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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261105
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261107
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SUMMARY:Biological Naturalism about Consciousness
DESCRIPTION:Please join us for the “Biological Naturalism about Consciousness\,” a conference at UCLA from Thursday-Friday\, November 5-6\, 2026 in Royce Hall 306. \n  \nRSVP HERE\n  \nAbout the conference\nCan non-biological systems be conscious? If not\, why not? These questions have taken on new weight as AI systems become increasingly sophisticated\, not least because our answers bear on which entities might matter morally. \n  \nThis conference focuses on biological naturalism: the family of views holding that certain biological properties are required for consciousness. Biological naturalism is often positioned as the principal alternative to functionalism. But compared to its rival\, biological naturalism remains underdeveloped as a positive research program—its central commitments are still being clarified\, its empirical predictions are still being articulated\, and the range of strategies for defending it are only now being explored systematically. (For discussion\, see this survey.) \n  \nOur aim is to bring together researchers who want to make progress toward developing a positive version of biological naturalism. \n  \nSpeakers\n\nPeter Godfrey-Smith (University of Sydney)\nNed Block (NYU)\nRosa Cao (Stanford)\nJonathan Birch (LSE)\nMatthias Michel (MIT)\nChristian de Weerd (Cambridge)\nEric Schwitzgebel (UC Riverside) & Jeremy Pober (University of Antwerp)\nCarolyn Dicey Jennings (UC Merced)\nJake Spinella (UIC)\nDaria Zakharova (LSE)\nDerek Shiller (Eleos)\n\n  \nOrganizers: Josh Armstrong (UCLA)\, Hayley Clatterbuck (UCLA and Rethink Priorities)\, and Bob Fischer (Texas State University and Rethink Priorities) \n  \nWorkshop Program\n  \nThursday\, November 5\n9:00 – 10:00: Jonathan Birch\, “What can brain emulations tell us about consciousness?” \n10:15 – 11:15: Jeremy Pober and Eric Schwitzgebel\, “Substrate Flexibility\, Copernicanism\, and Biological Naturalism” \n11:30 – 12:30: Matthias Michel\, “A Bayesian Argument for Computational Functionalism” \n12:30 – 1:30: Lunch \n1:30 – 2:30: Ned Block\, “The Rise of the AI Zombies” \n2:45 – 3:45: Rosa Cao\, TBD \n4:00 – 5:00: Christian de Weerd\, “Does consciousness require biology? An explanationist perspective” \n  \nFriday\, November 6\n9:00 – 10:00: Daria Zakharova\, “The self-model function of biological agency” \n10:15 – 11:15: Peter Godfrey-Smith\, “Biological Naturalism and Biological Chauvinism” \n11:30 – 12:30: Derek Shiller\, “Word and (Biological) Consciousness” \n12:30 – 2:00: Lunch \n2:00 – 3:00: Carolyn Dicey Jennings\, “Relationalism as a Theory of Biological Consciousness” \n3:15 – 4:15: Jake Spinella\, “Grounding\, Functionalism\, and Biological Naturalism” \n  \nRSVP HERE\n  \n  \nJoin our mailing list!\nSign up for our mailing list to stay up-to-date with future UCLA Philosophy events\, conferences\, and colloquia! \nSIGN UP HERE
URL:https://philosophy.ucla.edu/event/biological-naturalism-about-consciousness/
LOCATION:Royce Hall – Room 306
CATEGORIES:Work Shops
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261108
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261110
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SUMMARY:Workshop: Critical Thinking in the Classroom
DESCRIPTION:November 8-9\, 2026\nUniversity Club\, Morrison Room\nRoyce Hall 314\nRSVP HERE\n  \nA free event exploring purposeful learning & teaching for the 21st century – an antidote to screen-fueled student disengagement \nView Full Details of the event \nRSVP HERE\n  \n\n  \nJoin our mailing list!\nSign up for our mailing list to stay up-to-date with future UCLA Philosophy events\, conferences\, and colloquia! \nSIGN UP HERE
URL:https://philosophy.ucla.edu/event/workshop-critical-thinking-in-the-classroom/
LOCATION:University Club\, Morrison Room & Royce Hall 314
CATEGORIES:Work Shops
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