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
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.
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