Martin Niederl, Yi-Jie Xia, Adrian
Fleisch, Mark Basafa, Sophie Veigl, Nianzu Tu, Raphael Aybar)
Esteemed Colleagues,
We would like to invite you to participate in our conference focusing on
the relationship between identity and virtue in the context of human-AI
interaction which will take place on the 30^th and 31^st of May this
year in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The conference theme encompasses three main
areas of inquiry:
1.
The interplay between identity and virtue(s) in human behavior.
2.
The significance of virtues in shaping human-AI interactions, online
environments and their consequences for identity.
3.
Exploring the plausibility of attributing virtue and identity to
AI-based systems or AI-powered robots.
Our aim will be to elucidate how epistemic identity, encompassing
fundamental beliefs, cognitive processes, and epistemic standards,
intertwines with virtuousness, religious belief(s) and associated
virtues such as humility, largely in connection with newly developed AI
tools. In this we will be examining the connections between virtue
epistemology, AI ethics, and religious studies. Papers are also invited
to explore topics such as the evolution of human epistemic identities in
the context of AI interactions, the possibility of communication and
evolution of religious beliefs within human-AI interactions, the
discernibility of epistemic identity in AI systems and its implications,
and the attribution of virtues or vices to AI entities and their
potential impact on epistemic harm or injustice.
We welcome submissions from diverse fields, including philosophy,
bioethics, theology, computer science, law, and educational sciences.
The conference aims to facilitate interdisciplinary discussions and
welcomes contributions that cut across disciplinary boundaries.
We will be accepting submissions at this email address
(info(a)identity.ethics-ai.eu) until the 29^th of March. Please find
attached more detailed information regarding submission guidelines and
deadlines.
We invite you to participate in this exploration of identity, virtue,
and the evolving dynamics of human-AI interaction. Your contributions
are integral to advancing our understanding of these complex themes.
Best regards,
Matej Kapus
Epistemic Identity and Epistemic Virtue Research Project
in collaboration with Faculty of Theology Ljubljana
Dear all,
our next speaker in the Philosophy of Science Colloquium organized by
the Institute Vienna Circle is Marta Sznajder (Institute Vienna Circle),
who will give a talk on March 21, 4.45-6.15 pm.
All are welcome!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE COLLOQUIUM TALK: MARTA SZNAJDER
Janina Hosiasson-Lindenbaum's Early Works: Between Warsaw and Cambridge
Philosophy of Science Colloquium
The Institute Vienna Circle holds a Philosophy of Science Colloquium
with talks by our present fellows.
Date: 21/03/2024
Time: 16h45
Venue: New Institute Building (NIG), Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Wien, HS
3F
ABSTRACT:
In 1931, Janina Hosiasson-Lindenbaum proposed a proto-decision-theoretic
answer to the value of evidence problem, originally posed by C. D. Broad
and solved by I. J. Good in the context of Savage's decision theory. As
an influence on her paper she credited Frank Ramsey, whose then
unpublished "Truth and Probability" (Ramsey 1926) she had read shortly
after Ramsey's death in 1930. But Hosiasson also insisted that she had
"previously thought independently on similar lines" (Hosiasson 1931, ft.
15).
This raises two questions. First, what is it exactly that
Hosiasson-Lindenbaum took herself to be in agreement on with Ramsey, or
what part of her approach has been inspired by his paper? And second:
what _did_ she "previously [think] independently"? In the paper, I
answer the two questions, drawing on Hosiasson-Lindenbaum's work
published before her contact with Ramsey's work, as well as shortly
after (and which has not received any attention to date).
I propose a more minimal answer to the first of the above questions,
arguing that we should not read Hosiasson as taking up Ramsey's theory
of epistemic probability wholesale. While Hosiasson did use the concept
of "mathematical expectation", or expected utility, as a model for how
people use probability to inform some of their decisions, she does not
connect this to any general view on what probabilities are overall.
This reading is then supported by a detailed analysis of Hosiasson's
early works. While Hosiasson's (probably) first philosophical work--her
doctoral dissertation from 1926--had been lost, fragments of it were
published in two papers (Hosiasson 1928, 1934). The second of those
papers was published with a large delay and contains a lot of material
that was added after 1931/2. This makes it particularly interesting in
the context of this study, since those dates are precisely the cut-off
point for Hosiasson's contact with Ramsey's work.
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
vom 2.-6. September 2024 findet die erste *internationale und
interdisziplinäre Passau Summer School for Applied Ethics (PASSAE)* an
der Universität Passau statt.
Die erste PASSAE 2024 wird die Philosophie Immanuel Kants auf drei
Themenfelder hin befragen, die aktuell ethische Fragen aufwerfen:
Digitalisierung, Nachhaltigkeit und die Zukunft Europas. Durch
Fachvorträge von internationalen Expert:innen und Diskussionen in
Arbeitsgruppen werden wir der Frage nachgehen, ob und was Kants
Philosophie zu diesen gegenwärtigen Herausforderungen beitragen kann.
