I have always thought that the topic of personal identity (PI) was the most fascinating topic in metaphysics and perhaps in all of philosophy. Furthermore, this view was enhanced by the consistently high quality of the PI literature attracting the likes of historical thinkers such as Locke, Butler and Hume – and recent thinkers such as Strawson (Peter), Williams,…
Ignoratio elenchi is a classic argument-based fallacy. It is a fallacy to be found in traditional logic: it’s important to note that as a fallacy it doesn’t necessarily entail an invalid argument. Ignoratio elenchi literally means “ignorance of refutation” and is sometimes known as the “fallacy of irrelevance” or the “fallacy of missing the point”.…
I was alerted by fellow swarm theorist Simon Garnier to an introduction to swarm theory in the latest issue of National Geographic Magazine. This is just the latest in the popularization of swarm theory: previous instances being Gladwell’s The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (2000) and Surowiecki’s The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are…
Within the DEEDS literature, few if any, make reference to Gregory McCulloch’s The Life of the Mind (Routledge, 2003). The subtitle “An essay on phenomenological externalism” barely hints at McCulloch’s distinctiveness. According to Tim Crane’s forward to The Life of the Mind, it was a book that McCulloch had been working on for almost twenty years. And it shows.…
The following is an abstract for my forthcoming (2009) contibution to: The Social Science of Hayek’s ‘The Sensory Order’ William N. Butos, Volume Editor Advances in Austrian Economics Hayek: Cognitive Scientist Avant la Lettre This paper conceives of Hayek’s overall project as presenting a theory of sociocognition, explication of which has a twofold purpose: 1.…
Jerry Fodor, in a review in the London Review of Books of Galen Strawson’s Consciousness and Its Place in Nature, opens the review with an ascerbic observation. I quote: Consciousness is all the rage just now. It boasts new journals of its very own, from which learned articles overflow. Neuropsychologists snap its picture (in colour)…
Friedrich Hayek must rate as one the greatest intellects of the twentieth century. I take the view that his achievement is on a par with his cousin – Wittgenstein. Most people know Hayek for his political philosophy, philosophy of economics, philosophy of social science and philosophical jurisprudence. The distinctive and unifying thread across all Hayek’s thought was…
EPISTEME IV, the fourth annual conference attached to EPISTEME: A Journal of Social Epistemology, took place this past week. The conference’s theme: testimony. Jennifer Lackey put together a superb program comprising some seasoned veterans and some very talented youngsters. We were sorry that Linda Zagzebski couldn’t make it – there were flight delays due to…
manwithoutqualities 