Practicalism: Knowing and Agency. Australian philosophy has a deserved reputation for excellence, especially in topics of traditional centrality for analytic philosophers. But more still needs to be done within Australian epistemology. Most of the recent related work has occurred within the philosophies of mind, of language, and of science, and to some extent within ethics. That work needs to be complemented by good work in epistemology. I hope this project will help to achieve that, thereby inc ....Practicalism: Knowing and Agency. Australian philosophy has a deserved reputation for excellence, especially in topics of traditional centrality for analytic philosophers. But more still needs to be done within Australian epistemology. Most of the recent related work has occurred within the philosophies of mind, of language, and of science, and to some extent within ethics. That work needs to be complemented by good work in epistemology. I hope this project will help to achieve that, thereby increasing the national and international philosophical visibility of Australian epistemology.Read moreRead less
Autonomy and Identity: A Relational Theory. Autonomy is widely regarded as an important value in liberal democratic societies and underpins many of the basic rights and legal protections enjoyed by citizens. The principle of respect for autonomy is a guiding ethical principle in a range of areas, including in medical and legal contexts, for example in requirements regarding informed consent, and in ethical guidelines governing protocols for research involving human subjects. A better understandi ....Autonomy and Identity: A Relational Theory. Autonomy is widely regarded as an important value in liberal democratic societies and underpins many of the basic rights and legal protections enjoyed by citizens. The principle of respect for autonomy is a guiding ethical principle in a range of areas, including in medical and legal contexts, for example in requirements regarding informed consent, and in ethical guidelines governing protocols for research involving human subjects. A better understanding of autonomy and its relationship to the social context has the potential to produce indirect socio-economic benefits by informing theory and practice in these and other areas. Read moreRead less
Trust and Distrust in Social Epistemic Networks. This project aims to discover critically-needed understandings of the social causes and consequences of ‘fake news’. It will do this by investigating and mapping the relationship between ‘epistemic vices’ and people’s acceptance of misinformation and disinformation (e.g. conspiracy theories). It will bring together approaches from experimental philosophy, natural language processing, social network analysis, and normative reflection to provide new ....Trust and Distrust in Social Epistemic Networks. This project aims to discover critically-needed understandings of the social causes and consequences of ‘fake news’. It will do this by investigating and mapping the relationship between ‘epistemic vices’ and people’s acceptance of misinformation and disinformation (e.g. conspiracy theories). It will bring together approaches from experimental philosophy, natural language processing, social network analysis, and normative reflection to provide new insights regarding distrust and intellectual vice, thus significantly advancing knowledge of the ‘dark side’ of social epistemology. Results will lead to urgently required guidance regarding the features of social networks that exacerbate or buffer against the manifestation of these vices.Read moreRead less
Patterns of Buyer Behaviour in China. A mainstream interest of marketers is the study of buyer behaviour (i.e., brand choice, repeat-purchase, switching, loyalty, segmentation, etc.) Much is known. But virtually all of this knowledge comes from Western studies. Yet non-Western nations, such as China, are now immensely important trading partners for the West.
This is the first systematic study of buyer behaviour in China to be based on formal analyses of consumer panel data. An assessment wil ....Patterns of Buyer Behaviour in China. A mainstream interest of marketers is the study of buyer behaviour (i.e., brand choice, repeat-purchase, switching, loyalty, segmentation, etc.) Much is known. But virtually all of this knowledge comes from Western studies. Yet non-Western nations, such as China, are now immensely important trading partners for the West.