Wissenschaftskommunikation und ein kulturelles Rahmenprogramm sind auch
Teil des Events.
PASSAE richtet sich an *Studierende aller Disziplinen und Universitäten*
und insbesondere an Studierende der Philosophie, Geschichte, Politik-
und Sozialwissenschaften, European Studies, Informatik und
Sustainability Studies. Die Bewerbung ist noch bis *31.3.2024* unter
https://passae.uni-passau.de <https://passae.uni-passau.de> möglich. Die
Veranstaltungssprache ist Englisch. Die Eigenbeteiligung beträgt 50€ und
umfasst die Verpflegung während der Veranstaltung sowie einen Teil des
Rahmenprogramms.
Wir würden uns freuen, zahlreiche Studierende aus Österreich in Passau
zu begrüßen!
Weitere Informationen finden Sie auf der Website
https://passae.uni-passau.de <https://passae.uni-passau.de>. Für
Rückfragen sind wir unter passae(a)uni-passau.de
<mailto:passae@uni-passau.de> erreichbar.
Herzliche Grüße
Call for Applications: PASSAE 2024
*Die Bewerbungsphase für die erste Passau Summer School for Applied
Ethics hat begonnen! Bis 31.3.2024 können sich interessierte Studierende
aller Fächer und Universitäten bewerben.*
Die erste PASSAE steht unter dem Titel *#Kant: Digitalization – Europe –
Sustainability* und wird die Philosophie Immanuel Kants auf drei
Themenfelder hin befragen, die aktuell und zukünftig ethische Fragen
aufwerfen: Digitalisierung, Nachhaltigkeit und die Zukunft Europas.
Durch Fachvorträge und Diskussionen mit internationalen Expert:innen
sowie in interdisziplinären Arbeitsgruppen werden die Teilnehmenden der
Frage nachgehen, ob und was Kants Philosophie zu diesen gegenwärtigen
Herausforderungen beitragen kann. PASSAE 2024 findet vom 02.-06.09.2024
an der Universität Passau statt. Bis 31.3.2024 können sich interessierte
Studierende aller Fächer und Universitäten bewerben.
PASSAE-Website: https://passae.uni-passau.de <https://passae.uni-passau.de>
Hier geht es zur Bewerbung <https://passae.uni-passau.de/application-form/>!
Call for Applications: PASSAE 2024
*The application for the first Passau Summer School for Applied Ethics
is now open! Students from all disciplines and universities can apply
until 31.3.2024.*
The first PASSAE, *#Kant: Digitalization – Europe – Sustainability*,
will explore Immanuel Kant’s philosophy on three topics that raise
current and future ethical questions: Digitalization, Sustainability and
the Future of Europe. Through lectures and discussions with
international experts as well as in interdisciplinary working groups, we
will explore the question of whether and what Kant’s philosophy can
contribute to these contemporary challenges. PASSAE 2024 takes place
from 2. to 6. September 2024 at the University of Passau. Students from
all disciplines and universities can apply until 31.3.2024.
International students are particularly welcome.
Website of the event: https://passae.uni-passau.de
<https://passae.uni-passau.de>
Apply here <https://passae.uni-passau.de/application-form/>!
--
Johanna Sinn
Research Assistant
Professorship of Applied Ethics
Prof. Dr. Karoline Reinhardt
University of Passau
Germany
johanna.sinn(a)uni-passau.de
https://www.geku.uni-passau.de/en/angewandte-ethik
<https://www.geku.uni-passau.de/en/angewandte-ethik>
PASSAE – Passau Summer School for Applied Ethics
#Kant: Digitalization – Europe – Sustaiinability
2.-6. September 2024
https://passae.uni-passau.de <https://passae.uni-passau.de/>
passae(a)uni-passau.de <mailto:passae@uni-passau.de>
Dear colleagues,
We cordially invite you to our SOCRATES Workshop on "Practices of
Storytelling and Indigenous Epistemologies" - registration is now open!
*PRACTICES OF STORYTELLING AND INDIGENOUS EPISTEMOLOGIES
International Workshop
Institute of Philosophy, Leibniz University Hannover, Germany
3 May 2024*
*Register now! (Deadline: 3 April 2024 23:59 CEST)
<https://www.socrates.uni-hannover.de/en/news-events/upcoming-events/events-…>*
Practices of storytelling are vital to the creation and transformation
of Indigenous concepts and ideas, and vital to understanding and
enabling Indigenous forms of philosophical inquiry. Oral narratives,
weaving, carving, and other artforms such as, for instance,
architecture, song, and dance both contain and enable philosophical
inquiry. What is more, creative artforms remain sites of struggle,
resistance, and reclaiming of Indigenous philosophies for many
Indigenous communities around the world – holding space for traditional
and contemporary ideas to be reimagined and renewed.
