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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20191107
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20191129
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20190826T180957Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210713T160456Z
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SUMMARY:Evidence & Belief in the Age of Mass Information
DESCRIPTION:Perhaps at no other time in history has information been more widely & easily accessible. But how reliable is it? What do we do when confronted with fundamental disagreement about matters of social importance\, including climate change and vaccination? Whom should we trust? Experts might help us. But who counts as an expert? Our experiences of our own bodies and our surroundings gives us a great deal of information. But what happens when our experience is at odds with what we’re told by doctors or other experts? When should expertise prevail? This series will examine the complex interplay of personal experience\, evidence & belief in a variety of different contexts. \nEach year\, the Rotman Institute of Philosophy and the Department of Philosophy at Western University organize a public lecture series\, co-sponsored with the London Public Library. The theme for this year’s lecture series is evidence & belief. All lectures will be held in the Stevenson & Hunt Room at Central Library\, on Thursday evenings in November\, from 7 – 8:30 pm. Attendance will be free and open to the general public. Advance registration is not required. \nNovember 7November 14November 21November 28November 7\nThe Misinformation Age\n\nThursday\, 7 November 20197:00 – 8:30 pm\nIn an age where information is at our fingertips\, why do we believe so many false things?  In this talk\, I look at the history of science\, and use simple models of human interaction\, to see why one of our greatest strengths as humans – social learning – can lead us wrong. \nSPEAKER PROFILE \nCailin O’Connor is a philosopher of biology and behavioral sciences\, philosopher of science\, and evolutionary game theorist.  She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science\, and a member of the Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Science at UC Irvine. She is currently co- administering the NSF grant “Consensus\, Democracy\, and the Public Understanding of Science” with philosopher of physics James Owen Weatherall (previous NSF grant Social Dynamics and Diversity in Epistemic Communities).  Their co-authored trade book The Misinformation Age was published with Yale University Press. \nRead more about Cailin O’Connor. \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\n \nNovember 14\nThe Death of Expertise?\n\nThursday\, 14 November 2019\n7:00 – 8:30 pm\nA common complaint among science communicators and political watchers is that nobody listens to experts anymore—about climate change\, vaccines\, GMOs\, and more. This populist anti-intellectualism is seen as threatening to liberal democratic societies\, because accurate knowledge is supposed to direct good\, non-partisan governance. But public resistance to expert claims is better understood as a crisis of trust. Expertise is not dead\, but instead is being recalibrated. Thinking about science (including its experts) in relation to society invites new ways of addressing public resistance to expert claims. \nSPEAKER PROFILE \nMaya Goldenberg is an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Guelph. Her research addresses the fundamental epistemic question\, “How do we know what to believe?” (or when are knowledge claims justified) in health care. \n\nMost of Goldenberg’s scholarship has addressed this question in the pressing context of evidence-based medicine\, the decision making framework that relies on clinical trial evidence (especially randomized controlled trials) to inform individual patient care. While evidence based medicine is the standard of best practice in health research and health care\, there has been inadequate attention to the philosophical assumptions underlying this transfer of knowledge from the laboratory to the bedside.  The success of this knowledge transfer has ethical implications\, as patients’ health and well-being are at stake. \nMore recently\, she has broadened her research into the science-values complex to investigate vaccine hesitancy as illustrative of poor public trust in scientific institutions. \nRead more about Maya Goldenberg. \n\nNovember 21\n“All in Your Head”: Medicine’s Worrisome Struggle with Subjective Evidence\n\nThursday\, 21 November 2019\n7:00 – 8:30 pm\nUp to half of outpatients suffer from illness that has not been explained by objective medical tests. Practice guidelines suggest these symptoms must have psychological causes\, but is it safe for medicine to reject evidence of disease when it’s purely subjective? In this presentation I’ll clarify problems with the science\, and the safety\, of “all in your head”. \nSPEAKER PROFILE \nDiane O’Leary received a PhD in philosophy from the University of Sydney (1998) and an MA in philosophy from Syracuse University (1994).  Originally focused on Platonic metaphysics and epistemology\, her work now considers applications of philosophy of mind to medicine. Dr. O’Leary has been a fellow at the Brocher Foundation in Geneva\, evaluating scientific support for new diagnostic constructs intended to capture symptoms “caused by the mind”.  As a Visiting Researcher at Kennedy Institute of Ethics during 2016-2018\, Dr. O’Leary’s work aimed to clarify ethical problems that arise in medicine with confusion about the mind’s relation to the body. \nRead more about Diane O’Leary. \nNovember 28\nInformation and Disinformation in the Internet Age\n\nThursday\, 28 November 20197:00 – 8:30 pm\nThe internet facilitates the spread of information\, and disinformation. In the face of this\, how can we tell what is and isn’t trustworthy? This is one instance of a question that philosophers have discussed for millennia\, the question of distinguishing reliable knowledge from unreliable. There’s no easy answer\, but I will offer some guidelines for forming beliefs in the internet age. \nPlease note that the speaker previously scheduled for this night had to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances. We are very grateful to Wayne Myrvold\, from the Department of Philosophy at Western\, who has graciously agreed to fill-in. \nSPEAKER PROFILE \nWayne Myrvold is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Western University\, and co-editor of Studies in History of Philosophy of Modern Physics. He has research interests in philosophy of physics\, philosophy of science\, and philosophy of mathematics. \n  \n  \n  \n  \n \n\n\nView a copy of the event poster and flyer\, prepared by the London Public Library.\n\n\n\nThis event series was prepared in partnership with the Department of Philosophy at Western University and the London Public Library.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPoster photo credit: Roman Kruglov – through the magnifying glass (license)
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/evidence-belief-in-the-age-of-mass-information/
LOCATION:Stevenson & Hunt Room A – Central Library\, 251 Dundas St\, London\, Ontario\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Library Lectures,Science and Values,Visiting Fellows
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20191018T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20191018T153000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20190918T160609Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211117T170049Z
UID:22208-1571403600-1571412600@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:The promises and perils of A(rtificial) I(ntelligence)
DESCRIPTION:The rise of artificial intelligence inspires both fear and optimism. The creation and use of machines and software capable of learning and developing the ability to think and behave autonomously promises significant social benefits\, but also great social upheaval. AI will affect how we travel\, work\, and receive health care. It will impact the quality and type of information available for these and many other purposes. Managing the benefits and the burdens of AI will involve thinking not only about the science and engineering of AI\, but also the values that drive and regulate its creation and use. \nThis symposium will be devoted to discussing a range of scientific and social aspects of AI from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. It will shed light on what counts as AI and how to responsibly regulate these technologies. The symposium will comprise a lecture by postdoctoral associate Bartek Chomanski on the social and political implications of AI in addition to a panel of Western’s experts in ethics\, computer science\, health science and information and media studies. \nFor planning purposes\, advance registration is requested. \nREGISTER TO ATTEND \n  \n\nSCHEDULE\n1:00 – 1:30 pm – Lecture by Bartek Chomanski \n1:30 – 1:50 pm – Question & Answer Period \n1:50 – 2:00 pm – Coffee Break (light refreshments will be provided) \n2:00 – 3:30 pm – Panel Discussion \n\nLECTURE\nBartek Chomanski – Ethical Issues in Artificial Intelligence: a Survey of Selected Problems \nAbstract: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a pervasive feature of our everyday lives. AI not only helps with relatively routine activities\, by recommending movies or personalizing ads; it also plays an increasingly central role in weighty\, often life-changing decisions\, from determining creditworthiness to identifying children most at risk of neglect and abuse. Algorithms are also used to shape our consumption of information\, potentially influencing public discourse and democratic participation. These developments raise understandable concerns about a diverse range of issues\, from the lack of human involvement and accountability\, through algorithmic bias and opacity\, to the algorithms’ use of personal data on a massive scale and the corresponding threats to privacy. \nThe stakes become even higher when we consider short- and long-term future of AI\, from autonomous vehicles and autonomous weapons systems\, through labor automation and the threat of technological unemployment\, to\, perhaps at some very distant date\, the emergence of artificially intelligent beings that may equal and even surpass human intelligence. \nIn this talk\, I will survey some of the ethical and public policy challenges arising out of present and future development of AI\, and canvass a few (sometimes incompatible) solutions proposed by the thinkers concerned with social and political impacts of AI. \n\nPANELISTS\nJacquelyn Burkell is the (Acting) Associate Vice-President (Research)\, and an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies. Her research focuses on the empirical study of the interaction between people and technology\, with a particular emphasis on the role of cognition in such interactions. \nBartek Chomanski is a Postdoctoral Associate at the Rotman Institute of Philosophy\, Western University. His research focuses on the ethics of emerging technologies\, and in particular on how the development of increasingly more powerful artificial intelligence will impact both our near and distant future. \nDan Lizotte is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics. His primary research interests are medical health informatics\, machine learning\, and clinical decision support. \nJacob Shelley holds a joint appointment as an Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Law and the School of Health Studies in the Faculty of Health Sciences. His research examines the proper limits and role of law in promoting public health and preventing chronic disease\, as well as issues that arise at the interface of law\, health science\, and ethics. \nAnthony Skelton (Panel Moderator) is Acting Director of the Rotman Institute of Philosophy and an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy. His research focuses on issues in moral philosophy and practical ethics. \nMax Smith is an Assistant Professor in the School of Health Studies\, Faculty of Health Sciences. His research bridges philosophical scholarship with social science research methods to investigate declared values in public health policy\, practice\, and research. \n\nPhoto credit: Message From The Unseen World by Roger Marks (license)
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/the-promises-and-perils-of-artificial-intelligence/
LOCATION:Room 1130 – Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, London\, ON\, N6A3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Artificial Intelligence,Ethics,Science and Values
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20191018T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20191018T120000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20190918T175714Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210713T160507Z
UID:22226-1571394600-1571400000@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Allan Franklin - Measuring Nothing Repeatedly: Null Experiments in Physics
DESCRIPTION:The philosophy of physics reading group will host Allan Franklin for a guest talk during an off-week of their regularly scheduled meeting time. He’ll be speaking about a new book he co-authored called Measuring Nothing Repeatedly: Null Experiments in Physics. Individuals interested in attending the talk need not participate in the reading group\, but are asked to RSVP to Sona Ghosh. \nLearn more about the philosophy of physics reading group. \nABSTRACT\n\nOne explanation that has been offered for the “replication crisis” in psychology and other social sciences is the fact that scientists in those fields do not submit\, nor do journals publish\, null results. Yet null results have played important roles in physics. In this talk I will discuss what one means by a null result\, replication and its problems\, and several of the important null results in physics. These will include the history of falling bodies and the universality of free fall from Galileo to tests of the Weak Equivalence Principle in General Relativity\, the Michelson-Morley experiment and its replications\, and modern searches for physics beyond the Standard Model and for neutrinoless double beta decay. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\nAllan Franklin is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research is on the history and philosophy of science\, with particular emphasis on the role of experiment in physics. He has done historical studies on parity conconservation\, CP-violation\, and Millikan’s oil drop experiment. On the philosophical side\, he has worked on the Duhem-Quine problem\, the question of how one can localize support or refutation\, and on confirmation theory\, using a Bayesian approach. He has also discussed an epistemology of experiment\, a set of strategies that provide rational belief in experimental results. These strategies distinguish between a valid experimental result and an artifact created by the experimental apparatus. More recently he has worked on the fallibility and corrigibility of experimental results and the resolution of discordant results. He has also completed studies of the interaction of theory and experiment in the development of the theory of weak interactions from Fermi to V-A\, a history of atomic parity violation experiments and their relation to the Weinberg- Salam unified theory of electroweak interactions. He has also worked on the history of the “Fifth Force” in gravity and a review of the history of the proposed 17-keV neutrino. He has written a history of the neutrino\, from its proposal in 1931 to the present and his most recent book Selectivity and Discord: Two Problems of Experiment deals with the issues of experimenter bias and of the resolution of discordant experimental results. His most recent book\, “Ending the Mendel-Fisher Controversy\,” is on the history of genetics.
