Digest Week 6 Michaelmas Term 2018

MT18, Week 6 (12 November — 18th November)

If you have entries for the weekly Digest, they must be received by Wednesday midday of the week before the event. Please send information to admin@philosophy.ox.ac.uk. 

Note that if no location is given, the event will take place in the Radcliffe Humanities Building on Woodstock Rd, OX2 6GG.

Notices - Events taking place elsewhere in the University and beyond

POP-Grunch | 1.15-2.45pm, Meeting Room 4, Philosophy Faculty 

Speaker: Lia Den Daas

Title: Symmetry breaking to solve the measurement problem

Abstract: For this pop-grunch: the very familiar topic of the measurement problem. Specifically, I will discuss a relatively new attempt at resolving it, known as the mechanism of the “flea”, as put forward by Landsman and Reuvers in 2013. For the purposes of the talk, I will keep the necessary mathematics at a minimum, and focus on the conceptual aspects of this proposal. Namely, Landsman gives a novel understanding of the measurement problem, where the initial quantum system has some symmetry. Then, a small asymmetric perturbation that arises from the environment is postulated. This “flea” perturbation provides the symmetry breaking required for a classical state to emerge from a quantum system, thereby bringing us one step closer to a possible solution of the measurement problem. I hope to give some evaluation of the flea mechanism, focusing on the limitations of the models considered, as well as the nature of the flea perturbation. In particular, I hope to touch on the challenges in attempting to recover the Born rule.

 

The Oxford Kant Colloquium | 5:00-6:30pm, Merton College, St Alban's Quad, Room 4.2b

Presentations on Kantian Topics

If you intend to participate please email christopher.benzenberg@stx.ox.ac.uk

 

Interdisciplinary Seminars in Psychoanalysis | 8:15pm, Lecture Room of the St John's College Research Centre, 45 St Giles 

Julie Walsh (Essex) 'Confusing Cases: Forrester, Stoller, Agnes, Woman' 

The seminar is open free of charge to members of the University and to mental health professionals but space is limited. To attend it is helpful (but not essential) to e-mail paul.tod@sjc.ox.ac.uk

Metaphysics Reading Group | 11am -12:30pm, Oriel College

If you intend to participate please email katherine.hong@philosophy.ox.ac.uk 

Summa Contra Gentiles | Reading, Commentary and Translation Group | 1:00 - 2:00pm, Blackfriars Hall, Front Seminar Room

This term, the focus of the group will be on Aquinas' understanding of the relationship between body and soul in the Summa Contra Gentiles Part Two, Questions 49 -101, in the Marietti manuscript.

If you would like to join, or have any questions, please contact Sean Costello at sean.costello@philosophy.ox.ac.uk 

 

Seminar Series on Reproducibility and Open Research | 4.30-6.00pm, All Souls College: Old Library

Charlotte Roueche (Kings College London): ‘Opening the Door to Open Access’

All are welcome; refreshments will be provided.

 

Feminisms: Being a Woman and.... | Intersectional Discussion Group | 18:00 - 19:30pm, Ryle Room

Please contact the organisers to be put on the mailing list to receive the weekly readings 

Please email chiara.martini@pmb.ox.ac.uk, chongming.lim@philosophy.ox.ac.uk, alesia.preite@sjc.ox.ac.uk or maya.krishnan@balliol.ox.ac.uk

Oxford Think Festival | Timothy Williamson in Conversation with Richard Marshall, Doing Philosophy: From Common Curiosity to Logical Reasoning | 1:00 - 2:00pm, Norrington Room, Blackwells 

Event is free, but please register in advance here

 

Graduate Ancient Philosophy Work in Progress | Sean Costello: "Establishing the Sense of Χωριστός at De Anima 430a17 - An Argument in Favour of Ontological Separability" | 2:00pm, Somerville Lodge

GAPWiP is a regular meeting of postgraduates and early career researchers to discuss work in progress prior to the Ancient Philosophy Seminar, each week is led by someone who presents their work, followed by a discussion.

All postgraduates in philosophy are welcome to attend and contribute to discussion.

 

2018 Besterman Lecture | 5.15pm, Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre, St Anne's College

'Writing Rights in 1789'

Speaker: Professor Keith M Baker Professor of Early Modern European History, Stanford University

For more information please email email@voltaire.ox.ac.uk 

 

Oxford Mathematical Public Lectures | Hooke Lectures | 5:15pm, Mathematical Institute

Michael Berry (Bristol) - Chasing the Dragon: Tidal Bores in the UK and Elsewhere  

Please Email: external-relations@maths.ox.ac.uk to register.

 

Vagueness Reading Group | Higher-Order Vagueness II | 5:00 - 7:00pm, Ertegun House

Mahtani, A. (2008) 'Can Vagueness be Cut Out at Any Order', in Australasian Journal of Philosophy 86:499-508.  

If you intend to participate please email alexander.roberts@philosophy.ox.ac.uk or annina.loets@philosophy.ox.ac.uk

Reading Group: Propositional Attitudes (Philosophy of Mind) | 12:00pm, Seminar Room 1, St Anne's College  

Reading: Tim Crane's 'Is Perception a Propositional Attitude', The Philosophical Quarterly, Vol. 59 (2008), pp. 452-469.

Intended audience: graduate students, faculty members and visiting faculty 

Organisers: Dr Umut Baysan (umut.baysan@philosophy.ox.ac.uk) and Matthew Hewson (matthew.hewson@merton.ox.ac.uk) 

Workshop on Kant's Theory of Modality | 9:00am - 6:00pm, Ryle Room, Radcliffe Humanities

During the workshop, we shall discuss Ralf Bader's book draft on Kant's theory of modality. The draft will circulate before the workshop and participants are advised to read the first two chapters in preparation.

If you would like to participate, please contact christopher.benzenberg@stx.ox.ac.uk