Advertisement
Matti Eklund (Uppsala), ALIEN LANGUAGES AND ALIEN REALITYMatti Eklund is Chair Professor of Theoretical Philosophy at Uppsala University. He works mainly in metaphysics, the philosophy of language, and the philosophy of logic. He is the author of “Choosing Normative Concepts” (2017) and “Alien Structure: Language and Reality” (2024), both published by Oxford University Press.
ABSTRACT:
Might there be semantically alien languages – languages whose expressions have meanings different in kind from any expressions found in any familiar languages? And might reality be better represented by such a language than by a familiar language? These questions, and the metaphilosophical issues they raise, will be the focus of these lectures. The lectures are on themes from Eklund’s recent book “Alien Structure: Language and Reality” (Oxford University Press, 2024). However, in a number of ways the lectures go beyond what is in the book. The same way of thinking is applied to philosophy of mind, and the possibility of alien minds is discussed. In connection with this, the question of the “minds” of AI systems is explored. Responses are presented to objections to what was proposed and argued in the book. And it is discussed how the attention to the possibility of alien languages and alien reality can be seen as an instance of a general approach to philosophical questions.
November 23 Jakobi 2–114
10.15–11.45 Lecture 1: Introduction – the alien
14.15–15.45 Lecture 2: Alien languages
November 24
10.15–11.45 Lecture 3: Alien metaphysics. Jakobi 2–106
14.15–15.45 Lecture 4: Alien minds and AI. Jakobi 2–226 (Public lecture in the circular lecture hall)
November 25 Jakobi 2–114
10.15–11.45 Lecture 5: On some objections
14.15–15.45 Lecture 6: A view on philosophy
The lectures will be followed by a workshop on related themes on 26 November. Further information will be provided in due course.
Students can also earn 1 ECTS by registering for the course “Philosophy Conference I” (FLFI.00.110, registration is now open in SIS).
---------------------------------------------------------------
The Gottlob Frege Lectures in Theoretical Philosophy are named in honour of the German mathematician and philosopher Friedrich Ludwig Gottlob Frege. We have chosen Frege as the patron for our lecture series as he is widely recognised for his clarity and unpretentious, no-nonsense style of dealing with philosophical problems. So are the lecturers we are honoured to host in Tartu.
Advertisement
Event venue
Jakobi 2, Tartu, 51014 Tartu Maakond, Eesti, Estonia
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.