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/allan-franklin-measuring-nothing-repeatedly-null-experiments-in-physics/
LOCATION:Room 7107 – Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, London\, ON\, N6A3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Physics,Visiting Fellows
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/global_2019_20.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20191009T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20191009T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20190918T164244Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210714T143121Z
UID:22220-1570633200-1570638600@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Rotman Dialogue with Louise Barrett: Enactivism\, pragmatism…behaviorism?
DESCRIPTION:Rotman Dialogues are events based on a specific book or reading\, that are facilitated by Institute graduate students. Conducted much as an author-meets-critics event\, these informal discussions begin with a brief introduction by the author\, followed by questions from the one or two graduate students chairing the session. Finally\, the dialogue is opened up to everyone in attendance. Some events will be held in conjunction with graduate seminars\, and some will be offered by speakers taking part in the annual Rotman Speakers Series. These events are open to all members of the campus community. \n  \nReading: Enactivism\, pragmatism…behaviorism? \nAuthor: Louise Barrett \nCommentators: Jon Bowen & Madeleine Brodbeck \nAbstract:  \nShaun Gallagher applies enactivist thinking to a staggeringly wide range of topics in philosophy of mind and cognitive science\, even venturing into the realms of biological anthropology. One prominent point Gallagher makes that the holistic approach of enactivism makes it less amenable to scientific investigation than the cognitivist framework it seeks to replace\, and should be seen as a ‘‘phi- losophy of nature’’ rather than a scientific research program. Gallagher also gives truth to the saying that ‘‘if you want new ideas\, read old books’’\, showing how the insights of the American pragmatists\, particularly Dewey and Mead\, offer a variety of resources and tools that can be brought to bear on modern day enactivism. Here\, I suggest that the adoption of enactivist thinking would undermine the assumptions of certain scientific positions\, requiring their abandonment\, rather than simply making it more difficult to conduct research within an enactivist framework. I then discuss how Mead’s work has been used previously as a ‘‘pragmatist intervention’’ to help resolve problems in a related 4E endeavour\, Gibson’s ecological psychology\, and make a case for the inclusion of radical behaviorism as another pragmatist resource for 4E cognition. I conclude with a plea for further enactivist intervention in studies of comparative cognition. \nAuthor Profile: \nLouise Barrett is a professor in the department of psychology at the University of Lethbridge. Her research interests lie in the field of comparative psychology and social cognition. At present\, her research centres on the cognitive adaptations and learning strategies underpinning group-living\, cooperative behaviours and parental investment strategies in human and non-human primates\, pursued using the theoretical framework of embodied and extended cognition. \n 
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/rotman-dialogue-with-louise-barrett/
LOCATION:Room 7107 – Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, London\, ON\, N6A3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Mind & Neuroscience,Rotman Dialogues,Visiting Fellows
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20191004T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20191004T153000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20190826T193346Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200207T142831Z
UID:22046-1570197600-1570203000@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Carlos Montemayor - The Difference Between Consciousness and Attention: Scientific Challenges
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nWe know our minds directly\, by having privileged access to them. We also know about them more indirectly\, by studying the biological and structural conditions that allow creatures like us to have minds. This gap between the subjective and the objective has been the focus of much debate in consciousness studies. I here explore a different set of issues that might clarify our understanding of the conscious mind\, particularly concerning the relation between consciousness and attention. The talk will cover issues concerning information\, evolution\, and theoretical approaches to consciousness. I hope to demonstrate that studying carefully the difference between phenomenal consciousness and attention will not only lead to more productive discussions\, but that it will also be a basic component of a scientific theory of consciousness. \n  \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\nI received my PhD in Philosophy with a Certificate in Cognitive Science from Rutgers University and joined the faculty at San Francisco State University in the summer of 2009. My research focuses on the intersection between philosophy of mind\, epistemology and cognitive science. My book “Minding Time: A Philosophical and Theoretical Approach to the Psychology of Time” offers an account of time perception that takes into consideration the scientific findings on psychological time-keeping mechanisms and simultaneity windows. NDPR Review. Brill Site. \nI co-wrote a book\, with H. H. Haladjian\, on consciousness and attention\, with MIT Press: Consciousness\, Attention\, and Conscious Attention; This is a review of the book in NDPR. \nI recently co-authored a book\, with Abrol Fairweather\, on the nature of epistemic agency\, epistemic abilities and attention\, with Cambridge University Press. Here is a review for: Knowledge\, Dexterity\, and Attention. \nI also received a JD (Law Degree) from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. My thesis\, on human rights\, was published by Porrúa\, and was reviewed here (in Spanish). \nRead more about Carlos Montemayor. \n  \nEVENT VIDEO\n\n \n\nPhoto credit: Tekke – Sinnliche Töne [Explored] (license)
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/carlos-montemayor-the-difference-between-consciousness-and-attention-scientific-challenges/
LOCATION:Room 1130 – Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, London\, ON\, N6A3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Mind & Neuroscience
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20190612
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20190615
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20190219T182630Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190709T135807Z
UID:21570-1560297600-1560556799@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Foundations of Quantum Field Theory: 2019 Annual Philosophy of Physics Conference
DESCRIPTION:This workshop on the philosophy of quantum field theory (QFT) will bring together philosophers and physicists to address a set of foundational questions significant to both fields. Almost all of modern fundamental physics is written in the mathematical language of QFT. (The exception to this proves the rule: Einstein’s theory of gravity is not formulated as a QFT\, but physicists have long sought to replace it with a quantum theory of gravity.) Philosophers of physics have recently been drawn to conceptual and interpretative issues in QFT that are not found in ordinary quantum mechanics (the predecessor theory). A workshop at Western in 2009 stimulated work in this area\, and this workshop revisits this topic in light of recent progress and an influx of talented junior scholars. Improved understanding of how and why these issues arise could lead to breakthroughs in several areas of physics — for example\, in relativistic quantum information theory and quantum gravity. The goals of the workshop are to facilitate communication and collaboration among emerging and established philosophers of physics who are working on QFT\, and to foster interactions across the disciplinary boundaries between philosophy and physics. In addition\, the workshop will strengthen ties between philosophers and physicists in Southwestern Ontario who are working on common problems. \nThe talks and panel discussions at this workshop will offer different perspectives on three core issues. QFT combines the special theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. It is a theory of fields\, which prompts the question of how the particles that figured in non-relativistic quantum mechanics relate to this new theoretical structure. A second issue concerns how to properly represent fields mathematically. Renormalization techniques can handle several technical challenges\, but their physical and conceptual basis remains unclear. The third issue is how to physically characterize distinctively relativistic features of QFT. This issue is important not only for understanding QFT\, but also for formulating successor theories that improve upon it. \n\n\n\n\nThe workshop will be preceded by the 19th annual graduate student conference on the philosophy of Logic\, Mathematics\, and Physics. This event brings together graduate students from Canada and the world to present and discuss their work. Speakers from the workshop will be encouraged to stay for this conference and contribute to the discussions; this will provide valuable mentoring for the student presenters. