Subjective Perspectives and Self-Representation
2/2/24
3:30 pm
Rockefeller 106, Class of 1930's Room
Susanna Schellenberg, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Science, Rutgers University
When an individual navigates her envirinment as a philosophy professor, her perspective is different than when she does so as a parent or a mountaineer. Her preferences are different, what evidence she pays attention to shifts, and which of her many beliefs are relevant changes. This paper explores the role of self-representation in our perspective. I argue that how an individual represents herself can shift from moment to moment thus entailing shifts in her perspective. If this is right, then contraorthodoxy, a perspective is not a fixed point in intellectual space that changes only slowly over time. I show how including self-representing in AI systems can solve a host of open problems.
Free and open to the public.
Sponsors:
Society of Fellows
Philosophy Department
Cognitive Science Program