Mathematical explanation. The best mathematical proofs tell us why some mathematical fact holds, not simply that it holds. However to understand how one piece of mathematics explains another piece of mathematics is poorly understood. This project will develop a philosophical account of mathematical explanation. In particular, it will show how mathematics can explain further mathematics as well as how it can explain physical phenomena.
Mathematical notation: a philosophical account. This project will explore philosophical issues associated with mathematical notation. In particular, it will provide an account of how mathematical notation is used in mathematical applications and how it facilitates analogical reasoning in science.
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
Examining scientific, philosophical, and folk perspectives on time=. This project aims to consider three very different physical theories, each of which reconciles quantum mechanics and general and special relativity in a different way. While science is more accessible than ever, we are increasingly faced with a scientific world-view that is antithetical to the way we see the world and experience ourselves in it. This project will consider the tension between the scientific picture of the world ....Examining scientific, philosophical, and folk perspectives on time=. This project aims to consider three very different physical theories, each of which reconciles quantum mechanics and general and special relativity in a different way. While science is more accessible than ever, we are increasingly faced with a scientific world-view that is antithetical to the way we see the world and experience ourselves in it. This project will consider the tension between the scientific picture of the world and our experience of the world, and aims to reconcile the two by bridging the gap between lived experience and scientific findings. The project will provide a range of ways of bridging the tension between these physical theories with our lived experience.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180101119
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$357,008.00
Summary
Making more effective groups and group decisions. This project aims to devise strategies that a wide range of groups, such as those in healthcare, science, business etc can use to improve their judgements and decisions. It begins with a philosophical approach to develop a practical framework for understanding and working with groups. This interdisciplinary examination will include devising concrete guidelines that various groups can use to improve the quality of their enquiries and decisions.
Culture, cognition and mental illness. This project aims to establish conceptual foundations for studying cultural variation in mental disorders and their implications for cognitive and behavioural science. Mental disorder contributes to the burden of death and disability around the world, but modern psychiatric theories must also deal with non-Western forms of mental illness. Do non-Western individuals suffer from the same conditions as Westerners, but in a different form, or do they suffer fro ....Culture, cognition and mental illness. This project aims to establish conceptual foundations for studying cultural variation in mental disorders and their implications for cognitive and behavioural science. Mental disorder contributes to the burden of death and disability around the world, but modern psychiatric theories must also deal with non-Western forms of mental illness. Do non-Western individuals suffer from the same conditions as Westerners, but in a different form, or do they suffer from distinctive local conditions? This project intends to discuss the foundational issues raised within psychiatry. This will contribute to a greater understanding of the mental health of non-Western populations.Read moreRead less
Finding equivalence between natural and artificial intelligences. This project aims to investigate the ways in which artificial intelligence is equivalent to human intelligence. Computers outperform humans in many domains, yet it is clear that computers often don’t perform tasks the way humans do. Developing innovative methods for evaluating claims of equivalence by drawing on simpler, well-understood model systems like the honeybee brain, the project expects to fill this existing knowledge gap. ....Finding equivalence between natural and artificial intelligences. This project aims to investigate the ways in which artificial intelligence is equivalent to human intelligence. Computers outperform humans in many domains, yet it is clear that computers often don’t perform tasks the way humans do. Developing innovative methods for evaluating claims of equivalence by drawing on simpler, well-understood model systems like the honeybee brain, the project expects to fill this existing knowledge gap. Expected outcomes include a framework that provides powerful, nuanced criteria for comparison of natural and artificial intelligences. Benefits are expected to include enhanced guidance for the development of AI systems both in everyday contexts and as exploratory tools in comparative and cognitive neuroscience.Read moreRead less
Mental Causation in a Physical World. The issues concerning mental causation are not just philosophical issues. They are discussed in the fields of psychology, cognitive science, and psychiatry as questions about whether mental phenomena, eg mental illnesses, are best understood at the cognitive level or the neurophysiological level of causation. The project will result in a research monograph aimed at practitioners from these fields among others. By introducing these practitioners to recent ph ....Mental Causation in a Physical World. The issues concerning mental causation are not just philosophical issues. They are discussed in the fields of psychology, cognitive science, and psychiatry as questions about whether mental phenomena, eg mental illnesses, are best understood at the cognitive level or the neurophysiological level of causation. The project will result in a research monograph aimed at practitioners from these fields among others. By introducing these practitioners to recent philosophical thinking about causation and reduction, the present project may lead to more subtle ways of conceptualising and treating mental illnesses, and so contribute indirectly to the socio-economic benefits accruing from more reflective psychological and psychiatric practice.Read moreRead less
Formal approaches to legal reasoning. This project aims to use formal epistemology to improve understanding of existing legal practices and to propose recommendations for improving the consistency and accuracy of legal proceedings. Since judges and juries rarely know all the relevant facts, they must make the best decision possible in the face of uncertainty. Formal epistemology employs probabilistic reasoning to advance understanding of how to form beliefs and make decisions in response to unce ....Formal approaches to legal reasoning. This project aims to use formal epistemology to improve understanding of existing legal practices and to propose recommendations for improving the consistency and accuracy of legal proceedings. Since judges and juries rarely know all the relevant facts, they must make the best decision possible in the face of uncertainty. Formal epistemology employs probabilistic reasoning to advance understanding of how to form beliefs and make decisions in response to uncertain evidence. The project has potential to influence the relevant policy and will result in improved legal reasoning and risk reduction in legal decision making.Read moreRead less
Conferring dignity in law and health care. This project aims to develop a new and more inclusive philosophical conception of dignity. It expects to generate an alternative to the exclusionary view that dignity is inherent since not all human beings possess the relevant inherent traits. The project will develop a conception of dignity as something conferred, and expects to show that such dignity can and should be conferred on all human beings. The expected outcome is a new understanding of the im ....Conferring dignity in law and health care. This project aims to develop a new and more inclusive philosophical conception of dignity. It expects to generate an alternative to the exclusionary view that dignity is inherent since not all human beings possess the relevant inherent traits. The project will develop a conception of dignity as something conferred, and expects to show that such dignity can and should be conferred on all human beings. The expected outcome is a new understanding of the importance of dignity in human rights law and in health care services. The intended benefits are better appreciation of the role of dignity in human rights, and guidance for health and aged care services on how they can promote the dignity of all of their clients.Read moreRead less