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nConfirmed SpeakersConference VideosConference ScheduleInformation for AttendeesConfirmed Speakers\nBenjamin H. Feintzeig\, University of Washington \nDoreen Fraser\, University of Waterloo \nJames Fraser\, Durham University \nIvette Fuentes\, University of Nottingham (speaking virtually) \nEduardo Martin-Martinez\, University of Waterloo \nMichael Miller\, University of Toronto \nWayne Myrvold\, University of Western Ontario \nLaura Ruetsche\, University of Michigan \nNitica Sakharwade\, Perimeter Institute \nPetar Simidzija\, University of Waterloo \nNoel Swanson\, University of Delaware \nPorter Williams\, University of Southern California \n— — \nDavid John Baker\, University of Michigan (to deliver keynote at LMP graduate conference) \nConference VideosConference Schedule\nThe conference schedule is shown below. Talk abstracts can be seen on the conference program. \n\nWEDNESDAY\, JUNE 12\n10:30 – 10:45 am — Check-in & welcome \n10:45 am – 12:00 pm — Collapse Theories for Relativistic QFT: Problems and Prospects (Wayne Myrvold) \n12:00 – 1:30 pm — Lunch \n1:30 – 2:45 pm — CPT\, Spin-Statistics\, and State Space Geometry (Noel Swanson)  \n2:45 – 3:15 pm — Break \n3:15 – 4:30 pm — Why can we use analytic continuation to relate relativistic QFT models to non-relativistic models? (Doreen Fraser) \n4:30 – 5:30 pm — Discussion: What are the distinctively relativistic features of QFT? \n\nTHURSDAY\, JUNE 13\n8:30 – 9:00 am — Coffee & snacks \n9:00 – 10:15 am — The theory of measuring quantum fields: myths and facts (Eduardo Martin-Martinez)  \n10:15 – 10:45 am — Break \n10:45 am – 12:00 pm — Rethinking Perturbation Theory (in the 1950s) (James Fraser) \n12:00 – 1:30 pm — Lunch \n1:30 – 2:45 pm — Quantum Field Theory\, Finitely (Michael Miller)  \n2:45 – 3:15 pm — Break \n3:15 – 4:30 pm —  Julian Schwinger and the Audacity of Scope (Porter Williams)  \n4:30 – 5:30 pm — Discussion: Why is renormalization needed to address ultraviolet divergences?  \n\nFRIDAY\, JUNE 14\n8:30 – 9:00 am — Coffee & snacks \n9:00 – 9:30 am — Classical gravity is safe from an ultraviolet catastrophe (Petar Simidzija) \n9:30 – 10:00 pm — Possible futures: How to construct quantum space-time with indefiniteness (Nitica Sakharwade) \n10:00 – 10:30 am — Break \n10:30 – 11:45 am — Quantum fields as sensors for fundamental physics (Ivette Fuentes–speaking virtually)  \n11:45 am – 1:30 pm — Lunch \n1:30 – 2:45 pm — Baseless Speculation (Laura Ruetsche) \n2:45 – 3:15 pm — Break \n3:15 – 4:30 pm — Classical limits of particle concepts in quantum field theory (Benjamin H. Feintzeig)  \n4:30 – 5:30 pm — Discussion: What is the ontology of QFT? \nInformation for Attendees\nFor individuals traveling to London for the conference\, we offer the following suggestions & general information: \nAccomodations\nHotels close to campus include: \n\nWindermere Manor\nStationPark All Suite Hotel\nHoliday Inn Express: London Downtown\nHilton London Ontario\nResidence Inn London Downtown\n\nTransportation\nOur local airport code is YXU (London\, Ontario\, Canada). It can sometimes be less expensive to fly into either Toronto or Detroit\, then take an airport shuttle van (Robert Q) or bus (Greyhound) into London. \nThe London Transit Commission has several bus routes (2\, 6\, 9C\, 10\, 13\, 31\, 32\, 33 and 34) that drop off somewhere on or near the university. Buses tend to run every 15 to 30 minutes (depending on the line\, and day of the week). Visit the London Transit Commission website for bus routes and estimated bus arrival times. \nConference Location & Parking\nThe conference will take place at Western University in the Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB)\, Room 3000. The WIRB is located on Perth Drive\, near the Labatt Visual Arts Building. A campus map (depicting visitor parking in blue) is available here. For those of you who will be driving to campus\, the closest visitor parking spaces are the pay & display meters located between the Visual Arts Building & the North Campus Building. Information on parking rates can be found here. \nImage credit: Pixabay
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/foundations-of-quantum-field-theory-2019-annual-philosophy-of-physics-conference/
LOCATION:Room 3000 – Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Western University\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Conference,Other Conferences,Philosophy of Physics
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20190610
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20190612
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20190221T202537Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200608T162237Z
UID:21592-1560124800-1560297599@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:2019 Philosophy of Logic Math and Physics Graduate Student Conference
DESCRIPTION:The 19th annual Philosophy of Logic\, Mathematics\, and Physics (LMP) Graduate Conference will take place on Monday-Tuesday\, June 10-11\, 2019\, at the University of Western Ontario in London\, Ontario\, Canada. We are pleased to announce that David John Baker (University of Michigan) will be giving the keynote address for this year’s LMP. \nWestern University’s Philosophy Department and the Rotman Institute of Philosophy will host the 23rd annual Philosophy of Physics Conference following the Graduate Student LMP Conference. This year’s conference will be taking place June 12 – 14\, and will be on the subject of quantum field theory. More information on this year’s conference can be found here. \nConference WebsiteCall For PapersConference Website\nThe LMP website includes full details about this year’s conference\, including the program\, information for attendees\, and a list of previous recipients of the Clifton Memorial Prize. \nVisit www.logicmathphysics.uwo.ca.\nCall For Papers\n\nGraduate students who have not yet defended their PhD thesis are invited to submit papers on any topic in philosophy of logic\, philosophy of mathematics\, and philosophy of physics. Papers in philosophy of physics will be considered for the 16th Annual Clifton Memorial book prize. The contest will be adjudicated by philosophy of physics faculty members at Western. \n\nSubmission Guidelines: \n\nThe maximum paper length is 5\,000 words\, including footnotes and appendices (but not references). If the paper includes tables\, figures\, or equations\, an appropriate number of words should be subtracted from the limit. Papers are to be prepared for anonymous review\, and should be accompanied by an abstract (no longer than 300 words). Co-authored papers are not eligible for submission. \n\n\nDeadline extended to March 15\, 2019\nPapers should be submitted via EasyChair at https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=2019lmp. \n\n\nAuthors of accepted papers will be limited to 30-35 minutes for presentation\, followed by a 20-minute period of discussion. We will endeavour to make accommodations available to all visiting graduate students. \n\n\nPlease send any questions to the LMP Conference Committee: uwolmp@gmail.com. We look forward to receiving your submission\, \n\n– The 2019 LMP Conference Committee
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/2019-philosophy-of-logic-math-and-physics-graduate-student-conference/
LOCATION:Room 1145 – Stevenson Hall\, Stevenson Hall\, Room 1145\, London\, Ontario\, N6G 2V4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Graduate Student Events
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20190531
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20190603
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20190621T164903Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190621T164903Z
UID:21989-1559260800-1559519999@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:MCMP-Western Ontario Workshop on Computation in Scientific Theory and Practice
DESCRIPTION:The goal of this interdisciplinary meeting is to explore philosophical and historical issues that arise at the intersection of theoretical computer science\, mathematics\, and natural science\, including issues that arise in the practice of those disciplines. We welcome submissions on topics including\, but not limited to\, the following: the history of computer science; the foundations of computation and mathematical cognition; computational and informational perspectives on scientific decision making\, scientific methodology\, and the characterisation of scientific theories; physical notions of computation and the ‘Physical Church-Turing Thesis’. \nTo view the conference program\, and details on registration\, please visit the conference event page. \nInvited Speakers\nDan Christensen (University of Western Ontario)\nRobert Corless (University of Western Ontario)\nWalter Dean (University of Warwick)\nBenedict Eastaugh (MCMP/LMU Munich)\nLaura Felline (University of Rome 3)\nStephan Hartmann (MCMP/LMU Munich)\nMarkus Mueller (Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information\, Vienna)\nWayne Myrvold (University of Western Ontario)\nGualtiero Piccinini (University of Missouri St. Louis)\nPaula Quinon (Warsaw University of Technology/University of Lund)\nTom Sterkenburg (MCMP/LMU Munich)\nMáté Szabo (University of Lorraine/University of Paris 1) \nProgram Committee\nHolger Andreas (University of British Columbia/MCMP)\nLucas Dunlap (University of Cincinnati)\nNicolas Fillion (Simon Fraser University)\nAdam Koberinski (University of Western Ontario)\nGregory Lavers (Concordia University)\nHannes Leitgeb (MCMP/LMU Munich)\nRossella Lupacchini (University of Bologna)\nLavinia Picollo (University College London/MCMP)\nGil Sagi (University of Haifa/MCMP)\nOron Shagrir (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)\nMarta Sznajder (MCMP/LMU Munich) \nOrganisers\nMarianna Antonutti Marfori (MCMP/LMU Munich)\nMichael Cuffaro (Rotman Institute of Philosophy/Western Ontario/MCMP) \nAcknowledgement\nThe conference is supported by the Rotman Institute of Philosophy\, the University of Alcalá\, the Foundational Questions Institute (through the grant FQXi-RFP-1616)\, Research Western and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 709265.
