It's "AI Week" in Philosophy

Computers are winning at Jeopardy, and driving cars, but can they think? Can they have conscious experiences? Can they be angry or afraid? Not yet, it seems — but this situation may change in our lifetimes. The Philosophy Department is hosting two events this week on broad issues in Artificial Intelligence.

Film: "2001: A Space Odyssey"
Tuesday 11/19 at 7:30PM at the Campus Theatre

Stanley Kubric's enigmatic science fiction epic, about a trip to investigate an alien monolith that is complicated by the intelligent computer HAL 9000 explores themes of progress, evolution, intelligence, and mystery. I will offer a brief introduction to the film to assist with its interpretation.

Panel Discussion: "Artificial Intelligence: An Interdisciplinary Conversation"
Thursday 11/21 at 4PM in Walls Lounge (Langone Center)

A panel Discussion with John Hunter (Comparative Humanities), Brian King (Computer Science), Jason Leddington (Philosophy), and Joe Tranquillo (Biomedical and Electrical Engineering) on technological, conceptual, and ethical issues concerning artificial intelligence.

Robert Audi talk on the Problem of Evil

EVENT: Robert Audi will be giving a talk this week at Bucknell entitled "The Problem of Evil as a Challenge to Philosophy and Theology: Can Theism Be Rational Given the Evils of History?"

TIME: Thurs. (Nov. 14), 7 pm

PLACE: Willard Smith Library (125 Vaughn Lit Bldg), Bucknell University.

Robert Audi is the John A. O’Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. His research interests are in ethics, political philosophy, epistemology, religious epistemology, and the philosophy of mind and action. He has published 15 books, including most recently Democratic Authority and the Separation of Church and State (Oxford, 2011) and The Good in the Right: A Theory of Intuition and Intrinsic Value (Princeton, 2005). He has authored over 200 papers in journals such as Mind, Nous, Philosophical Studies, Synthese, Philosophy & Phenomenological Research, International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Faith and Philosophy, Journal of Business Ethics and the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy. He has served as the president of the American Philosophical Association and the Society of Christian Philosophers, and as general editor of the first and second editions (1995, 1999) of the Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy. He holds a B.A. from Colgate University and a M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

This talk is sponsored by the Department of Philosophy, the Department of Religious Studies and the University Lectureship Committee, and is free and open to the public. Please join us for what looks to be a very interesting conversation!

Join us if you're so inclined! It should be interesting.

Special Halloween Lunch Chat (10/31): Horror, Evil, and the Uncanny

Finally a Philosophy Lunch Chat falls on Halloween! We're celebrating accordingly with an unprecedented three guest panel for discussion. In the mix, we'll have Professor J.T. Pracek (from Psychology), who will discuss psychopathic serial killers and the concept of evil, Professor Peter Groff (from Philosophy) on the uncanny, and Steve Gibson (Senior Video & New Media Developer at Bucknell), whose independent horror film, The Feed (trailer below), has been winning horror film festivals.

 

So come join us to talk about all manner of "Halloweeny" ideas and concepts at noon in the Willard Smith Library. Lunch provided as usual.

Lunch Chat (10/17): Friendship: For Better or Worse?

Professor Lintott

The next Philosophy Lunch Chat will feature Sheila Lintott, Associate Professor in the Departments of Philosophy and Women's & Gender Studies), who will guide us through a conversation about friendship. Friendships are arguably the most important and formative relationships in human life. It is not an exaggeration to say that whether we have good friends helps determine whether we live good lives. Our friends and the quality of our relationships with them deeply affect us, influencing our habits, behaviors, and values, and we theirs. But what is friendship? What is a true or good friend? Why is friendship so important?

In addition to these general conceptual questions, we can also consider questions in the context of other traditional areas of philosophy; for example:

What are the social and political issues related to friendship?

• Is friendship good for society or a potential source of schisms?
• What societal forms are most conducive to friendships?  
• If friendship helps make a society cohesive, should the state be responsible for fostering and improving friendships?

What ethical issues does friendship raise?

• If bias and partiality are morally problematic, are friendships morally problematic?
• If some partiality is okay, does it follow that the partiality that grounds friendship — that of perceived similarities — is okay?

What are the epistemic aspects of friendship?

• Do we really know our friends better than anyone else or might our ideas about them be distorted by affection?  
• How do our friends help us know ourselves and help us delude ourselves?  

What are the aesthetic issues of friendship?

• Is there an "art of friendship"?  
• How important are a friend's aesthetic tastes, for example her sense of humor or musical preferences?  
• How important is our friend's attractiveness?  
• How important should these aesthetic factors be?

So come enjoy some friendly philosophical conversation over pizza and salad on Thursday the 17th at noon in the Willard Smith Library.