This is the first systematic study of buyer behaviour in China to be based on formal analyses of consumer panel data. An assessment will be made of how our analytical models, and associated findings, extend to new conditions (e.g., new geographical markets, sub-regions, traditional Chinese goods, different groups of buyers, etc.).Read moreRead less
A cognitive model for identifying optimal measures of beliefs. Belief measures are of high practical relevance. One current national example is measurement of beliefs about recycled water, which will affect state and territory governments' water conservation policies. Another is cultural values, measures of which can form the basis for initiatives to improve social harmony in Australia. The knowledge gained, however, is only as good as the validity of the belief measure employed. We will analyse ....A cognitive model for identifying optimal measures of beliefs. Belief measures are of high practical relevance. One current national example is measurement of beliefs about recycled water, which will affect state and territory governments' water conservation policies. Another is cultural values, measures of which can form the basis for initiatives to improve social harmony in Australia. The knowledge gained, however, is only as good as the validity of the belief measure employed. We will analyse the main types of measures used at present and develop improved belief measures which, when published, will increase the quality of research in the social sciences and enhance Australia's international scientific reputation.Read moreRead less
The structure and function of self-representation. Recent psychology and neuroscience suggests that human beings are very bad at knowing themselves. This project changes that debate by arguing that our self-examination is not designed to increase self-knowledge, but to help us navigate the social world.
Point of view in personal memory: a philosophical study of perspective in remembering and imagining. Remembering the personal past is a key part of mental life, vital for identity and social sharing as well as for tracking the truth: but why do we sometimes remember past events from an external or 'observer' perspective, seeing ourselves in the remembered scene? This project in philosophy of mind develops a new theory of psychological perspective.
New Theory and Algorithms for Nonsmooth Optimisation with Application to Integer Programming. Mathematical optimisation plays a key role in a wide variety of applications in business, industry, engineering and science. For example, airlines cannot fly and radiation treatment for cancer cannot be delivered without solving (a series of) optimisation problems. Some classes of optimisation problem are very well solved, with clear mathematical foundations, efficient algorithms, and reliable software ....New Theory and Algorithms for Nonsmooth Optimisation with Application to Integer Programming. Mathematical optimisation plays a key role in a wide variety of applications in business, industry, engineering and science. For example, airlines cannot fly and radiation treatment for cancer cannot be delivered without solving (a series of) optimisation problems. Some classes of optimisation problem are very well solved, with clear mathematical foundations, efficient algorithms, and reliable software implementations. Both nonsmooth and integer optimisation problems have a good mathematical basis, but there are "gaps"; existing methods cannot always solve real industrial problems. This project will deliver better methods, built on better theory, and so will yield better solutions for important applications.Read moreRead less
Involving children in social research: balancing the risks and benefits. There is a growing consensus that children's involvement in social research is important, but considerable uncertainty remains around children's inclusion in research on 'sensitive' issues, reflecting concerns about how to balance children's protection with their participation. Key to this are deeply embedded assumptions and beliefs about children and childhood, especially concerning notions of capacity, agency, vulnerabili ....Involving children in social research: balancing the risks and benefits. There is a growing consensus that children's involvement in social research is important, but considerable uncertainty remains around children's inclusion in research on 'sensitive' issues, reflecting concerns about how to balance children's protection with their participation. Key to this are deeply embedded assumptions and beliefs about children and childhood, especially concerning notions of capacity, agency, vulnerability, dependency and the like. This project aims to better understand and address the tensions between the protection of children and their participation in research, and to explore how ethics committees, parents, other gatekeepers and children themselves manage and navigate these tensions.Read moreRead less
Dementia, moral agency and identity. The project aims to examine the ethical issues raised by dementia and the care of those with the condition. The project will examine and evaluate the capacities those with dementia retain for social agency, valuing and relationships. The project will test and refine theories of agency, identity and vulnerability in the light of the cognitive deficits accompanying dementia. The project will lead to the delivery of more efficient healthcare through the developm ....Dementia, moral agency and identity. The project aims to examine the ethical issues raised by dementia and the care of those with the condition. The project will examine and evaluate the capacities those with dementia retain for social agency, valuing and relationships. The project will test and refine theories of agency, identity and vulnerability in the light of the cognitive deficits accompanying dementia. The project will lead to the delivery of more efficient healthcare through the development of increased understandings of the relevant ethical considerations for treatment, and recommendations for new and ethical approaches to policy on dementia. It brings benefits to the well-being and relationships of those with this condition, their families and friends, and the professionals who care for them.Read moreRead less