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/mcmp-western-ontario-workshop-on-computation-in-scientific-theory-and-practice/
CATEGORIES:Other Conferences
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20190516T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20190516T153000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20190410T193026Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210713T160533Z
UID:21841-1558015200-1558020600@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Şerife Tekin: The Indispensability of Patient Testimonies for Objectivity in Psychiatry
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nA primary goal of psychiatric epistemology is to identify the properties of mental disorders that are relevant for developing effective interventions. Sources of information that individuate these properties include scientific research on mental disorders (e.g.\, clinical drug trials)\, data emerging from clinical settings (e.g.\, case studies)\, and first-person reports of those suffering from mental disorders or those who witness or observe such suffering. While dominant scientific frameworks in psychiatry recognize and rely on scientific and clinical data in their efforts to advance the science of mental disorders\, they are not similarly committed to directly using the first-person perspectives of patients. More specifically\, individuals who suffer from and are diagnosed with mental disorders have not systematically been made part of the scientific inquiry into mental disorders. One of the reasons for this is the worry that the inclusion of patients’ perspectives will compromise pscyhiatry’s aspirations to be an objective science. This talk responds to this challenge by drawing on feminist philosophy of science and makes a case for why the inclusion of patients’ perspectives is necessary for objectivity in psychiatry. \n  \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\nŞerife Tekin was born in Turkey and she spent her childhood and adolescence on the Aegean coast hanging around the ruins of Ancient Greek Civilization. She likes to think that she is a philosopher because she stepped foot on the soils that the Greek gods\, goddesses\, and philosophers left their marks\, inhaled the salty humid sea air they breathed in\, and inhabited a sense of wonder that woke them up from the deepest sleeps everyday. She received her PhD in 2010 at York University in Toronto\, with the dissertation\, “Mad Narratives: Exploring Self-Constitutions Through the Diagnostic Looking Glass\,” following which she was a postdoctoral research fellow in Feminist Bioethics and Neuroethics at Dalhousie University\, in Halifax\, Canada. After Dalhouise\, she completed another postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for the Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to coming to UTSA\, she was an assistant professor and the Director of Medical Humanities Minor at Daemen College\, in Amherst\, NY. Her research in Philosophy of Psychiatry is at the cusp of feminist approaches to Philosophy of Science\, Philosophy of Mind\, and Ethics. In her work\, she aims to expand psychiatric knowledge by supplementing existing scientific literature with a philosophical study of the first-person accounts of those with mental illness — a rich but rarely used resource. She uses philosophical tools to engage with the scientific and clinical literature on mental illness\, philosophical literature on the self\, and the ethical literature on what contributes to human flourishing and expand psychiatric knowledge that will ultimately lead to effective treatments of mental illness. It matters to her that her knowledge and skills have impact on real lives\, whether in the classroom when she is teaching\, or outside the classroom when she is mentoring. When she is not teaching or writing\, she likes to run\, ride her bike\, cook\, and see art. \nLearn more about Şerife Tekin. \n  \n \n\nImage credit: Stare into eternity – Explore by Stefan Tärnell (Creative Commons license)
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/serife-tekin-the-indispensability-of-patient-testimonies-for-objectivity-in-psychiatry/
LOCATION:Room 1170 – Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Mind & Neuroscience,Visiting Fellows
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20190424T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20190424T153000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20190410T185751Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210713T160542Z
UID:21831-1556114400-1556119800@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Robert Rupert - There Is No Personal Level: On the Virtues of a Psychology Flattened from Above
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nIn their attempt to understand the structure of cognitive science\, philosophers of mind often give pride of place to what they take to be an ontologically distinctive level of reality\, the so-called personal level. The typical product of such an effort consists of the following claims: (a) humans have introspective\, commonsense-based\, or a priori access to facts about personal-level states\, capacities\, or abilities; (b) those facts are the explananda of cognitive science\, that is\, the relatively fixed targets that cognitive-scientific modeling and theorizing must account for; and (c) cognitive science fulfills its goals by identifying the subpersonal ways in which the personal-level states\, capacities\, or abilities in question are realized\, implemented\, enabled\, or made intelligible. In this talk\, I argue that the collection (a)\, (b)\, and (c) constitutes a deeply misguided philosophy of cognitive science. Cognitive science’s explananda are\, in the first instance\, sets of replicable data\, and the general trend in cognitive science is to model these data without appeal to personal-level states or capacities. To the extent that cognitive science reveals anything about the personal level\, it would appear\, at present\, to be that it does not exist (or\, to focus instead on explanation\, it appears that cognitive science assigns no privileged role to a distinctively personal\, as opposed to a subpersonal\, style of explanation). We should thus conceive of human psychology as “flattened from above\,” best represented by models that (i) locate most of the states or properties typically thought to appear only at the personal level amongst the mess of processes normally characterized as subpersonal\, and that (ii) fail to include (thus apparently eliminating) the remaining such states and properties. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\nRobert Rupert (Ph.D.\, U. of Illinois at Chicago\, 1996) works in the philosophy of mind\, the philosophical foundations of cognitive science\, and in related areas of philosophy of science\, metaphysics\, epistemology\, and philosophy of language. His research focuses particularly on mental representation\, concept acquisition\, mental causation\, cognitive architecture\, situated cognition\, group cognition\, natural laws\, and properties. Rob has been awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for College Teachers as well as an NEH summer research stipend. He has won a CU Provost’s Faculty Achievement Award and a Kayden Book award\, is a fellow of the Institute of Cognitive Science at CU-Boulder\, and is a member of CU-Boulder’s Committee for the History and Philosophy of Science. He has held visiting research positions at the University of Edinburgh\, the Australian National University\, and the Ruhr-Universität\, Bochum. He serves as an Associate Editor for the British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. \nLearn more about Robert Rupert. \n \n \n\nImage credit: Form and Function by Raul Lieberwirth (Creative Commons license)
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/robert-rupert-there-is-no-personal-level-on-the-virtues-of-a-psychology-flattened-from-above/
LOCATION:Room 1170 – Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Mind & Neuroscience,Visiting Fellows
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20190405T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20190405T153000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20181018T181554Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200207T144941Z
UID:20907-1554472800-1554478200@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Emily Thomas - Travel Writing as Thought Experiments: Science\, Francis Bacon\, and Margaret Cavendish’s Blazing World
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nTravel has a long and intimate history with philosophy. Travel also has a long and intimate relationship with fiction. Sometimes travel fiction acts as ‘thought experiments’\, experiments that we can run through in our heads. This talk explores a 1666 fiction travelogue\, Margaret Cavendish’s Blazing World. In the novel\, a virtuous young lady is kidnapped and travels by boat through the North Pole into a new world. I argue this is no mere piece of science fiction. Instead\, this travelogue acts as a distinctly philosophical thought experiment\, exploring the philosophy of science\, utopias\, and what it means to be real. \n  \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\nEmily Thomas is an Assistant Professor in Philosophy at Durham University. She has written a lot on space and time in early modern and early twentieth century philosophy. She also has research interest in other metaphysical issues\, including substance\, change\, motion\, idealism\, process\, personal identity\, and philosophy of religion. Thomas likes digging out the work of rich but under-studied figures\, including women philosophers who have traditionally been neglected in the history of philosophy. \nIn 2018 she published two books: Absolute Time: Rifts in Early Modern British Metaphysics (Oxford University Press) and Early Modern Women on Metaphysics (Cambridge University Press). Her work has been supported by a Veni research grant from the Netherlands Research Council and a Rising Star grant from the British Academy. \nRecently\, she’s been thinking about philosophical issues in travel. What is travel? What are maps? How has philosophy affected travel\, and how has travel affected philosophy? She’s writing a book on this\, for which she is represented by United Agents. \nRead more about Emily Thomas. \n \n  \n\n  \nImage credit: Keith Williams – Solar Storm over Twin Lakes (reversed) license
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/emily-thomas-philosophy-travel/
LOCATION:Room 1145 – Stevenson Hall\, Stevenson Hall\, Room 1145\, London\, Ontario\, N6G 2V4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Science and Values
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20190328T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20190328T203000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20181018T180124Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220816T170654Z
UID:20902-1553799600-1553805000@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Lisa Feldman Barrett - Emotions: Facts vs. Fictions
DESCRIPTION:The 2019 Rotman Lecture will be delivered by Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett\, professor of psychology at Northeastern University\, and author of “How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain“. She delivered the 2017 TED Talk\, “You aren’t at the mercy of your emotions — your brain creates them”\, which was among the top 25 most watched TED videos of 2018. \nABSTRACT\n\nIn this talk\, we’ll explore a series of experiments about emotion whose conclusions seem to defy common sense. We’ll learn that common sense is wrong\, and has been for 2000 years. In the process\, we’ll dispel four of the most widespread fictions about emotions that lurk in classrooms\, boardrooms and bedrooms around the world. We’ll then explore a radically new scientific understanding of what emotions are and how they work. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n\nLisa Feldman Barrett is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology at Northeastern University. Dr. Barrett’s research focuses on the nature of emotion from the perspectives of both psychology and neuroscience\, and takes inspiration from anthropology\, philosophy\, and linguistics. Her lab takes an interdisciplinary approach\, and incorporates methods from social\, clinical\, and personality psychology\, psychophysiology\, cognitive science\, cognitive neuroscience\, and visual cognition. Current projects focus on understanding the psychological construction of emotion (i.e.\, how basic affective and conceptual ingredients provide the recipes for emotional experiences)\, age- and disease-related changes in affective circuitry within the human brain\, how language and context influence emotion perception\, how affect influences vision\, and sex differences in emotion. \nRead more about Lisa Feldman Barrett. \nEVENT REGISTRATION\n\nAttendance is free\, but for planning purposes advance registration is requested. All registered guests are invited to join us prior to the lecture for a free reception (with coffee\, tea & light appetizers) in the foyer outside of Wolf Hall. The Western Book Store will have copies of Dr. Feldman Barrett’s books for sale\, and she will be available for book signing. \n6:00 – 7:00 pm – Reception and Book Sale\n6:00 – 6:30 pm – Book Signing\n7:00 – 8:30 pm – Lecture \nTwo hours of free validated parking are available in the Citi Plaza parking lot\, during library hours. \nAdvance registration for this event is now closed. \nEVENT VIDEO\n\n \n  \n\nThis Rotman Lecture was co-sponsored by the London Public Library and The Brain and Mind Institute at Western University. \n\n  \n  \n \n  \n  \n\n\nEVENT POSTER\n\nView a copy of the event poster. \n\nImage credit: Frank Behrens – Clowns (license)
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/lisa-feldman-barrett-emotions-facts-vs-fictions/
LOCATION:Wolf Performance Hall – Central Library\, 251 Dundas St\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 6H9\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Mind & Neuroscience,Public Lectures,Rotman Lectures
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20190315T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20190315T153000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20181018T181716Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190411T125953Z
UID:20894-1552658400-1552663800@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Anjan Chakravartty: Constraints on Rational Scientific Disagreement