Lunch Chat (10/3): Is Consciousness a Problem for Evolution?

Consciousness has been called the last real mystery in science. That's probably overstating it, but still, many philosophers and scientists agree: explaining consciousness in physical terms is no easy feat. In fact, according to Thomas Nagel, it's impossible. This is a core thesis of his controversial book, Mind and Cosmos, whose central arguments he recently described in a post on the New York Times' philosophy blog, The Stone. The most controversial part of the book claims that evolutionary theory "must become more than just a physical theory." Here's Nagel explaining why:

So the physical sciences, in spite of their extraordinary success in their own domain, necessarily leave an important aspect of nature unexplained.  Further, since the mental arises through the development of animal organisms, the nature of those organisms cannot be fully understood through the physical sciences alone.  Finally, since the long process of biological evolution is responsible for the existence of conscious organisms, and since a purely physical process cannot explain their existence, it follows that biological evolution must be more than just a physical process, and the theory of evolution, if it is to explain the existence of conscious life, must become more than just a physical theory.

As you can imagine, this has rankled more than a few people. Join us Thursday, October 3rd, from 12-1 pm to discuss it with biology professor Tristan Stayton! Lunch provided, as always.

Tristan Stayton (Biology)

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About Philosophy Lunch Chats: About every two weeks throughout the term, interested faculty, staff, students, and community members get together in the Willard–Smith Library in Vaughan Literature Building from noon to 1PM to chat about some philosophical topic over lunch in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. There's nothing to sign up for, and you won't get a grade, ever. Feel free to be a regular or show up just once. For more information about Philosophy Lunch Chats or to offer suggestions for future chats (warmly welcomed), either contact Professor Matthew Slater <matthew.slater@bucknell.edu> or Professor Jason Leddington <jason.leddington@bucknell.edu>.

In the Queue: 10/17: "Friendship: For Better or Worse?" — with Professor Sheila Lintott (Philosophy)

Upcoming Events

We are pleased to announce several more departmental events for the Fall 2013 term:

Public Lecture by Professor Robert Audi (University of Notre Dame)
"The Problem of Evil as a Challenge to Philosophy and Theology:  Can Theism Be Rational Given the Evils of History?"
November 14th, 7PM (location TBA)

"A.I. Week": November 18th–22nd
November 19th, 7:30PM: Philosophical Film Night at the Campus Theatre: "2001: A Space Odyssey"
November 21st, 4PM: "Artificial Intelligence: An Interdisciplinary Conversation"
A Panel Discussion with John Hunter (Comparative Humanities), Brian King (Computer Science), Jason Leddington (Philosophy), and Joe Tranquillo (Biomedical and Electrical Engineering)

Lunch Chats 
in the Willard–Smith Library (in Vaughan Lit) at noon; lunch is provided.

10/3: "Is Consciousness a Problem for Evolution?" — with Professor Tristan Stayton (Biology)

10/17: "Friendship: For Better or Worse?" — with Professor Sheila Lintott (Philosophy)

10/31: Special Halloween Lunch Chat: "Horror and the Uncanny" — with Steve Gibson (director of The Feed, Professor Pete Groff (Philosophy), and Professor JT Ptacek (Psychology)

Lunch Chat (9/19): Is Economics a Science?

Tucker Nichols for the New York Times — click for the article.

Economics been called "the dismal science" as far back as the 19th century. More recently, some have cited its apparently dismal performance at predicting the last global recession as reason for rethinking its status as a science at all.

Philosophy Lunch Chats kicks off its 2013–14 season this Thursday, September 19th at noon with a discussion of whether it is helpful to think of economics as a science. Our touchstone will be the recent piece by Alex Rosenberg and Tyler Curtain in the New York Times' "The Stone" column: "What is Economics Good For?" You might also wish to read Thomas Paul Krugman's reply. [Ack! I'm mixing my NYTimes economists!]

We will be joined by two guest experts from the Economics Department: Professor Gregory Krohn and Professor Geoff Schneider. As usual, lunch will be served. We hope you will stop by for some informal discussion.

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About Philosophy Lunch Chats: About every two weeks throughout the term, interested faculty, staff, students, and community members get together in the Willard–Smith Library in Vaughan Literature Building from noon to 1PM to chat about some philosophical topic over lunch in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. There's nothing to sign up for, and you won't get a grade, ever. Feel free to be a regular or show up just once. For more information about Philosophy Lunch Chats or to offer suggestions for future chats (warmly welcomed), either contact Professor Matthew Slater <matthew.slater@bucknell.edu> or Professor Jason Leddington <jason.leddington@bucknell.edu>.

In the Queue: October 3rd: Is Consciousness a Problem for Evolution?