Perception, interpretation, and the explanation of delusional beliefs. The occurrence of bizarrely false beliefs, called delusions, presents challenges, not only for clinical psychiatric practice, but also for psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy. The aim of this project is to make a distinctively philosophical contribution to our understanding of delusional beliefs by addressing three philosophical questions raised by the study of delusions, questions about perception, interpretation, and e ....Perception, interpretation, and the explanation of delusional beliefs. The occurrence of bizarrely false beliefs, called delusions, presents challenges, not only for clinical psychiatric practice, but also for psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy. The aim of this project is to make a distinctively philosophical contribution to our understanding of delusional beliefs by addressing three philosophical questions raised by the study of delusions, questions about perception, interpretation, and explanation. Answers to these questions will constitute substantial contributions to three central areas of philosophy, but their significance also extends beyond philosophy. They will impact on the scientific investigation of delusions and will contribute indirectly to the treatment and rehabilitation of sufferers.
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Causes that make a difference: A philosophical theory of token-causation. Discussions of causation in philosophy and other disciplines raise matters of practical concern: for example, about how to improve causal explanations in economics, how to devise better ways of testing causal hypotheses in medicine, and how to automate procedures for discovering causal relations in agriculture. By clarifying the structure of causal concepts, the project will help in the efforts to address these problems, a ....Causes that make a difference: A philosophical theory of token-causation. Discussions of causation in philosophy and other disciplines raise matters of practical concern: for example, about how to improve causal explanations in economics, how to devise better ways of testing causal hypotheses in medicine, and how to automate procedures for discovering causal relations in agriculture. By clarifying the structure of causal concepts, the project will help in the efforts to address these problems, and so contribute indirectly to the national benefits that will accrue from solving them. A central aim of the project is to train several PhD students, the next generation of researchers, in this important field of enquiry.Read moreRead less
Interdisciplinarity in the Sciences of Memory: cognition, culture, and complexity. Memory is studied in many disciplines, at a bewildering variety of levels. Is there any sense in which memory theorists - from neurobiologists to narrative psychologists - are studying the same phenomena? This project constructs a positive framework for understanding diverse research on memory in both cognitive and social sciences. We clarify the conceptual foundations of dynamical systems theory in the sciences o ....Interdisciplinarity in the Sciences of Memory: cognition, culture, and complexity. Memory is studied in many disciplines, at a bewildering variety of levels. Is there any sense in which memory theorists - from neurobiologists to narrative psychologists - are studying the same phenomena? This project constructs a positive framework for understanding diverse research on memory in both cognitive and social sciences. We clarify the conceptual foundations of dynamical systems theory in the sciences of memory. We develop methods for understanding complex interactions and collaborations between brain and environment; and we test naturalistic accounts of autobiographical memory, social memory, and external memory through case studies in cognitive psychology, history, and media theory.Read moreRead less
Contemporary scientific explanations of religion: A methodological and philosophical analysis. The idea that religion is an evolved feature of human nature plays a key role in the ongoing culture war between those critical of some aspects of the scientific worldview, especially the theory of evolution, and those who take it upon themselves to defend science against the perceived threat of religion, notably the so-called 'new atheist' media stars. Analysing the philosophical and methodological is ....Contemporary scientific explanations of religion: A methodological and philosophical analysis. The idea that religion is an evolved feature of human nature plays a key role in the ongoing culture war between those critical of some aspects of the scientific worldview, especially the theory of evolution, and those who take it upon themselves to defend science against the perceived threat of religion, notably the so-called 'new atheist' media stars. Analysing the philosophical and methodological issues raised by naturalistic explanations of religion will clarify the potential relationships between science and religion in a pluralist and predominantly secularist society like Australia in which the claims of science are accorded a special authority.Read moreRead less
The rise of empiricism and the attempt to produce a unified understanding of the world, 1680-1750. Empiricism is often regarded as the characterising feature of modern scientific method, and, in those approaches to psychology and the social and economic sciences that seek to model themselves on successful scientific practice in the physical and life sciences, it often acts as a model of good practice. The project examines the original form of empiricism and shows how it was able to directly enga ....The rise of empiricism and the attempt to produce a unified understanding of the world, 1680-1750. Empiricism is often regarded as the characterising feature of modern scientific method, and, in those approaches to psychology and the social and economic sciences that seek to model themselves on successful scientific practice in the physical and life sciences, it often acts as a model of good practice. The project examines the original form of empiricism and shows how it was able to directly engage questions of value in a novel and revealing way, and how its connection with 'hard' sciences was not merely to provide a methodological gloss on these, but went to the core of what scientific explanation consisted in.Read moreRead less
The Role of Naturalism in Ontology and Scientific Methodology. Naturalism is the philosophical doctrine perhaps best described as a respect for the methods of the natural sciences. Although most contemporary philosophers would describe themselves as naturalists, exactly how this important doctrine is spelled out is a matter of much controversy. What is more, many substantial issues in both philosophy of science and in metaphysics depend crucially on how we understand naturalism. This project ....The Role of Naturalism in Ontology and Scientific Methodology. Naturalism is the philosophical doctrine perhaps best described as a respect for the methods of the natural sciences. Although most contemporary philosophers would describe themselves as naturalists, exactly how this important doctrine is spelled out is a matter of much controversy. What is more, many substantial issues in both philosophy of science and in metaphysics depend crucially on how we understand naturalism. This project will investigate the various conceptions of naturalism, looking at both their motivations and their implications for philosophy and scientific and mathematical methodology.Read moreRead less
The Emergence of a Scientific Culture in Early Modern Europe. The shaping of cognitive values around scientific ones was one of the most lasting and radical effects of the Scientific Revolution, and it is one of the most distinctive features of modernity in the West. This dominance of scientific values is absent from other scientific cultures (e.g. from Greek, medieval or Chinese science) and there is nothing intrinsic to the kinds of theories and results we find in the Scientific Revolution tha ....The Emergence of a Scientific Culture in Early Modern Europe. The shaping of cognitive values around scientific ones was one of the most lasting and radical effects of the Scientific Revolution, and it is one of the most distinctive features of modernity in the West. This dominance of scientific values is absent from other scientific cultures (e.g. from Greek, medieval or Chinese science) and there is nothing intrinsic to the kinds of theories and results we find in the Scientific Revolution that would explain this development. The project looks at the particular legitimatory problems that science faced in the 17th and 18th centuries, and investigates how this reshaping came about.Read moreRead less
Science and Religion in Early Modern Europe. This project seeks to elucidate the nature of early modern science, early modern religion, and their relationship. A major focus will be the shift from medieval conceptions of science (scientia) and religion (religio) as inner virtues, to the modern understanding of science and religion as bodies of knowledge and sets of practices. This transformation was fundamental to the emergence of modern science and made possible a new kind of relationship be ....Science and Religion in Early Modern Europe. This project seeks to elucidate the nature of early modern science, early modern religion, and their relationship. A major focus will be the shift from medieval conceptions of science (scientia) and religion (religio) as inner virtues, to the modern understanding of science and religion as bodies of knowledge and sets of practices. This transformation was fundamental to the emergence of modern science and made possible a new kind of relationship between science and religion?one unique to the West. The project will enhance our understanding of the rise of science and identify distinctive features of modern Western culture.Read moreRead less
Mathematics, the science of real structure: an Australian realist philosophy of mathematics. The project will strengthen the already strong Australian philosophical tradition of realism, extending it into philosophy of mathematics. It will develop a robust alternative to the nominalism, Platonism and idealism that dominate northern-hemisphere philosophizing about mathematics, an alternative that is in tune with how mathematicians really apply mathematics. Australian philosophy will thus be stren ....Mathematics, the science of real structure: an Australian realist philosophy of mathematics. The project will strengthen the already strong Australian philosophical tradition of realism, extending it into philosophy of mathematics. It will develop a robust alternative to the nominalism, Platonism and idealism that dominate northern-hemisphere philosophizing about mathematics, an alternative that is in tune with how mathematicians really apply mathematics. Australian philosophy will thus be strengthened in general, giving it a greater attractiveness to the many overseas visitors and students who already appreciate its unique strengths. The nature of the project will also lead to closer ties and interdisciplinary work between philosophers and mathematicians.
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