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nIn recent work I have argued that scientific disagreement can be rational even in contexts of shared evidence and comparable expertise. The notion that rival interpretations of a theory or a model can be rational\, however\, has potentially worrying consequences for how we view scientific knowledge and our reliance on it in societal contexts of education\, funding\, and public policy. Thus\, we might well hope for constraints on rationally permissible disagreement that would preclude such consequences. I explore this hope through an examination of cases of scientific disagreement\, with the aim of identifying conditions under which disagreeing parties may be rational without thereby opening the door to a debilitating relativism. \n  \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\nAnjan Chakravartty is a Professor and Appignani Foundation Chair in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Miami. His research focuses on central issues in the philosophy of science\, metaphysics\, and epistemology. These include debates about scientific realism (e.g.\, versions of entity and structural realism) and antirealism (e.g.\, versions of empiricism)\, the nature of dispositions\, causation\, laws of nature\, natural kinds\, scientific modeling and representation\, and disagreement\, and interconnections between science\, metaphysics\, and epistemology. He has held professorships and visiting positions at the Universities of Toronto\, Notre Dame\, Pittsburgh\, and Sydney\, and is the author of Scientific Ontology: Integrating Naturalized Metaphysics and Voluntarist Epistemology (Oxford University Press\, 2017) and A Metaphysics for Scientific Realism: Knowing the Unobservable (Cambridge University Press\, 2007). \nRead more about Anjan Chakravartty. \n  \nEVENT VIDEO\n\n \n\n  \nImage credit: Scott Ableman – Sea Voyager (rotated & flipped) license
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/anjan-chakravartty-constraints-on-rational-scientific-disagreement/
LOCATION:Room 1170 – Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Science
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20190314
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20190409
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20190111T210826Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210714T151015Z
UID:21390-1552521600-1554767999@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Winter & Spring 2019 Rotman Dialogues
DESCRIPTION:EVENT DESCRIPTION\n\nRotman Dialogues are events based on a specific book or reading\, that are facilitated by Institute graduate students. Conducted much as an author-meets-critics event\, these informal discussions begin with a brief introduction by the author\, followed by questions from the one or two graduate students chairing the session. Finally\, the dialogue is opened up to everyone in attendance. \nThe Rotman Dialogues planned for this term are listed below. Some events will be held in conjunction with graduate seminars\, and some will be offered by speakers taking part in the annual Rotman Speakers Series. Full details will be emailed to all Rotman members prior to each event. \nFor individuals interested in participating who are not currently members of the Institute\, please email Deborah Fox for further information. \nMarch 14\, 2019 - Anjan Chakravartty & Stathis Psillos\nReading: Scientific Ontology: Integrating Naturalized Metaphysics and Voluntarist Epistemology\, Oxford University Press (2017) \nCommentator: Stathis Psillos \nTime: 9:30 – 11:00 am \nLocation: WIRB 7107 \nView Event Video (a playlist of highlights\, in fours short videos) \nMarch 27\, 2019 - Lisa Feldman Barrett\nReading: How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain \nCommentators: Aubrie Schettler & Lindsay Gabel \nTime: 3:30 – 5:00 pm \nLocation: WIRB 4190 \nApril 4\, 2019 - Emily Thomas\nReading: Absolute Time: Rifts in Early Modern British Metaphysics\, Oxford University Press (2018) \nCommentator: Alastair Crosby \nTime: 9:30 – 11:00 am \nLocation: WIRB 7107 \nApril 8\, 2019 - Nico Orlandi\nReading: The Innocent Eye: Why Vision Is Not a Cognitive Process\, Oxford University Press (2014)\, chapters 2 & 3 \nCommentator(s): Ron Chunn & Andrew Tweedle \nTime: 11:30 am – 1:30 pm \nLocation: StvH 1145 \nThis event will be held during the graduate seminar\, ‘Issues in Philosophy\, Psychology\, & Neuroscience’ (Anderson).  \nImage credit: Olga Strachna – Arizona | Lower Antelope Canyon (reversed) license
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/winter-spring-2019-rotman-dialogues/
LOCATION:Room 4190 – Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Room 4190\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Rotman Dialogues,Stathis Psillos
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20190208T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20190208T153000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20181018T173121Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190411T130758Z
UID:20896-1549634400-1549639800@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Erik Angner: Why the Science of Well-Being Needs the Philosophy of Well-Being—and Vice Versa
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nIn 1976\, Mario Bunge advocated a “vigorous and symmetrical interaction between science and philosophy … to close the gap between the two camps and to develop a scientific philosophy and a science with philosophical awareness.” The aim of this paper is to defend both parts of Bunge’s thesis\, viz.\, that philosophical conclusions are relevant to empirical research – and\, more controversially\, that empirical research is relevant to philosophical conclusions. Drawing on a series of fine-grained examples from behavioral economics and the economics of happiness\, I will outline various ways in which the science depends on philosophical assumptions. In addition\, I will review a number of ways in which the relevant bits of philosophy depend on empirical premises. The upshot is that the relationship between the relevant science and philosophy is remarkably symmetric: just like scientists cannot avoid making philosophical assumptions\, philosophers often cannot help but proceed from empirical premises. I conclude by endorsing Bunge’s recommendation that “philosophers should become apprentices rather than lawgivers\, and participants rather than onlookers” – and that the same thing is true for social and behavioral scientists. The argument suggests a picture according to which science and philosophy stand in a symbiotic relationship\, with scientists and philosophers engaging in a mutually beneficial exchange of ideas for the advancement of the general knowledge. \n  \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\nErik Angner is Professor of Practical Philosophy at Stockholm University. As a result of serious mission creep\, he holds two PhDs – one in Economics and one in History and Philosophy of Science – both from the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of two books\, Hayek and Natural Law (2007) and A Course in Behavioral Economics\, 2nd Ed. (2016)\, as well as multiple journal articles and book chapters on behavioral and experimental economics\, the economics of happiness\, and the history\, philosophy\, and methodology of contemporary economics. \nRead more about Erik Angner. \n  \n  \nEVENT VIDEO\n\n \n  \n\nImage credit: *sax – One in a million (license)
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/erik-angner-why-the-science-of-well-being-needs-the-philosophy-of-well-being-and-vice-versa/
LOCATION:Room 1170 – Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Science
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20190206T133000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20190206T150000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20190115T151103Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210713T160607Z
UID:21509-1549459800-1549465200@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Writing for a general audience: a workshop with science writer Kayt Sukel
DESCRIPTION:Current Western University graduate students are invited to attend a writing workshop with Kayt Sukel\, author of Risk and This is Your Brain on Sex\, where she will offer tips\, techniques\, and best practices for clear communication with a general audience. Learn how to talk to reporters – and avoid underselling (or overselling) your research. Discover new ways to engage in scientific outreach to enhance understanding—and your career.  And\, through talking through the do’s\, don’ts and never-evers\, understand the importance of effective communication to clearly convey scientific discovery to the public.  You are encouraged to bring an example of your own work-in-progress which you will be able to work on with Kayt and the other attendees. \nAttendance to this workshop is limited to 35 participants. Please register below if you are interested in attending. People who register after the workshop is full will be placed on a waitlist in the order of the time they registered. \nABOUT KAYT SUKEL\n\nKayt Sukel is a writer whose essays and articles have appeared in the the Atlantic Monthly\, New Scientist\, Pacific Standard\, Science\, Memory and Cognition\, NeuroImage\, the Washington Post\, and National Geographic Traveler. She is the author of DIRTY MINDS: HOW OUR BRAINS INFLUENCE LOVE\, SEX AND RELATIONSHIPS (Free Press\, 2012)\, an exploration of love and the brain\, and THE ART OF RISK: THE NEW SCIENCE OF COURAGE\, CAUTION\, & CHANCE (National Geographic Books\, 2016)\, an investigation of risk-taking behavior inside and outside the laboratory. Currently living outside Houston\, Texas\, she can be reached at ksukel@hotmail.com or on Twitter as @kaytsukel. \nImage credit: Allan Foster – 10 number 2’s (license)
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/writing-for-a-general-audience-a-workshop-with-science-writer-kayt-sukel/
LOCATION:Room 1110 – Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Visiting Fellows
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20190117
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20190208
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20181018T131749Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190411T130540Z
UID:20872-1547683200-1549583999@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Happiness and Well-Being: Philosophical Perspectives
DESCRIPTION:EVENT DESCRIPTION\n\nEach year\, the Rotman Institute of Philosophy and the Department of Philosophy at Western University organize a public lecture series\, co-sponsored with the London Public Library. The theme for this year’s lecture series is happiness and well-being. The four speakers taking part in this year’s series have expertise in a range of fields–ethics\, feminist philosophy\, philosophy of science\, and sociology–and will address the theme from unique perspectives. All lectures will be held in the Stevenson & Hunt Room at Central Library\, on Thursday evenings\, from 7 – 8:30 pm\, on the dates listed below. Attendance will be free and open to the general public. \nView a copy of the library event poster. \nJanuary 17January 24January 31February 7January 17\nFive Questions about Women and Well-Being\n\nThursday\, January 17\, 2019\n7:00 – 8:30 pm\nThis talk takes up five questions about women and well-being: Are women’s lives sufficiently different than men’s as to merit a separate account of well-being? What might a feminist theory of well-being look like?  In general\, do women lead better or worse lives than men? If women are happy with their lives\, in unjust circumstances\, does that count against subjective theories of well-being? How does equality relate to well-being in the context of the pay gap and the play gap? \nSPEAKER PROFILE \nSamantha Brennan is Dean of the College of Arts at the University of Guelph\, a member of the graduate faculty in Philosophy at Western University and at the University of Guelph. She is also a member of the Rotman Institute of Philosophy. Brennan’s main research interests lie in the area of contemporary normative ethics\, applied ethics\, and feminist philosophy. \nRead more about Samantha Brennan. \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \nEVENT VIDEO \n \nJanuary 24\nThriving Children\n\nThursday\, January 24\, 2019\n7:00 – 8:30 pm\nPhilosophers have been puzzling over the nature of happiness for thousands of year. Somewhat surprisingly few have deigned to reflect on the nature of children’s happiness. In this presentation\, I will seek to remedy this oversight by offering some philosophical thoughts on the nature of children’s well-being. \nSPEAKER PROFILE \nAnthony Skelton is currently associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at Western University. His research focuses on issues in moral philosophy and practical ethics. He received his PhD in philosophy from the University of Toronto in 2005\, where he wrote a dissertation under the direction of Wayne Sumner. In 2004-2005 he was Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Post-doctoral Fellow in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Michigan. In 2012-13\, he was Visiting Scholar at the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics and a Plumer Visiting Research Fellow at St. Anne’s College\, Oxford University. In 2015\, he was a visiting researcher at Fondation Broucher. He received the University Students’ Council Teaching Honour Roll Certificate in 2008\, 2011\, 2012\, 2014\, and 2016. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal for the History of Analytical Philosophy. \nEVENT VIDEO \nJanuary 31\nAging Alone? The Well-being of Older Adults without Close Kin\n\nThursday\, January 31\, 2019\n7:00 – 8:30 pm\nFamily members provide many important functions such as childcare\, financial support and caregiving. Because of demographic changes\, older people today may have fewer kin to rely on than in the past. This lecture addresses changes in family networks among older adults and the implications for health\, well-being and social integration. \nSPEAKER PROFILE \nRachel Margolis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Western Ontario. Her research addresses how family dynamics shape population change in developed countries. She works in the following areas: demography\, fertility and family change\, population aging\, population health and well-being\, and medical sociology. She did her PhD in Demography and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania\, MSc in Population and Development at LSE\, and BA in Government at Cornell University. \nRead more about Rachel Margolis. \nEVENT VIDEO \nFebruary 7\nPhilosophy and the Science of Happiness\n\nThursday\, February 7\, 2019\n7:00 – 8:30 pm\nThe “science of happiness” explores who’s happy and why\, and it’s never been hotter or more controversial. But what is happiness\, and why does it matter? The answers turn out to be difficult and philosophically interesting\, and serve to show the value of philosophical reflection to the practicing scientist. \nSPEAKER PROFILE \nErik Angner is Professor of Practical Philosophy at Stockholm University. As a result of serious mission creep\, he holds two PhDs – one in Economics and one in History and Philosophy of Science – both from the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of two books\, Hayek and Natural Law (2007) and A Course in Behavioral Economics\, 2nd Ed. (2016)\, as well as multiple journal articles and book chapters on behavioral and experimental economics\, the economics of happiness\, and the history\, philosophy\, and methodology of contemporary economics. \nRead more about Erik Angner. \nEVENT VIDEO \nThis event series is co-sponsored by the Department of Philosophy at Western University and the London Public Library.
