HPS workshop - Poetry as an Epistemic Resource

Wednesday 13 February, 5pm, seminar room 1, HPS
"Poetry is not a luxury": Poetry as an Epistemic Resource

Azita Chellappoo

There exists a long-acknowledged connection between poetry and lived experience: one important feature of poetry is its capacity to provide a channel for self-expression. Here, I wish to emphasise the way in which poetry as self-expression not only holds value for those that use poetry as an outlet for their experience, but also for those seeking to gain understanding of that experience. In particular, poetry can provide a window into viewpoints and experiences that are otherwise difficult to access.

I begin by sketching out an argument for the importance of directly engaging with lived experience in various philosophical domains. Given that aspects of lived experience can be difficult to communicate to those that do not share this experience, attention should be given to ways of communicating this experience that would be otherwise difficult or impossible to communicate through analytic description. Poetry is one such means: due to the unique way in which poetry employs language, which can aim at and allow for the distillation of experience, poems can provide a resource for understanding. Where philosophical work necessitates engaging with lived experience, poetry has the potential to play a valuable role. I then sketch out how poetry could function as a useful epistemic resource in the case of philosophical work on thef emale orgasm, and in understanding the construction of ethnic or national identity.

Workshop announcement - Narrative science and its visual practices

9th April 2018

4 travel bursaries for PhD students

As part of the ERC funded Narrative Science project we are hosting a 1 day workshop focussed on the intersection of visual practice and narrative in science. The workshop will take place at the London School of Economics and Political Science, on the 19th of April.

Science abounds with visual materials: exemplary objects, 3D models, photos, diagrams, maps, graphs. Scholars in the history, philosophy and social studies of science have highlighted various features and roles of these objects and the practices in which they are embedded, including reasoning, speculation, demonstration, illustration, communication and others. This workshop focusses on the association of visual practices with narratives in knowledge making. In some cases, visual objects embed narrative qualities in themselves; in other cases, narratives are needed to make sense of the visual materials.

To learn more about the Narrative Science project as a whole, please see the special issue we recently published in Vol. 62 of Studies in History and Philosophy of Science.

Workshop spaces are very limited. If you are interested in attending, please write to Dr Robert Meunier as soon as possible.

PhD travel bursaries

To increase participation from the postgraduate community, we are making available 4 travel bursaries, each of a maximum of £250. These can be used to recover the cost of train or airfare for those who wish to attend, and who are currently enrolled on a PhD programme, preferably with research interests directly related to the workshop agenda. To apply for a PhD travel bursary please write to Dr Dominic Berry. Please include: Your name University Affiliation PhD Programme and thesis title And no more than 100 words on how this workshop relates to your research. The deadline for applications to the travel bursary is Friday 6th of April. You will be notified as to the outcome of your application shortly thereafter. Applicants will be selected to ensure a diverse range of research interests and institutions are represented. 

Monsters and Me - Frankenstein and AI

CamPoS seminar - 'What’s the Point of Margaret Cavendish’s Blazing World? Travel, Science, and Thought Experiments'

6 December, 1 p.m., HPS department, seminar room 2 in the basement.

Emily Thomas of Durham will talk on 'What’s the Point of Margaret Cavendish’s Blazing World? Travel, Science, and Thought Experiments'.

Abstract: 'Travel has a long and intimate history with philosophy. Travel also has a long and intimate relationship with fiction. Sometimes travel fiction acts as ‘thought experiments’, experiments that we can run through in our heads. This talk explores a 1666 fiction travelogue, Margaret Cavendish’s Blazing World. In the novel, a virtuous young lady is kidnapped and travels by boat through the North Pole into a new world. I argue this is no mere piece of science fiction. Instead, this travelogue acts as a distinctly philosophical thought experiment, exploring the pros and cons of Baconian philosophy of science, utopias, and what it means to be real.'

Talk - 'Fakhr al-Din al-Razi's Physics: Time, Space and Void'

Peter Adamson (Professor für spätantike und arabische Philosophie, LMU München)

Monday 13th March, 4pm, Lightfoot Room, Faculty of Divinity.

All are welcome.

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 1210) was a great Persian philosopher and theologian, famous for his lengthy, rich commentary on the Koran, for his theological works, and for his critical reception the philosophy of Avicenna (d. 1037).

Peter Adamson is a leading scholar of Arabic philosophy:

Job - Research Associate in Human and Nonhuman Intelligence

The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) invites applications for a postdoctoral Research Associate in the study of intelligence. The funds for this post are available for 3 years in the first instance.

CFI is a new, highly interdisciplinary research centre addressing the challenges and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence (AI) in both the short and long term. Funded by the Leverhulme Trust for 10 years, CFI is based at the University of Cambridge, with partners in the University of Oxford, Imperial College London, and UC Berkeley. The Centre also has close links with industry partners in the AI field, with policymakers, and with many academic disciplines.

This is a new Research Associate post within CFI's Kinds of Intelligence project, based in central Cambridge. This project, led by Dr Marta Halina and involving partners at Imperial College, draws on psychology, neuroscience, computer science, cognitive robotics, and philosophy to further develop and critically assess notions of general intelligence used in the field of AI. It aims to map the space of possible intelligences -biological, artificial, and hybrid - in order to enable more accurate predictions of AGI development and improved assessments of its benefits and risks. This post is an opportunity for a talented individual to make a major contribution to the development of this field of research.
Candidates should have a PhD in a relevant field and should provide strong evidence of potential for research and publication at the highest level, as well as strong interest in engagement with philosophy, science, and technology communities. The appointee will also play an important role in CFI's interdisciplinary activities, including discussion groups, workshops, and an annual conference. He or she will also be affiliated with the Department of History and Philosophy of Science.
To apply online for this vacancy, please click on the 'Apply' button below. This will route you to the University's Web Recruitment System, where you will need to register an account (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application form.

Please upload in the Upload section of the online application (1) your Curriculum Vitae (CV); (2) a Covering Letter of no more than 1,500 words, outlining a proposed research direction, and explaining how this proposal and your skills would contribute to this project in particular and CFI more broadly; and (3) a Sample of Writing of no more than 8,000 words that demonstrates your suitability for this project. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

The closing date for applications is 18 November 2016. If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process or procedure, please contact Susan Gowans at skg41@.cam.ac.uk. Please quote reference GA10453 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
Interviews will be held on 15 December 2016 in central Cambridge.

The University values diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Further details.

Talk - John Wallis (1616-1703), a mathematical journey through books

Pop-up talk in Cambridge University Library Rare Books Room, Thursday 25 August, 13:00-13:20

Dr Louisiane Ferlier (Digital Project Manager, The Royal Society)

Celebrating the 400th anniversary of John Wallis's birth, this talk will explore the variety of his contribution to mathematics, linguistics and philosophy by showcasing some of Wallis's books in the UL collections since the 18th century.

Rare Books Room (glassed-off area). Space limited. RSVP to Sophie Defrance (sd260@cam.ac.uk) appreciated. Library members only; to join, see www.lib.cam.ac.uk/using-library/joining-library.