Digital Death and Immortality. This project will create a philosophically-informed ethical approach for managing the 'digital remains' of internet users who have died. Emerging artificial intelligence technologies make it possible to reuse and interact with these digital remains. This offers new ways of commemorating the dead and for managing grief. Yet these technologies also threaten to exploit the dead and to change our relationship to them in troubling ways. Expected outcomes of the project ....Digital Death and Immortality. This project will create a philosophically-informed ethical approach for managing the 'digital remains' of internet users who have died. Emerging artificial intelligence technologies make it possible to reuse and interact with these digital remains. This offers new ways of commemorating the dead and for managing grief. Yet these technologies also threaten to exploit the dead and to change our relationship to them in troubling ways. Expected outcomes of the project include guidance for the ethical use of these technologies and policy recommendations for regulating the reuse of digital remains. This will provide significant benefits by helping Australia to avoid the ethical dangers inherent in emerging technologies of 'digital reanimation.'Read moreRead less
The One and the Many - the Path Through Contradiction. Australia has a major presence on the international philosophical world out of all proportion to its size (comparable to that which it has in sport). It is known for its development of radical new ideas and forthright approaches. One area in which this is particularly the case is logic and its philosophical applications. The present project is a high profile example of this, and will further enhance Australia's international intellectual p ....The One and the Many - the Path Through Contradiction. Australia has a major presence on the international philosophical world out of all proportion to its size (comparable to that which it has in sport). It is known for its development of radical new ideas and forthright approaches. One area in which this is particularly the case is logic and its philosophical applications. The present project is a high profile example of this, and will further enhance Australia's international intellectual profile.Read moreRead less
Mereological Composition and Material Constitution. This project embodies a number of advances in metaphysics, which is a field of research in which Australia enjoys a considerable international reputation. Our work on material constitution will also further Australia's reputation in the philosophy of mind; some of the most celebrated 20th Century contributions in the philosophy of mind have been written by Australian philosophers.
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.
Probability and necessity in the physical sciences. This is a philosophical study of concepts that are vital to the conduct of science: namely, dispositional concepts such as force in physics, solubility in chemistry, biological fitness, and psychological traits. By offering a radical and novel interpretation of such concepts, this project has the potential to influence the future development of Australian science. Moreover, dispositions are crucial to understanding our distinctively human persp ....Probability and necessity in the physical sciences. This is a philosophical study of concepts that are vital to the conduct of science: namely, dispositional concepts such as force in physics, solubility in chemistry, biological fitness, and psychological traits. By offering a radical and novel interpretation of such concepts, this project has the potential to influence the future development of Australian science. Moreover, dispositions are crucial to understanding our distinctively human perspective on the world. The abilities to predict, reason, communicate meanings, and to act intentionally all involve dispositional states. This project addresses the fundamental nature of such states, and will thus be of significance to anyone who hopes to understand these distinctively human phenomena.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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101413
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$368,216.00
Summary
Organisations' Wrongdoing: from Metaphysics to Practice. This project aims to explain how organisations can do wrong and apply this explanation to the Banking Royal Commission and Paris Climate Agreement. The project expects to use the methods of analytic philosophy and law to contribute to, and integrate, three increasingly isolated fields: metaphysics, moral philosophy, and law. Expected outcomes include a much-improved scholarly, legal, and public understanding of how organisations exist, per ....Organisations' Wrongdoing: from Metaphysics to Practice. This project aims to explain how organisations can do wrong and apply this explanation to the Banking Royal Commission and Paris Climate Agreement. The project expects to use the methods of analytic philosophy and law to contribute to, and integrate, three increasingly isolated fields: metaphysics, moral philosophy, and law. Expected outcomes include a much-improved scholarly, legal, and public understanding of how organisations exist, persist, act, have characters, and can be punished—as distinct from the individuals on whom they depend, and despite the fact that we cannot see or touch organisations. This should provide significant benefits, such as guiding commercial, legislative, and regulatory responses to organisational wrongdoing.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102543
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Models of paradox in non-classical mereotopology. Logical paradoxes have beset our best philosophical theories for millennia. In the strong tradition of Australian philosophical logic, this project will test the hypothesis that paradoxes are conceptual boundaries. Mathematical models provide a formal explanatory picture, telling us why there are logical paradoxes at all.
Paraconsistent Foundations of Mathematics. In the English-speaking world, Australia is already the most prominent centre for paraconsistent research, known for development of radical new ideas advanced here in the last few decades. The program is ready to mature into its next phase, making important and lasting contributions to logic, philosophy, and mathematics. The Australian academy will derive international recognition for impressive new mathematics, and innovative philosophical explanations ....Paraconsistent Foundations of Mathematics. In the English-speaking world, Australia is already the most prominent centre for paraconsistent research, known for development of radical new ideas advanced here in the last few decades. The program is ready to mature into its next phase, making important and lasting contributions to logic, philosophy, and mathematics. The Australian academy will derive international recognition for impressive new mathematics, and innovative philosophical explanations of truth and proof. Read moreRead less
Experimental philosophy on probabilistic actual causation. This project will provide better philosophical theories of probabilistic causation, including ways to measure degrees of influence, make comparisons to appropriate norms, and identify underlying physical processes. This is vital to properly interpreting scientific models of many causal systems, yielding practical benefits for science and industry.