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/happiness-and-well-being-philosophical-perspectives/
LOCATION:Stevenson & Hunt Room A – Central Library\, 251 Dundas St\, London\, Ontario\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Library Lectures,Public Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20181130T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20181130T153000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20181018T145908Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200207T145026Z
UID:20885-1543586400-1543591800@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Janet Martin: Evidence Reversals: How Fragile is the Evidence Base?
DESCRIPTION:What happens when an existing claim is tested and the original evidence is contradicted by new and stronger evidence? Join us for a talk by Dr. Janet Martin\, director of the MEDICI Centre\, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry\, on evidence reversals. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n Dr. Janet Martin is Associate Professor in the Departments of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine and Epidemiology & Biostatistics. She is also Director\, MEDICI Centre\, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry\, University of Western Ontario. Dr. Martin’s research and knowledge translation work focuses on Surgery\, Anesthesia\, Perioperative Medicine\, Clinical Trials\, Epidemiology\, Decision-Making\, and Evidence Reversals in low-\, middle- and high-income settings (LMICs and HICs). Current projects include “Global Surgery\, Anesthesia & Perioperative Care”\, “Evidence Reversals”\, “Health Technology Assessment”\, and “Decision-Relevant Guidelines”. Dr. Martin received the Distinguished Leader Award of Excellence for Graduate/Postgraduate Education at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. \nRead more about Janet Martin. \n  \nEVENT POSTER\n\nView a copy of the event poster. \n  \n\nThis event is co-sponsored by the Centre for Medical Evidence\, Decision Integrity & Clinical Impact (MEDICI) and the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. \n \n  \nImage credit: Katell Ar Gow – On s’amuse comme on peut… (colour adjusted\, reversed) license
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/janet-martin-evidence-reversals/
LOCATION:Room 1170 – Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Science and Values
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20181026T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20181026T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20180827T185824Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181107T135757Z
UID:20547-1540564200-1540569600@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Bipasha Baruah: Global Trends in Women's Employment in Renewable and Clean Energy: Continuities\, Contradictions\, Disruptions
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nConcerns about environmental sustainability and fossil-fuel insecurity have motivated countries around the world to transition to clean energy supplies derived from renewables such as solar\, hydro\, bioenergy\, geothermal and wind. Since producing and distributing renewables is more labor-intensive than producing and distributing fossil fuels\, this shift is creating new employment opportunities and addressing energy poverty in remote or under-served communities. Although there is tremendous potential to create employment in renewable and clean energy almost everywhere in the world\, there is growing concern that women\, who are already underrepresented in the sector\, will become even more marginalized if gender equity policies and programs are not proactively planned and implemented. This research project identifies opportunities and constraints for women’s employment in renewable and clean energy in industrialized\, emerging and developing economies\, and makes recommendations for optimizing their participation. \nFindings from this research reveal the need for broader socially progressive policies and shifts in societal attitudes about gender roles\, for women to benefit optimally from employment in renewables. Restructuring paid employment in innovative ways while delinking social protection from employment status has been suggested in some industrialized countries as a way to balance gender equity with economic security and environmental protection. However\, without more transformative social changes in gender relations\, such strategies may just reinforce rather than subvert existing gender inequities\, both in paid employment and in unpaid domestic labor. Grounded interventions to promote gender equality in renewable energy employment – especially within the context of increasing access to energy services for underserved communities – are more prevalent and better-established in some non-OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. OECD countries might be well-advised to try to implement certain programs and policies that are already in place in some emerging economies. \nThis event was co-sponsored by the Department of Women’s Studies and Feminist Research at Western University. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\nBipasha Baruah is a professor in the Department of Women’s Studies and Feminist Research at Western University\, a Canada Research Chair in Global Women’s Issues\, and a faculty member of the Rotman Institute of Philosophy. Her  research identifies the social\, economic\, legal\, cultural\, political and institutional factors that influence women’s ability to own property; and develops theories\, methodologies and analytical frameworks for conducting interdisciplinary research on gender and property ownership. \nShe also conducts research on women’s participation in the green economy. She explores the opportunities and constraints that low-income women face in securing equitable\, healthy and decent jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities in low-carbon economies focused on renewable energy and resource efficiency in different world regional contexts. Findings from her research enable governments\, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders to formulate appropriate policy responses to women’s needs for land\, housing and sustainable livelihoods. \nRead more about Bipasha Baruah. \n  \nEVENT VIDEO\n\n \n  \nEVENT POSTER\n\nView a copy of the event poster. \n  \nImage credit: dnlspnk – water falling on apple (reversed) license
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/bipasha-baruah-global-trends-in-womens-employment-in-renewable-and-clean-energy-continuities-contradictions-disruptions/
LOCATION:Room 1170 – Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Ecological Philosophy,Science and Values
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20181012
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20181015
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20180711T184158Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181105T181336Z
UID:20406-1539302400-1539561599@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Rotman 2018 Annual Conference: Understanding Replication Across the Sciences
DESCRIPTION:CONFERENCE DESCRIPTION\n\nCurrently\, there is a widespread perception that scientific activity is in the middle of a (so-called) ‘reproducibility’ or ‘replication crisis’. Many important findings published in leading scientific journals have turned out to be difficult or impossible to replicate. The ongoing controversy surrounding the reproducibility of scientific activity threatens to undermine the authority of science. The extent and severity of the ‘replication crisis’ are being continuously evaluated. It seems\, however\, that these discussions\, rather than revealing the existence of a fatal flaw at the heart of modern scientific activity\, show that our general understanding of the complexities surrounding the replication and reproducibility of experimental findings and experimental procedures is rather limited. The very concept of and the methodological strategies for experimental replication have in fact received little analysis. \nThis interdisciplinary conference will bring together philosophers and scientists to reflect on the current controversy surrounding the replication of scientific research. The overall goal will be to understand in more detail the nature of experimental replication\, and to address the failure to replicate in scientific activity. More specifically\, the conference will address the following questions: What does it mean to replicate an experimental procedure? What does it mean to replicate an experimental result? What are the criteria for a successful replication? What are the reasons for replicating an experiment? What is the epistemic importance of replication? How does replication compare with other methodological strategies that scientists use to confirm and validate their experimental procedures and results? How do the answers to these questions differ across disciplines? How have the answers to these questions changed through time? \nTalk titles and abstracts are available in the conference schedule\, below. \nVIEW CONFERENCE SCHEDULE \nCONFERENCE LOCATION\, PARKING & TRAVEL INFORMATION\n  \nCONFIRMED SPEAKERS\n\nMichael Anderson (Western University\, Rotman Institute of Philosophy) \nLorne Campbell (Western University\, Department of Psychology) \nStuart Firestein (Columbia University\, Department of Biological Sciences) \nAllan Franklin (University of Colorado\, Department of Physics) \nYves Gingras (Université du Québec à Montréal\, Faculty of Human Sciences) \nHans Radder (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam\, Department of Philosophy) \nJutta Schickore (Indiana University Bloomington\, Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine) \nAyelet Shavit (Tel-Hai College\, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies) \nRichard M. Shiffrin (Indiana University Bloomington\, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences) \nMiriam Solomon (Temple University\, Department of Philosophy) \nJacob Stegenga (University of Cambridge\, Department of History and Philosophy of Science) \nJacqueline Sullivan (Western University\, Rotman Institute of Philosophy) \n  \nCONFERENCE VIDEOS\n\n\n  \nCONFERENCE POSTER\n\nView a copy of the conference poster. \nCONFERENCE FUNDING\n\nThis research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada\, and the following areas at Western University: Department of Philosophy\, Faculty of Arts & Humanities\, Faculty of Social Sciences\, Faculty of Science\, and the Rotman Institute of Philosophy.\n  \nImage credit: Easter Island by Lasse – cropped (license)
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/rotman-2018-annual-conference-understanding-replication-across-the-sciences/
LOCATION:Room 3000 – Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Western University\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Annual Rotman Conferences,Conference,Philosophy of Science
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20181001T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20181001T203000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20180912T190137Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181017T152049Z
UID:20626-1538418600-1538425800@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Panel Discussion: Canada Up in Smoke? Debating the Impact of Cannabis Legalization
DESCRIPTION:EVENT DESCRIPTION\n\nThe Society of Neuroscience Graduate Students at Western University is hosting an upcoming panel discussion on the legalization of cannabis\, due to take effect in October. The event will include experts from a range of fields\, exploring the medical\, legal\, and ethical considerations of the new policy. The Rotman Institute of Philosophy and the Brain and Mind Institute are both co-sponsors of the event\, and Rotman faculty member\, Anthony Skelton\, will act as the panel moderator. \nThis event is free and open to the public\, but for planning purposes advance registration is requested. \n  \nREGISTER TO ATTEND \n  \nPANELISTS\n\nTerence Kernaghan\, MPP – London North Centre\, New Democratic Party of Ontario \nDr. Jibran Khokhar\, PhD – Assistant Professor\, University of Guelph\, Department of Biomedical Sciences \nDr. Ruth Ross\, PhD – Professor\, University of Toronto\, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology \nDr. Anthony Skelton\, PhD  (Panel Moderator) – Associate Professor\, Western University\, Department of Philosophy \nDr. Jonas Vanderzwan\, MD –  Medical Director\, WeedMD \n  \n \n \n \n \n \n  \n \n \nEvent image credit: Erik F. Brandsborg – Røykring / Smoke ring (license)
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/panel-discussion-canada-up-in-smoke-debating-the-impact-of-cannabis-legalization/
LOCATION:Room 1200\, Spencer Engineering Building\, Spencer Engineering Building\, Western University\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 5B9\, Canada
CATEGORIES:panel discussions,Public Events,Science and Values
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180623
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180625
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20180528T154334Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181017T162121Z
