Sep
15
Thu
Book Panel: Chiara Bottici, Anarchafeminism @ Wolff Conference Room/D1103
Sep 15 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Book Panel with: 

Chiara Bottici (NSSR and Lang College), Judith Butler (UC Berkeley and NSSR) and Romy Opperman (NSSR and Lang College).

Abstract: 

How can we be sure the oppressed do not become oppressors in their turn? How can we envisage a feminism that doesn’t turn into yet another tool for oppression? By arguing that there is no single arche explaining the oppression of women and LGBTQI+ people, Chiara Bottici proposes a radical anarchafeminist philosophy inspired by two major claims: that there is something specific to the oppression of ‘the second sexes’, and that, in order to fight that, we need to untangle all other forms of oppression and the anthropocentrism they inhabit. On the basis of a Spinozist philosophy of transindividuality, Anarchafeminism calls for a decolonial and deimperial attitude and for a renewed awareness of the somatic communism connecting all different life forms on the planet. In this revolutionary vision, feminism does not mean the liberation of the lucky few, but liberation of the planet from both capitalist exploitation and an anthropocentric politics of domination. Either the entire planet, or none of us will be free.

 

External visitors must comply with the university’s guest policy as outlined here: https://www.newschool.edu/covid-19/campus-access/?open=visitors.

 

Audience members must show proof of a full COVID-19 vaccination series (and booster if eligible), ID, and remain masked at all times.

Sponsored by the NSSR Philosophy Department & The Gender and Sexualities Studies Institute (GSSI)

Sep
29
Thu
I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes: Imaginative Meditation and Experience of Love in Medieval Contemplative Philosophy. Christina Van Dyke, Barnard @ 716 Philosophy Hall
Sep 29 @ 4:10 pm – 6:00 pm

Thursday, September 29th, 2022
Christina Van Dyke (Barnard College)
Title “I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes: Imaginative Meditation and Experience of Love in Medieval Contemplative Philosophy”
4:10-6:00 PM
716 Philosophy Hall

Oct
13
Thu
Are Large Language Models Sentient? David Chalmers @ Jurow Lecture Hall, Silver Center NYU
Oct 13 @ 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm

The NYU Mind, Ethics, and Policy Program is thrilled to be hosting a talk by David Chalmers on whether large language models can be sentient.

About the talk
Artificial intelligence systems—especially large language models, giant neural networks trained to predict text from the internet—have recently shown remarkable abilities. There has been widespread discussion of whether some of these language models might be sentient. Should we take this idea seriously? David Chalmers will discuss the underlying issue and try to break down the strongest reasons for and against.

The talk, which is free and open to the public, will take place on October 13 2022 from 5:00-6:30pm ET. The in-person location will be Jurow Lecture Hall (inside the Silver Center at 32 Waverly Place), and the virtual location will be Zoom (you can sign up to receive a link by clicking “Register here” below). There will also be a light reception from 6:30-7:30pm in the Silverstein Lounge (immediately outside of the Jurow Lecture Hall).

– If you plan to attend in person, please be prepared to show proof of full vaccination.
– If you plan to attend virtually, please check your email for a link in advance of the event.

About the speaker
David Chalmers is University Professor of Philosophy and Neural Science and co-director of the Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness at NYU. He is the author of The Conscious Mind (1996), Constructing the World (2010), and Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy (2022). He co-founded the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness and the PhilPapers Foundation. He is known for formulating the “hard problem” of consciousness, which inspired Tom Stoppard’s play The Hard Problem, and for the idea of the “extended mind,” which says that the tools we use can become parts of our minds.

Thank you to our co-sponsors for your generous support of this event:

  • NYU Center for Bioethics

  • NYU Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness

  • NYU Minds, Brains, and Machines Initiative

Oct
27
Thu
Hobbes on Sex. Susanne Sreedhar (BU) @ Wolff Conference Room/D1103
Oct 27 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Even on a close reading of Hobbes’s corpus, it is difficult to extract a clear picture of his views on gender.

In the history of philosophy, most of the ‘great’ philosophers engaged with questions about women’s ‘nature’ and the appropriate role for women in the family, society, and state.

