Machine Logos: Persons, Language, and AI

March 19, 2026 - March 21, 2026
Department of Philosophy, Boston College

Chestnut Hill
United States

View the Call For Papers

Speakers:

University of Virginia
Loyola University, Chicago
Fordham University
Universidade Católica Portuguesa
University of California, Berkeley

Organisers:

Boston College

Talks at this conference

Add a talk

Details

Humans possess a capacity for what the ancient Greeks called logos — speech, language, rationality. In the words of the philosopher Charles Taylor, we are “the language animal.” Recent advances in AI invite us to consider anew the nature and significance of our human form of logos, and to ask whether and how such a capacity might be instantiated in a machine. Contemporary large language models (LLMs) are amazingly adept with language. How should we think about what these systems are doing with words? Do they possess genuine understanding of themselves or the world? What do they reveal to us about our own abilities for speech and thought? What do they suggest about the connections between life, agency, embodiment, and language? Can we envision machines with their own form of logos? What would those machines be like in their constitution and mode of functioning?

Supporting material

Add supporting material (slides, programs, etc.)

Reminders

Registration

No

Who is attending?

3 people are attending:

(unaffiliated)
(unaffiliated)
and 1 more.

See all

Will you attend this event?


Let us know so we can notify you of any change of plan.