UID:20199-1529712000-1529884799@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:2018 Philosophy of Logic Math and Physics Graduate Student Conference
DESCRIPTION:Join us on June 23-24\, 2018 for the eighteenth annual Philosophy of Logic\, Math and Physics (LMP) graduate student conference in philosophy at Western University in London\, Ontario\, Canada. The LMP Graduate Student Conference will bring together philosophers of logic\, mathematics\, and physics for two days of presentations and discussions with some of the leaders in these fields. We are pleased to announce our keynote speaker this year is David Wallace from the University of Southern California. \nIf you wish to attend the LMP conference\, please contact the conference organizers at uwolmp@gmail.com \nTo view the conference program\, accommodation details and information on past conferences\, please visit the LMP website. \nWestern University’s Philosophy Department also hosts an annual Philosophy of Physics Conference prior to\, or following the Graduate Student LMP Conference. This year’s conference will be taking place June 21-22\, and will focus on thermodynamics as a resource theory. More information on this year’s conference can be found here. \n\nThis conference is supported by The Rotman Institute of Philosophy\, The Department of Philosophy\, The Social Science and Humanities Research Council\, and The Canadian Journal of Philosophy. \nOrganizers \nAdam Koberinski (chair)\, Dimitris Athanasiou\, Thomas De Saegher\, Marie Gueguen\, Philippos Papagiannopoulos\, Yousuf Hasan\, Peter Verveniotis\, Jamie Shaw\, Valerie Lynn Therrien\, Martin Zelko \n               
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/2018-philosophy-of-logic-math-and-physics-graduate-student-conference/
LOCATION:Room 1145 – Stevenson Hall\, Stevenson Hall\, Room 1145\, London\, Ontario\, N6G 2V4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Conference,Graduate Student Events,Philosophy of Physics
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180620
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180623
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20180528T173632Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200902T192524Z
UID:20206-1529452800-1529711999@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Thermodynamics as a Resource Theory: 2018 Annual Philosophy of Physics Conference
DESCRIPTION:EVENT DESCRIPTION\n\nThe Revolution will be thermalized.\n\nRecently\, there has been a shift in the way that many physicists are approaching the science of thermodynamics. Instead of regarding its laws as purely physical laws\, researchers are increasingly treating the theory as a theory about how agents\, such as ourselves\, can use information about a physical system as a resource for extracting useful work from the system. Seen this way\, investigations into the thermodynamics of quantum systems have a deep connection with work in Quantum Information Theory. \nThis interdisciplinary workshop that brings together philosophers and physicists to explore the philosophical and foundational implications of the resource-theoretic turn in thermodynamics. View speaker abstracts on the conference program. \nCONFIRMED SPEAKERS\n\nTony Bartolotta California Institute of Technology\, Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics \nJoshua Luczak Lebniz Universität Hannover\, Institute of Philosophy \nOwen Maroney University of Oxford\, Faculty of Philosophy \nMarkus Müller Austrian Academy of Sciences\, Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information Vienna \nWayne C. Myrvold The University of Western Ontario\, Philosophy \nNelly Ng Freie Universität Berlin\, Department of Physics \nCarina Prunkl University of Oxford\, Balliol College\, Philosophy\n \nRobert Spekkens Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics\, Quantum Foundations \nJos Uffink University of Minnesota\, Philosophy \nDavid Wallace University of Southern California\, Philosophy \n  \nEVENT VIDEO\n\n \n\nThis workshop is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada\, The Rotman Institute of Philosophy\, The Department of Philosophy of the University of Western Ontario\, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Western Ontario\, and by Graham and Gale Wright\, who generously sponsor the Graham and Gale Wright Distinguished Professor Award. \n 
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/thermodynamics-as-a-resource-theory-2018-annual-philosophy-of-physics-conference/
LOCATION:Room 114 – North Campus Building\, 2004 Perth Drive\, London\, Ontario\, N6G\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Conference,Other Conferences,Philosophy of Physics
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180614
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180617
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20180528T155128Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181017T173315Z
UID:20202-1528934400-1529193599@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:2018 PhilMiLCog Graduate Student Conference
DESCRIPTION:PhilMiLCog is a three-day graduate conference with a broad and interdisciplinary scope.  The conference\, now in its 16th year\, is recognized as one of the top philosophy graduate conferences in North America\, synthesizing research from the Philosophy of Mind\, Language\, and Cognitive Science\, including psychology\, linguistics\, evolution\, and computer science. PhilMiLCog provides an opportunity for graduate students with common interests from various departments in North America and Europe to come together and participate in lively scholarly research with leading experts in their field. \nPast Speakers\n2017: Muhammad Ali Khalidi & Gillian Barker\n2016: Mazviita Chirimuuta & Tim Bayne\n2015: Kristin Andrews & Genoveva Marti\n2014: Berit Brogaard & Angela Mendelovici\n2013: Edouard Machery & Jacqueline Sullivan\n2012: Kathleen Akins & Brie Gertler\n2011: William Lycan & Susan Schneider\n2010: Fred Adams & Richard Samuels\n2009: Jesse Prinz & John Nicholas\n2008: Reinaldo Elugardo & Peter Ludlow\n2007: Dorit Bar-On & Keith Simmons\n2006: Michael Devitt & Ned Block\n2005: Peter Carruthers & Robert Stainton\n2004: Ernest Lepore & Chris Viger\n2003: David Rosenthal \n\nThis year’s conference is sponsored by the Brain and Mind Institute\, the Western’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities\, including The Centre for the Study of Theory and Criticism\, The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures\, and The Department of Philosophy\, The Rotman Institute of Philosophy\, and The Society of Graduate Students.
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/2018-philmilcog-graduate-student-conference/
LOCATION:Room 2166 – Stevenson Hall\, London\, Ontario\, N6G 2V4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Conference,Graduate Student Events,Philosophy of Mind & Neuroscience
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20180323T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20180323T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20180220T165024Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241009T185150Z
UID:19850-1521819000-1521824400@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Laura Franklin-Hall: The Animal Sexes as Queer Kinds
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nThough biologists identify organisms as ‘male’ and ‘female’ across a broad range of animal species—in the pipefish\, orb spider\, quokka\, and king quail—the particular traits enjoyed by males and females can vary tremendously. This diversity has led some to conclude that the trans-animal sexes—males\, of whatever animal species\, and females likewise—have “little or no explanatory power”(Dupré 1986: 447) and\, as such\, are not (in any substantive sense) natural kinds. This essay will explore considerations for and against this conclusion\, ultimately arguing that the trans-animal sexes are instances of type-level historical kinds\, groupings that\, rather uniquely\, are able to serve important explanatory ends even while their members differ in both their current properties and their particular histories. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\nI am an associate professor of philosophy at New York University. I received my PhD in Philosophy (Columbia 2008) and BS in Biological Sciences (Stanford 2000). I am interested in problems in the philosophy of biology\, the general philosophy of science\, and metaphysics. \nMy work has focused on three families of questions: \n1) why we ‘carve up’ or classify the world into the kinds and individuals that we do\, and whether it is possible to maintain that some carvings are objectively correct\, and others not; if so\, on what basis? \n2) the nature of scientific explanation and understanding\, and particularly how explanations in biology are similar to or different from those in circulation in other sciences; \n3) how it is that\, given that our universe is ultimately a physical one\, we are able to get such an effective grip on its workings–for instance\, formulating predictively successful theories about it–even when we are describing and conceptualizing it in non-physical terms\, in doing so omitting many details that may appear crucial from a physical point-of-view. \nRead more about Laura Franklin-Hall. \nEVENT POSTER\n\nDownload a copy of the event poster. \nPhoto credit: Golden Orb Spider by Jean and Fred (License)
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/laura-franklin-hall-animal-sexes-queer-kinds/
LOCATION:Room 4190 – Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Room 4190\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Biology
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20180315T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20180315T183000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20180119T163050Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241009T185028Z
UID:19692-1521133200-1521138600@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Julian Savulescu: The Science and Ethics of Human Enhancement
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nScandal after scandal has revealed that sport has been experimenting with human enhancement on a massive scale. These are among the most high-profile cases. But in fact human enhancement technologies influence all aspects of life. From students and professionals taking modafinil to enhance cognition\, focus and drive\, to evidence that SSRIs (anti-depressants) affect moral decision making\, it is increasingly clear that human enhancement is not just possible: it is happening. Meanwhile\, due to prenatal genetic testing\, the number of children born with Downs Syndrome has radically dropped. Whole genome analysis will radically change genetic selection at the embryonic and fetal stages. Gene editing promises even greater ability to remove genetic disorders and alter not just the future child\, but the genetic destiny of generations to come. Our physical\, cognitive\, moral\, and emotional lives\, and those of future generations can all be influenced through these technologies. The age of designer babies has arrived. \nWhat we can do is increasingly powerful. What we should do remains contested. Julian Savulescu will argue that human enhancement is a valid goal of human endeavour. Each type of human enhancement has its own ethical challenges. But to be human is to be better. \nThis event was a follow-up to the panel discussion\, Editing the Human Genome: The Ethics of Moulding our Future . \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\nProfessor Julian Savulescu is the director of The Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford\, and the Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics. His areas of research include: the ethics of genetics\, especially predictive genetic testing\, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis\, prenatal testing\, behavioural genetics\, genetic enhancement\, gene therapy. Research ethics\, especially ethics of embryo research\, including embryonic stem cell research. New forms of reproduction\, including cloning and assisted reproduction. Medical ethics\, including end of life decision-making\, resource allocation\, consent\, confidentiality\, decision-making involving incompetent people\, and other areas. Sports ethics. The analytic philosophical basis of practical ethics. Julian is a founder member of the Hinxton Group. \nRead more about Julian Savulescu. \n  \nEVENT VIDEO\n\n \n  \nPhoto credit: dawarwickphotography – license
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/julian-savulescu-ethics-human-enhancement/
LOCATION:Room 106 – Physics and Astronomy Building\, 1151 Richmond Street\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Ethics,Public Events,Public Lectures,Science and Values
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20180314T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20180314T203000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20171127T191752Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241009T185111Z
UID:19542-1521054000-1521059400@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Panel Discussion - Editing the Human Genome: The Ethics of Moulding our Future
