The Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh invites you to join us for our Lunch Time Talk. \;Attend in person or visit our live stream on YouTube at \;https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg.
\nLunch Time Talk &ndash\; \;Henry Schiller
\nNovember 3 @ 12:00 pm \;- \;1:30 pm \;EDT
\nTitle: \;How do Imperatives Motivate?
\nAbstract:
\n(Joint work with Shaun Nichols.) How do we form beliefs on the basis of assertions of declarative sentences? According to the Spinozan theory of belief\, belief formation is an automatic and involuntary process (Gilbert 1991\, Mandelbaum 2014): the uptake of a declarative utterance is a belief. In this talk I&rsquo\;ll defend a related view about how imperative sentences give rise to motivations: namely\, that it is possible to activate motivations with utterances of imperative sentences directly\, without updating on information that gets mediated through belief-desire reasoning. The uptake of imperatival utterances is motivation. I&rsquo\;ll discuss two general strategies for thinking about how imperatives might supply motivation &mdash\; one based on models of dissonance reduction and the other based on work on imperatival mental states &mdash\; and some specific implementations of each. I&rsquo\;ll conclude with a discussion of how evolutionary considerations might favor a Spinozan process of motivation from imperatives.
\nThis talk will also be available live streamed on YouTube at \;https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg.
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR