Qualitative models of rationality: Philosophical foundations and applications. This project aims to establish the qualitative approach to rationality as a viable and attractive choice. Mathematical models of rationality, which aim to formalise the rules of good reasoning and decision making, traditionally assume that beliefs and desires are always given in precise, quantifiable degrees of confidence and value. This assumption is implausibly strong, and alternative, qualitative frameworks have be ....Qualitative models of rationality: Philosophical foundations and applications. This project aims to establish the qualitative approach to rationality as a viable and attractive choice. Mathematical models of rationality, which aim to formalise the rules of good reasoning and decision making, traditionally assume that beliefs and desires are always given in precise, quantifiable degrees of confidence and value. This assumption is implausibly strong, and alternative, qualitative frameworks have been developed to handle the frequent situations in which it fails. These, however, remain incomplete and their foundations poorly understood. The project will address their omissions, secure their conceptual underpinnings and use them to clarify and resolve long-standing philosophical problems.Read moreRead less
Philosophical progress. Understanding the nature and possibility of progress in philosophy will shed light not only on philosophy as a funded research discipline within the university system in Australia, but also on the nature of research within the humanities and social sciences more generally.
Governing the knowledge commons. This project investigates a variety of collective action problems that confront communities that aim to produce knowledge and information, such as academic communities and the media. This project is expected to generate insights into the role of governance institutions in science, social media, and journalism, using techniques of agent-based modelling, economics, and philosophical analysis. Expected outcomes of the project include enhanced capacity to build epist ....Governing the knowledge commons. This project investigates a variety of collective action problems that confront communities that aim to produce knowledge and information, such as academic communities and the media. This project is expected to generate insights into the role of governance institutions in science, social media, and journalism, using techniques of agent-based modelling, economics, and philosophical analysis. Expected outcomes of the project include enhanced capacity to build epistemic networks to maximise the production and dissemination of knowledge, improved understanding of the role of knowledge networks in a just democratic society.Read moreRead less
Pathologies of moral cognition. The saying "Nice guys finish last" captures the thought that moral cognition makes us vulnerable to exploitation. This project aims to examine this hypothesis by investigating three aspects of moral cognition that might lead us to form false beliefs or render us vulnerable to manipulation by others: our beliefs about punishment; our tendency to identify with groups; and our willingness to trust others. The project is designed to involve empirical investigation of ....Pathologies of moral cognition. The saying "Nice guys finish last" captures the thought that moral cognition makes us vulnerable to exploitation. This project aims to examine this hypothesis by investigating three aspects of moral cognition that might lead us to form false beliefs or render us vulnerable to manipulation by others: our beliefs about punishment; our tendency to identify with groups; and our willingness to trust others. The project is designed to involve empirical investigation of the circumstances in which moral behaviour can have harmful side-effects; it also entails theoretical analysis intended to improve our ability to construct robust theories of cooperative and punitive behaviour.Read moreRead less
Two-Dimensional Semantics and the Foundations of Philosophy. This project investigates fundamental philosophical questions concerning the relation between our minds and the world and the possibility of rational inquiry. The project represents a significant advance in the theoretical understanding of a broad range of central philosophical issues and it has important implications for the nature and methods of scientific inquiry. The project will contribute to the international research profile of ....Two-Dimensional Semantics and the Foundations of Philosophy. This project investigates fundamental philosophical questions concerning the relation between our minds and the world and the possibility of rational inquiry. The project represents a significant advance in the theoretical understanding of a broad range of central philosophical issues and it has important implications for the nature and methods of scientific inquiry. The project will contribute to the international research profile of Australia, consolidating its place as a leader in this domain. Read moreRead less
Semantics, externalism and a priori truths. This project aims to discover more about the logical roots of a priori knowledge. Pure mathematicians and logicians discover truths which are not justified by inference from observations; philosophers traditionally have aspired to do likewise. Yet little is understood about what makes a priori knowledge possible. There is a growing branch of logic which studies what is known as "double indexing" and this promises to throw light on the a priori. Austral ....Semantics, externalism and a priori truths. This project aims to discover more about the logical roots of a priori knowledge. Pure mathematicians and logicians discover truths which are not justified by inference from observations; philosophers traditionally have aspired to do likewise. Yet little is understood about what makes a priori knowledge possible. There is a growing branch of logic which studies what is known as "double indexing" and this promises to throw light on the a priori. Australian philosophers have played a very salient role in the study of double indexing, and this project is well placed to make significant contributions in this area.Read moreRead less
Analytic and Continental: Arguments on the Methods and Value of Philosophy. This project is of great significance to the international academic philosophical community, as there has been no sustained and coordinated treatment of the methodological differences between analytic and continental philosophers anywhere in the world. While both analytic and continental philosophers of Australia have a strong reputation that this project will further, by bringing international philosophers of both tradi ....Analytic and Continental: Arguments on the Methods and Value of Philosophy. This project is of great significance to the international academic philosophical community, as there has been no sustained and coordinated treatment of the methodological differences between analytic and continental philosophers anywhere in the world. While both analytic and continental philosophers of Australia have a strong reputation that this project will further, by bringing international philosophers of both traditions to Australia, and staging at least two pluralist conferences on their respective methodologies, this research will assist in breaking down the oppositional thinking that subtly pervades the Australian philosophical community, and, in different ways, the humanities and social sciences at large.
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Logic, Abstraction and Construction. This is unashamedly a pure research project in logic. It aims to enhance our understanding of core issues in the nature of the world and how we can appropriately reason about it. Nevertheless, the techniques developed in logic inevitably find a home in applications in computer science, linguistics, mathematics and related fields. This project, in particular, will develop tools for realistically reasoning about the kinds of abstract or constructed objects on ....Logic, Abstraction and Construction. This is unashamedly a pure research project in logic. It aims to enhance our understanding of core issues in the nature of the world and how we can appropriately reason about it. Nevertheless, the techniques developed in logic inevitably find a home in applications in computer science, linguistics, mathematics and related fields. This project, in particular, will develop tools for realistically reasoning about the kinds of abstract or constructed objects one finds in mathematics, and with the vague or contradictory concepts we use in everyday discourse. In addition, the project will provide research training for postgraduate students, and it will strengthen an already internationally recognised research centre in philosophical logic.Read moreRead less