Location: Edgecliffe G03 Title: Values as Vectors Abstract: Often, two things seem tied in value, though slightly improving one would not break the tie. How can we model such 'insensitivity to sweetening'? A leading answer is that overall values, rather than being like precise numbers, must be imprecise, giving rise to a special nontransitive value ... Read more
Location: Edgecliffe G03 Title: “Superspreading the Word”. Abstract: Quasi-realists are expressivists who say much of what realists say. To avoid making their view indistinguishable from realism, however, they usually stop short of saying everything realists say. Many realists therefore think that something important is missing from quasi-realism. I will argue that quasi-realists can undermine this ... Read more
Location: Edgecliffe G03 Title: Humorlessness and Moral Recognition Abstract: We’re often quick to point fingers at people who fail to find humor in themselves. And our accusations have a moral tinge: we decry people for being sanctimonious buzzkills, and command them to ‘get over themselves’. But are these moralized reactions justified? And what, if anything, ... Read more
Location: Edgecliffe G03 Title: Scientism and Humanities Education Abstract: In this talk I discuss a pedagogical implication of scientism. Because scientism elevates science and derogates what is deemed non-scientific, the arts and humanities become, on such a view, less valuable parts of university curricula. I survey some of the current data on declining study of ... Read more
Location: Edgecliffe G03 Title: All’s Well that Ends Well? Abstract: Distinguish how well someone’s life is going at a particular point -- their momentary well-being -- from how well their life went as a whole, their lifetime well-being. How are these related? The simplest answer is that lifetime well-being is just aggregate momentary well-being. Theories that deny this are forms of holism about lifetime ... Read more
Location: Edgecliffe 104 Title: Should hate speech be against the law? Abstract: Hate speech has become increasingly prevalent, fuelled by social media, political polarization, and the rise of extremist groups. It can have a profoundly negative impact on individuals and communities, causing harm, inciting violence, and perpetuating discrimination. However, hate speech is notoriously difficult to ... Read more
Location: Teams (online only) Title: Superogation Abstract: This paper considers the relation between supererogation and duties (also here referred to as obligations) from a nonconsequentialist point of view. It first considers whether supererogation may sometimes take precedence over positive and negative duties and how this relates to personal costs (including efforts) required to perform one’s duty. It then ... Read more
Location: Edgecliffe G03 Title: Climate Change as a Philosophical Problem Commentator: Quân Nguyen (Edinburgh) Abstract: The paper this talk belongs to speaks to two main points. One is that the onrushing climate catastrophe renders the modern liberal value of personal autonomy unintelligible as a concept to live by. Originally, that was the only point I ... Read more
Location: Edgecliffe G03 Title: The Quest for Additionality Abstract: Many people aim to make the world a better place by spending their money in certain ways. The school of “effective altruism” teaches that, if one donates one’s money wisely, one can have a positive impact. Currently, many people want to make us believe that if one ... Read more
Title: On seeing women as objects: objectification and affordance perception Location: Teams (online only), the talk will be streamed from Edgecliffe G03 Abstract: Objectification is a central topic in feminist philosophy theorising. But what is it for someone to objectify another person? A common theme is that objectification involves treating and viewing the other person ... Read more