Greetings all, This coming Monday, September 10, 1.00-2.30 in the philosophy common room we have our own Jenann Ismael who will be giving a paper on reflexivity.
Abstract: Reflexive thoughts have been historically a source of contention. Some have held that the ability to think reflexive thoughts is uniquely and even definitively human. Nozick, for example, writes: To be an I, a self, is to have the capacity for reflexive self-reference. Others have held that the very idea of a reflexive thought is nonsensical or ridiculous. William James wrote that No subjective state, whilst present, is its own object; its object is always something else. Gilbert Ryle ridiculed the very idea of reflexive thought as involving a hallowed paraoptical model, [whereby] a torch illuminates itself by beams of its own light reflected from a mirror in its own insides. What exactly is a reflexive thought? Is a reflexive thought simply a thought that happens to be about itself? If I wonder what Tom is thinking and he happens to be wishing me pleasant thoughts, have I had a reflexive thought ? or does it involves something more? Is reflexivity the source of paradox? Im going to provide a simple, formal model of reflexive thoughts and explore some of their properties. See you there Dr. Kristie Miller Australian Research Council Post-doctoral Fellow School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry and The Centre for Time The University of Sydney Sydney, Australia Room 411, A18 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ph: (work) 02 93569663 Ph: (mobile) 0432 275 286 http://homepage.mac.com/centre.for.time/KristieMiller/Kristie/Home%20Page.html _______________________________________________ SydPhil mailing list [email protected] List Info: http://lists.arts.usyd.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/sydphil NEW LIST ARCHIVE: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