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nThe groundbreaking discovery of the gene-editing tool known as CRISPR allows scientists to precisely\, efficiently\, and cheaply modify the human genome. This may provide us with the power to cure disease and to unlock the secrets of early human development. It might\, in the future\, allow us to modify humans in directions that we now only dream of\, to make us smarter\, stronger and better than healthy—giving us the power to control the direction of evolution. But who will benefit from this new power? Who will be left behind? How the human genome is modified affects all of humanity\, present and future generations. How ought we to regulate this power? Who ought to regulate it? These and other questions will be the focus of a panel discussion with bioethicists Françoise Baylis\, Julian Savulescu\, and biochemist David Edgell. \nThis event was followed by a public lecture on human bioenhancement. See Julian Savulescu: The Science and Ethics of Human Enhancement for full event details. \nPANELISTS\n\n \n\nFrançoise Baylis is a philosopher whose innovative work in bioethics\, at the intersection of policy and practice\, has stretched the very boundaries of the field. Baylis holds the Canada Research Chair in Bioethics and Philosophy. Her extensive publication record spans many topics\, including research involving children\, the role of bioethics consultants\, women’s health\, human embryo research\, and novel genetic technologies. Her work challenges readers to think broadly and deeply about the direction of health\, science and biotechnology.\nDavid Edgell\, is the Acting Chair in the Department of Biochemistry at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry\, Western University. Edgell maintains an active research program in the areas of genome engineering and synthetic biology. Specifically\, his laboratory studies mobile genetic elements and applied areas such as designing artificial nucleases for genome engineering. His research is supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research\, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada\, and Ontario Genomics.\nJulian Savulescu is the director of The Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford\, and the Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics. His areas of research include: the ethics of genetics\, especially predictive genetic testing\, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis\, prenatal testing\, behavioural genetics\, genetic enhancement\, gene therapy. Research ethics\, especially ethics of embryo research\, including embryonic stem cell research. New forms of reproduction\, including cloning and assisted reproduction. Medical ethics\, including end of life decision-making\, resource allocation\, consent\, confidentiality\, decision-making involving incompetent people\, and other areas. Sports ethics. The analytic philosophical basis of practical ethics. Julian is a founder member of the Hinxton Group.\nPanel Moderator – Anthony Skelton is an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at Western University\, and is the associate director of the Rotman Institute of Philosophy. His research focuses on issues in moral philosophy and practical ethics. He received his PhD in philosophy from the University of Toronto in 2005\, where he wrote a dissertation under the direction of Wayne Sumner. In 2004-2005 he was Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Post-doctoral Fellow in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Michigan. In 2012-13\, he was Visiting Scholar at the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics and a Plumer Visiting Research Fellow at St. Anne’s College\, Oxford University. In 2015\, he was a visiting researcher at Fondation Broucher. He received the University Students’ Council Teaching Honour Roll Certificate in 2008\, 2011\, 2012\, 2014\, and 2016. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal for the History of Analytical Philosophy.\n\nEVENT VIDEO\n\n \n  \nThis event is co-sponsored with the London Public Library. \n  \nPhoto credit: dawarwickphotography – license
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/panel-discussion-editing-human-genome/
LOCATION:Wolf Performance Hall – Central Library\, 251 Dundas St\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 6H9\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Ethics,panel discussions,Public Events,Science and Values
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20180308T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20180308T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20180220T193551Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210729T155521Z
UID:19859-1520523000-1520528400@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Stathis Psillos: From natures to laws of nature
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nThe key claim of this talk will be that the conception of nature as being governed by natural laws is thoroughly modern. It arose mostly in the natural philosophy of Rene Descartes and was meant to replace natural powers as principles of change and of connection among distinct existences. This new conception of laws of nature required the re-constitution the concept of natural law. According to the late Medieaval tradition\, exemplified in the writings of Francisco Suarez\, laws require rational agency: a law is something that has to be obeyed (executed) and this can only be satisfied by rational creatures. Given the fact that there is natural necessity\, based on the interaction of powers\, talk of laws governing the behavior natural bodies was\, at best\, metaphorical and its proper content concerned natural necessities which were grounded in the natural inclinations of things imparted on them by the Author of nature. It will be argued that this conception of power-based natural necessity was replaced by a law-based conception of natural necessity in the work of Descartes. The Cartesian conception of laws as ‘particular and secondary causes’ of worldly phenomena will be analysed and explored. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\nStathis Psillos is Professor of Philosophy of Science and Metaphysics at the University of Athens\, Greece and a member of the Rotman Institute of Philosophy at the University of Western Ontario (where he held the Rotman Canada Research Chair in Philosophy of Science between 2013 and 2015). He is the author or editor of seven books and of more than 140 papers and reviews in learned journals and edited collections\, mainly on scientific realism\, causation\, explanation and the history of philosophy of science. He is member of the Academy of Europe and of the International Academy of Philosophy of Science. He is a former president of the European Philosophy of Science Association (EPSA) and former editor of Metascience (2009-2014). \n \nEVENT VIDEO\n\n \nEVENT POSTER\n\nDownload a copy of the event poster. \nImage credit: Fr Lawrence Lew\, O.P.\, David and Goliath stained glass from St Cuthbert’s church in Edinburgh. (License)
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/stathis-psillos-natures-laws-nature/
LOCATION:Room 4190 – Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Room 4190\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:History of Philosophy of Science,Philosophy of Physics,Stathis Psillos,Visiting Fellows
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20180307T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20180307T173000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20180129T185600Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181017T173326Z
UID:19718-1520438400-1520443800@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Ned Block: How to think about the border between seeing and thinking?
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nSeeing and thinking are of course different\, but is there a fundamental basis for the difference and if so\, what is it?  This talk will argue that perception is iconic in format and non-conceptual and non-propositional in content.  Further\, this way of drawing the border between perception and cognition holds even if cognitive penetration of perception is common. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n NED BLOCK (Ph.D.\, Harvard)\, Silver Professor of Philosophy\, Psychology and Neural Science\, came to NYU in 1996 from MIT where he was Chair of the Philosophy Program. He works in philosophy of perception and foundations of neuroscience and cognitive science and is currently writing a book on the perception/cognition border\, The Border between Seeing and Thinking. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences\, a Fellow of the Cognitive Science Society\, has been a Guggenheim Fellow\, a Senior Fellow of the Center for the Study of Language and Information\, a Sloan Foundation Fellow\, a faculty member at two National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institutes and two Summer Seminars\, the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities the American Council of Learned Societies and the National Science Foundation; and a recipient of the Robert A. Muh Alumni Award in Humanities and Social Science from MIT and the Jean Nicod Prize (list of past recipients of the Jean Nicod Prize)\, Ecole Normale Superieure\, Paris. He is a past president of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology\, a past Chair of the MIT Press Cognitive Science Board\, and past President of the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness.   The Philosophers’ Annual selected his papers as one of the “ten best” in 1983\, 1990\, 1995\, 2002 and 2010. He is co-editor of The Nature of Consciousness: Philosophical Debates (MIT Press\, 1997). The first of two volumes of his collected papers\, Functionalism\, Consciousness and Representation\, MIT Press came out in 2007.  Blockheads! Essays on Ned Block’s Philosophy of Mind and Consciousness\, edited by Adam Pautz and Daniel Stoljar is forthcoming from MIT Press.  It contains 18 articles each of which is replied to by Ned Block. \n  \nEVENT VIDEO\n\n \nEVENT POSTER\n\nDownload a copy of the event poster. \nPhoto credit: Isen Majennt (image flipped\, cropped; License)
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/ned-block-think-border-seeing-thinking/
CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Mind & Neuroscience
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20180302T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20180302T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T163316
CREATED:20180116T182533Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210714T142844Z
UID:19665-1520004600-1520010000@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Jenann Ismael: The link between time\, totality\, and determinism (or why the problem of determinism is really the problem of fatalism)
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nThe problem of fatalism was around long before relativity\, but gained affirmation in many peoples minds from Relativity. Relativistic theories confront us with a vision of the universe from a temporally transcendent standpoint\, i.e.\, one that treats time as an internal parameter in the universe composed of events. \nThe problem of determinism also had some early precedents\, but received a precise expression with the provision of the Newtonian deterministic equations of motion. \nOn the face of it\, these seem like different problems: one has to do with time\, the other with laws. And it seems that one can be a fatalist without being a determinist\, and one can worry about determinism without being moved by the fatalist arguments. \nI will point out a connection between these two problems by linking determinism to totality and totality to transcendence. And I will look at what that connection can teach us about the nature of both problems. \n  \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n Most of my work falls into two classes. The first class circumscribes central concerns of the philosophy of physics. Interests there include the structure of space and time\, the foundations of quantum mechanics\, the role of simplicity and symmetry in physics\, and questions about the nature of probability\, natural laws and causal relations. The second class includes mind\, cognition\, phenomenology\, and the nature of perspective. \nI have been in the philosophy department at the University of Arizona since 1996. I received my Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1997 and held a Mellon Fellowship at Stanford for two years before taking up my position here. I have also held an neh fellowship at the National Humanities Center was at the Centre for Time a the University of Sydney from 2005–2010 as an arc Queen Elizabeth II Research Fellow for an arc Discovery Project with Huw Price and Guido Bacciagaluppi\, studying time\, probability and quantum mechanics. \nRead more about Jenann Ismael. \n  \nEVENT VIDEO\n\n \nEVENT POSTER\n\nDownload a copy of the event poster. \n\nPhoto credit: Thomas Hawk (Cropped\, rotated & adjusted colour.) License
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/jenann-ismael-link-time-totality-determinism/
LOCATION:Room 4190 – Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Western Interdisciplinary Research Building\, Room 4190\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Physics,Visiting Fellows
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