Hobbes, however, seems to have far less to say on the subject than most, and what he does say is often ambiguous or paradoxical.

It is a fundamental tenet of Hobbes’s political theory that all people are equal in the state of nature, women included; yet he makes reference to the general superiority of men as regards physical strength, courage, wit, and suitability for rule.

Hobbes denies the naturalness, inevitability, and godliness of patriarchy, and he even argues for natural maternal right; however, he describes families in civil societies in terms of fathers ruling over their servants and children—leaving women out of the picture altogether.

His texts are peppered with various offhand comments, allusions, and intimations about women and sexuality more generally, many of which are provocative and undeveloped.

One of the most intriguing parts of his analysis is his repeated appeal to the example of the ancient Amazonian warrior women who engaged in procreative contracts with men from neighboring tribes.

 

In this paper, the speaker uses Hobbes’s discussion of the Amazons to examine his views about gender and, thereby, his place in the history of philosophy as seen from a feminist perspective. 

 

External visitors must comply with the university’s guest policy as outlined here:

https://www.newschool.edu/covid-19/campus-access/?open=visitors

 

Audience members must show proof of a full COVID-19 vaccination series (and booster if eligible), ID, and remain masked at all times.

Nov
17
Thu
Unraveling the Mind: The Mystery of Consciousness @ New York Academy of Medicine
Nov 17 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Few words in our language appear to cover such a broad and flexible swath of ideas as “the mind.” But what, actually, is the human mind? How does it relate to and differ from its seemingly inseparable companion, the brain? Where does the mind begin or emerge from? Is it merely a by-product of neural activities within the brain, or does it connect with deeper and more fundamental features of physical reality that possibly span across nature beyond the realm of living forms? Is there such a thing as the proper locus of the mind? How independent is the mind from its biological foundations? It is generally believed that what distinguishes the human mind is precisely its capacity to ask and probe these very questions. But is it actually equipped to answer them? How far does the scope of the mind extend? And what role does reflection and conscious thought play in its operation?

Philosopher of mind Ned Block, philosopher Philip Goff, and philosopher Rebecca Newberger Goldstein dissect the connections between the human mind, brain, and consciousness.

Reception to follow.

Jan
17
Tue
Fathoming the Mind: A Closer Look at the Formation of Self @ New York Academy of Medicine
Jan 17 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Recent research in animal behavior and culture shows that the mental capacities of animals have been largely undervalued. And yet it is hard to resist the impression of a gap—a difference in nature rather than degree—between humans and non-humans when it comes to certain tasks involving abstraction, planning, sustained attention, or the transmission of culture over generations. How different is the human mind from the minds of non-human animals? The key to these issues may lie in the capacity of the mind to relate to itself as a “self” that bears desires and intentions, along with agency and purpose. But how is this compatible with the recognition that much of our mental activity occurs at an unconscious or subconscious level, below the threshold of awareness and reflection? Is our perceived unity of self or mind an illusion we entertain for practical purposes?

Psychologist and philosopher Alison Gopnik, ecologist Carl Safina, and biologist Kenneth R. Miller explore what separates humans from other animals in relation to the construct of “self.”

Reception to follow.

Feb
3
Fri
Cognitive Science Speaker Series @ CUNY Grad Center & Zoom
Feb 3 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Talks hosted by Ryan McElhaney
To get Zoom links, email davidrosenthal1@gmail.com


Some—but not all—sessions are recorded for later access

2/3: Justin Sytsma
Philosophy, Victoria University of Wellington


2/10: Jonathan Birch
Philosophy, London School of Economics


2/17: No talk—one-week break


2/24: Miguel Ángel Sebastián
Philosophy, National Autonomous University of Mexico


3/3: Claudia Passos Ferreira
Philosophy, New York University
** HYBRID: Graduate Center Room 7102 **


3/10: Jonathan Morgan
Philosophy, Montclair State University
** HYBRID: Graduate Center Room 7102 **


3/17: Derek Brown
Philosophy, University of Glasgow


3/24: Robert Kentridge
Psychology and Centre for Vision and Visual Cognition, University of Durham
** HYBRID: Graduate Center Room 7102 **