In this workshop, we explore the role of storytelling (broadly
understood) in Indigenous knowledge. We also ask what the academic
discipline of philosophy (and the philosophers therein) might gain from
better understanding these practices. To that end, we ask questions such
as: What is the function of storytelling in Indigenous knowledge? Do
practices of storytelling necessarily clash with other (more dominant)
knowledge practices? What would it take to reconcile the deep
differences between them fairly? What would it take for the academic
discipline to include (and enable) diverse methods of inquiry (such as
storytelling)? What limits, if any, are there to how non-indigenous
philosophers use Indigenous knowledge-making practices such as stories
in their work? And, what ethical and trust-based issues arise at the
intersections of Indigenous storytelling and mainstream scientific practice?
The workshop includes talks by invited speakers Inkeri Koskinen
(University of Helsinki), Yolanda Lopez-Maldonado (Indigenous Science),
David Ludwig (Wageningen University), Adriana Moreno Cely (Vrije
Universiteit Brussel), and Krushil Watene (University of Auckland).
There is no participation fee.
If you have any questions, please contact the workshop organiser Dr.
T.Y. Branch (branch(a)philos.uni-hannover.de).
/SOCRATES: Social Credibility and Trustworthiness of Expert Knowledge
and Science-Based Information <https://www.socrates.uni-hannover.de/en/>
is a Centre for Advanced Studies funded by the German Research
Foundation (DFG). It provides a forum for interdisciplinary exchange on
scientific credibility and trust in science and is based at the
Institute for Philosophy at Leibniz University Hannover./
Best regards,
Leonie Wiemeyer
--
Dr. Leonie Wiemeyer (sie/she)
Koordinatorin | Coordinator
Office days: Tuesdays and alternate Thursdays
“SOCRATES – Social Credibility and Trustworthiness of Expert Knowledge
and Science-Based Information”
DFG-Kollegforschungsgruppe (KFG) 43, Centre for Advanced Studies in
Humanities and Social Sciences
Institut für Philosophie
Leibniz Universität Hannover
Lange Laube 32
30159 Hannover
Germany
E-Mail:leonie.wiemeyer@philos.uni-hannover.de
Mobil: +49 (0)160 92470508
Telefon: +49 (0)511 762-14541
Find us online athttp://socrates.uni-hannover.de!
Dear all,
We cordially invite you to join two talks on moral philosophy by
scholars from The Centre for Ethics at University of Pardubice.
1) Silvia Caprioglio Panizza (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow): What's
Your Moral Impossibility?
Abstract:
Our moral agency is typically defined by what we do, what we think, what
we will. I argue that equally important is the ‘dark’ side of choice,
thought, and imagination – specifically, what we do not take as a
possibility. I call this domain ‘moral impossibility’. In this talk I
show how moral impossibility (often silently) delimits and defines our
option ranges, our moral character, and our sense of value. Putting
these three consequences together, I suggest an application of moral
impossibility to the explanation of deep disagreement, understood as
situations when one party demands what is not just wrong, but morally
impossible (here in the form of ‘unthinkability’) for the other, and
vice versa. If we interpret deep disagreement this way, what changes?
2) Niklas Forsberg (Head of Research): Our(?) Concept of Food
Abstract:
One of the more difficult sentences of Cora Diamond’s seminal paper
“Eating Meat, Eating People” is: “it is not 'morally wrong' to eat our
pets; people who ate their pets would not have pets in the same sense of
that term.” There are a number in ways in which this phrase may seem
challenging. One is that it ties the sense of moral value to our
concepts. If people ate their pets they would have a different concept
of “pet,” and because of that conceptual difference, we would not be
able to simply state that they are morally wrong. This marks out
conceptual differences as playing a pivotal role in marking out moral
differences. Deep moral disagreements are often rooted in conceptual
divergencies. It may, however, now look like morality itself is losing
its foundation. Change your concepts, and you get a new morality!
In my talk, I will try to show why that is a distorted understanding of
the kind of point that Diamond is making. So, I will try to show why it
may actually be helpful to think about moral differences as conceptual
differences. In order to see why the way of thinking that Diamond here
illustrates is not a flat-out relativistic doctrine, one needs to, as
Iris Murdoch (one of Diamond’s sources of philosophical inspiration)
revise our concept of a concept, and perhaps also our conception of what
it means to have a moral belief. There is, though, no simple route (that
I can find) to clarity about these matters, so the first part of the
talk will include placing a number of philosophical views and problems
on the table (about moral beliefs and argumentation, human agency and
responsibility, and features of the asymmetry that can be discerned
between views that are reached by means of directed reasoning and views
that are “merely” inherited.
Snacks and drinks will be provided!
Both talks will be in English.
If you have any questions, please contact either Konstantin Deininger
(konstantin.deininger(a)univie.ac.at) or Erich Linder
(erich.linder(a)vetmeduni.ac.at).
For more information about the Centre for Ethics see:
https://centreforethics.upce.cz/en/https://vd-philosophy.univie.ac.at/events/details/news/guest-lectures-from-…