Normativity reading group 2008-9

This is the webpage for the ProDoc normativity reading group meetings. Post here: 1) suggested sessions (readings and so on). 2) Dates.

Time and place

Fribourg, room 4124, 15-17h, unless otherwise indicated.

Calendar

Please note that the meeting calendar below reflects my personal prejudices, predelictions and arbitrary decisions for structure and progress.

Nov 3rd, Philipp: metaphysics of knowledge

(Present: Fabian, Jack, Julien, Andri, Davide, Philipp, Vincent)

• Main reading: Roger White, Epistemic Permissiveness
• Accessory reading: Ian Rumfitt, Logic as a Norm

Nov 10th, Julien: Austere consequentialism and the value of knowledge

(Present: Ariel, Fabian, Gianfranco, Jack, Juan, Julien)

• Main reading: Olsson & Goldman, Reliabilism and the value of knowledge

Nov 17th, Davide: What is normativity?

(Present: Fabian, Jack, Julien, Ariel, Andri, Davide)

• Main reading: John Skorupski, 'What is Normativity?'; Ralph Wedgwood, 'The Meaning of “Ought”'.

Nov 24th, What's wrong with structuralism

(Present: Fabian, Andri, Philipp, Vincent, Ariel)

• Main reading: Ladyman/Ross, especially the first two chapters, available here:

http://www.philosophie.ch/philipp/teaching/sciences.shtml The username is "eidos", the password "gottlob"

Dec 1st, Jack: What is Normativity? (part deux)

(Present: Fabian, Jack, Julien, Ariel, Andri, Davide)

• Main reading: 'Normative Force and Normative Freedom: Hume and Kant, But Not Hume versus Kant.' Railton (paper already uploaded)

Dec 8th, Fabian: Williams (and perhaps Wedgwood)

(Present: Fabian, Jack, Julien, Ariel, Davide; Absent: Andri)

• Main reading: Bernard Williams, 'Internal and external reasons'; and, if we still have time, the Wedgwood paper from Davide's session.
• Meeting point: Fribourg train station at 3 pm.

Dec 15th, Ariel, Normativity of perception

(Present: Fabian, Jack, Julien, Ariel, Davide; Absent: Andri)

• Main reading: Tyler Burge, “Perceptual Entitlement”; James Pryor, “The skeptic and the dogmatist” & “Is There Non-Inferential Justification?”.

March 12th, Andri, Single-premise deduction

(Present: Andri, Davide, Ariel, Julien)

• Main reading: Maria Lasonen-Aarnio, "Single-premise deduction and risk".

April 9th, Jack on reasons and rationality

(Present: Jack, Davide, Ariel, Andri?)

• Main reading: Chris Piller, TBA

April 23th

one of those listed below, to be voted!

Proposed papers

• Julien on whether there can be epistemic norms. Reading: Williamson, "why epistemology can't be operationalized"
• Julien on what are reasons? Reading: Pryor "Reasons and that-clauses" (2007)
• Davide on Rosen "Brandom on Modality, Normativity and Intentionality" (2001)
• Max on situated normativity. Reading: Erik Rietveld, "Situated Normativity: The Normative Aspect of Embodied Cognition in Unreflective Action", Mind 2008

Proposed sessions

• Julien DUTANT. Austere consequentialism and the value of knowledge. A discussion of the problem of the value of knowledge, in particular of the "swamping problem".
  • Main reading: Olsson & Goldman, Reliabilism and the value of knowledge.

• Fabian: The difference(s) between epistemic and practical normativity. I don't really know of any good text directly about this topic (apart from some work by Harman), so I'd be glad if you would come up with some good suggestions. The following two papers (especially the Owens) address this issue to some extent, though they are more focussed on the issue of whether believing can be voluntary - something which I would not like to concentrate on too much in the discussion.
  • Main reading: David Owens, 'Does Belief Aim At Truth?'; Richard Feldman, 'The Ethics of Belief' & 'Epistemic Obligations'.

• Jack: What is normativity (part deux) Interested in establishing some basic condition for a statement to count as normative.
  • Main reading: the Railton paper, already uploaded.

• Davide: What is normativity?. The idea is that of a comparison of some different general conceptions of normativity, abstracting from "regional normativities" (like epistemic, semantic, practical...). If you have some worry on the topic or suggestions for other readings, your comments are welcome.
  • Main reading: John Skorupski, 'What is Normativity?'; Ralph Wedgwood, 'The Meaning of “Ought”'.

• Ariel: Normativity of perception. I would like to propose something about perceptual entitlement. Please, let me know if you have any suggestion about the topic or papers. The possibilities are (among others):
  • Main reading: Tyler Burge, “Perceptual Entitlement”; James Pryor, “The skeptic and the dogmatist” & “Is There Non-Inferential Justification?”.