Models of Divinity. At a time of religious conflict around the world, interfaith dialogue is becoming increasingly important. This project will provide a platform for such dialogue to take place, thus advancing the National Research Priority Goal of improving Australia's capacity to interpret and engage with its regional and global environment. The project will also have distinct social benefits that will result from exploring the links between competing conceptions of the divine and (very often ....Models of Divinity. At a time of religious conflict around the world, interfaith dialogue is becoming increasingly important. This project will provide a platform for such dialogue to take place, thus advancing the National Research Priority Goal of improving Australia's capacity to interpret and engage with its regional and global environment. The project will also have distinct social benefits that will result from exploring the links between competing conceptions of the divine and (very often oppressive) social-cultural practices. Finally, the project will advance Australia's reputation and standing in the philosophy of religion, thus stimulating greater postgraduate and postdoctoral research in this area. 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.
Time and Politics: A Rapprochement of Analytic Political Philosophy and Post-structuralism. The most obvious benefits of this project will be academic, in that it will enrich contemporary political philosophy and advance theoretical work on the post-structuralism of Derrida and Deleuze. I will also be consulting with philosophers across Australia of both analytic and 'European' persuasion, and encouraging such a dialogue contributes to what is an emerging movement to break down the oppositional ....Time and Politics: A Rapprochement of Analytic Political Philosophy and Post-structuralism. The most obvious benefits of this project will be academic, in that it will enrich contemporary political philosophy and advance theoretical work on the post-structuralism of Derrida and Deleuze. I will also be consulting with philosophers across Australia of both analytic and 'European' persuasion, and encouraging such a dialogue contributes to what is an emerging movement to break down the oppositional thinking that has pervaded the Australian philosophical community. Finally, the findings of this project will also be used to instigate new ways of thinking regarding political issues afflicting Australians and the world, particularly in regard to refugees and reconciliation.
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Philosophical Foundations for Probabilistic Inference and Probabilistic Prediction. This exciting and innovative project aims to lay new foundations for contemporary philosophy of science. We shall use basic Minimum Message Length (MML) principles to vastly improve on current philosophical accounts of scientific inference and scientific prediction. We shall also use the theory to develop new and exciting answers to longstanding problems in philosophy of science concerning induction, projectabili ....Philosophical Foundations for Probabilistic Inference and Probabilistic Prediction. This exciting and innovative project aims to lay new foundations for contemporary philosophy of science. We shall use basic Minimum Message Length (MML) principles to vastly improve on current philosophical accounts of scientific inference and scientific prediction. We shall also use the theory to develop new and exciting answers to longstanding problems in philosophy of science concerning induction, projectability, private languages, determinism and intelligence. A theory based on MML principles will demonstrate the clear inadequacies of competing classical approaches, and will completely reshape the way in which philosophers think about Bayesian theories of inference.Read moreRead less
Neglected Problems of Time: Metaphysical and topological issues arising from the physics of time. Foundational philosophical research contributes to the global stock of understanding. Further, it secures and enhances Australia's international standing as a site of foundational research. Given the global nature of higher education, this enhancement of reputation serves to make Australia a more desirable destination for students (and, in this indirect way, makes a contribution to one of Australia' ....Neglected Problems of Time: Metaphysical and topological issues arising from the physics of time. Foundational philosophical research contributes to the global stock of understanding. Further, it secures and enhances Australia's international standing as a site of foundational research. Given the global nature of higher education, this enhancement of reputation serves to make Australia a more desirable destination for students (and, in this indirect way, makes a contribution to one of Australia's largest markets). More directly, foundational research enhances any community in which it takes place--the thirst for understanding is one of the distinctive characteristics of human beings, and support for the quest for understanding is an essential part of any well-functioning society.Read moreRead less
A History of Australasian Philosophy. This project will significantly advance our understanding of the history and present state of philosophy in Australia. In addition, the project will showcase the diverse and innovative contributions made by Australia's philosophers, thus bringing the current flourishing of Australian philosophy to the attention of the academic and wider community, both here and overseas. This, in turn, will strengthen Australia's standing as a leading player in the philoso ....A History of Australasian Philosophy. This project will significantly advance our understanding of the history and present state of philosophy in Australia. In addition, the project will showcase the diverse and innovative contributions made by Australia's philosophers, thus bringing the current flourishing of Australian philosophy to the attention of the academic and wider community, both here and overseas. This, in turn, will strengthen Australia's standing as a leading player in the philosophical world, and as an attractive destination for graduate students and distinguished visiting academics alike. Read moreRead less
The Epistemology of Colour Vision. This project will advance knowledge on the important traditional philosophical topic of colour and colour perception by drawing both on philosophical and scientific sources. The problem of colour is one to which Australian philosophy has made seminal contribution. For this reason, this project will continue to develop an Australian expertise in the area and help to make Australia a world centre of research in the area.
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
A model of the mind which explains the role of emotions in normal cognition and affective disorder. Depression is recognised as one of the most burdensome diseases in Australia. Though we of course make no claims, as philosophers, to cure depression our contribution is to engage philosophy productively with a vital national area of empirical research. The other area of national benefit is to consolidate Australia's developing reputation as a site for the involvement of philosophy in interdiscipl ....A model of the mind which explains the role of emotions in normal cognition and affective disorder. Depression is recognised as one of the most burdensome diseases in Australia. Though we of course make no claims, as philosophers, to cure depression our contribution is to engage philosophy productively with a vital national area of empirical research. The other area of national benefit is to consolidate Australia's developing reputation as a site for the involvement of philosophy in interdisciplinary projects which link the humanities to the sciences. Furthermore, with the project's anchoring in the humanities, there is hope that a focus on, and increased understanding of, depression will have flow-on effects in the Australian community that will help ease the stigmatisation that is still felt by many of its sufferers.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.