Metaphilosophical Talk Series

June 11: Jennifer Nagel

 

Mon June 11th, 2024, 17.00 – 18.30 hrs
Jennifer Nagel, University of Toronto
Location: Hörsaal 2, Hauptgebäude, Universitätsring 1, 1010 Wien

Please mind that this time the event will take place at the main building of the University of Vienna.

Abstract:
Recent work in the sociology of conversation suggests that human communicative exchanges are generally structured around epistemic imbalances. One might wonder how empirical work on the representation of knowledge in conversation relates to philosophical work on the nature of knowledge itself. I argue that the best theoretical understanding of knowledge makes sense of the relevant empirical findings. If we take knowledge to be an essentially factive mental state, we can model conversation as a generative adversarial structure between speaker and addressee; this model explains why so much human conversation is curiosity-driven, and why human beings spend so much time in conversation with each other.


Mon April 29th, 2024, 11.30 – 13.00 hrs
Matthieu Queloz, University of Bern
(in cooperation with the KiC Seminar, “Knowledge in Crisis project
Evaluating Concepts By What They Express
Date: Mon April 29th, 2024.
Time: 11.30 - 13.00 hrs
Location: 2G, NIG, Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Wien

 
Tue May 28th, 2024, 17.00 – 18.30 hrs
Catherine Z. Elgin, Harvard University, Cambridge