3/31: Josh Weisberg
Philosophy, University of Houston
** HYBRID: Room TBA **


4/7, 4/14: Spring break—no talks


4/21: Michal Polák
Philosophy, University of West Bohemia


The CUNY Cognitive Science Speaker Series meets weekly at the CUNY Graduate Center,
Fridays, 1-3 pm—all on Zoom, some hybrid. This file is at: http://bit.ly/cs-talks
For additional information e-mail David Rosenthal <davidrosenthal1@gmail.com>

Feb
10
Fri
Cognitive Science Speaker Series @ CUNY Grad Center & Zoom
Feb 10 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Talks hosted by Ryan McElhaney
To get Zoom links, email davidrosenthal1@gmail.com


Some—but not all—sessions are recorded for later access

2/3: Justin Sytsma
Philosophy, Victoria University of Wellington


2/10: Jonathan Birch
Philosophy, London School of Economics


2/17: No talk—one-week break


2/24: Miguel Ángel Sebastián
Philosophy, National Autonomous University of Mexico


3/3: Claudia Passos Ferreira
Philosophy, New York University
** HYBRID: Graduate Center Room 7102 **


3/10: Jonathan Morgan
Philosophy, Montclair State University
** HYBRID: Graduate Center Room 7102 **


3/17: Derek Brown
Philosophy, University of Glasgow


3/24: Robert Kentridge
Psychology and Centre for Vision and Visual Cognition, University of Durham
** HYBRID: Graduate Center Room 7102 **


3/31: Josh Weisberg
Philosophy, University of Houston
** HYBRID: Room TBA **


4/7, 4/14: Spring break—no talks


4/21: Michal Polák
Philosophy, University of West Bohemia


The CUNY Cognitive Science Speaker Series meets weekly at the CUNY Graduate Center,
Fridays, 1-3 pm—all on Zoom, some hybrid. This file is at: http://bit.ly/cs-talks
For additional information e-mail David Rosenthal <davidrosenthal1@gmail.com>

Feb
14
Tue
Down to Earth: Sylvia Wynter’s Black Metamorphosis. Romy Opperman (New School) @ Cambill Multipurpose rm
Feb 14 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Our first event will be held on February 14th in the Campbell Multipurpose Room (next to Cosi on the Rose Hill campus) from 5-7 pm.

The presenter is Dr Romy Opperman (The New School), with graduate respondent Diya Emandi and undergraduate respondent Julia Mazurek.

Light bites will be provided.

To attend this event, you must rsvp. Please fill out this form prior to the event. Note that you must be signed in to your Fordham google account to fill out the form.

The rsvp form is also accessible via the qr code on the poster

General Information About The Speaker Series

The MAP (Minorities and Philosophy) Charter Group is organizing a 3-part speaker series event on Gender and Sexuality with the support of Fordham Philosophical Society, the Graduate Student Council, and the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer. This is the second iteration of the speaker series event!

There will be one session each month, starting in February and ending in April. Please find information and rsvp info about the first session below.

Feb
15
Wed
Cultivating the Mind: Reason and the Pursuit of Ethical Transformation @ New York Academy of Medicine
Feb 15 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Rationality, long considered a distinctive characteristic of the human mind, provides us with the capacity for understanding and discernment, as well as the ability to introduce order into our thoughts by allowing us to form higher-order volitions, adopt values, establish priorities, and achieve a level of consistency in our actions across time. The ancient Socratic ideal of the “examined life” in pursuit of truth and justice relied on a definition of human nature that was to be cultivated in a systematic way. If the key to fully realizing our humanity lies in the cultivation of our minds, what ethical principles and practices in modern life can help our minds to flourish? How can reason be blended with emotion to nurture a more ethical life? In this regard, experimental psychology and neuroscientific research may have much to teach us, as might the age-old wisdom traditions.

Psychologist and neurobiologist Richard Davidson, classics scholar Edith Hall, and psychologist Dacher Keltner analyze how reason and the mind can facilitate ethical development.

Reception to follow.