[PhilPhys] March Programs at The Center for Philosophy of Science

[Center for Phil Sci]

The Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh
invites you to join us for our March lectures. All lectures will be live
streamed on YouTube at
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg.

If you would like information about applying to be a 2026 - 2027 Fellow at
The Center for Philosophy of Science, please visit the websites listed at
the bottom of this email.

*Lunch Time Talk -  Aliya Rumana*
*Tuesday, March 11th @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EDT*

In person at 1117 Cathedral of Learning (11th Floor)  or to follow along
via Zoom: *https://pitt.zoom.us/j/96457118345
<https://pitt.zoom.us/j/96457118345>*

Title: A deflationary account of DCNN-based models in visual neuroscience
Abstract: Deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) have achieved
extraordinary accuracy at predicting electrophysiological data in the
ventral visual stream (VVS). What explains these predictive successes?
According to Cao & Yamins (2024), these models are so predictively
successful because (a) they near-optimally perform the same tasks as the
VVS (e.g., image classification) and (b) they perform these tasks in the
same kind of way due to their shared mechanistic structure. For the latter
reason, DCNNs are often touted as mechanistic models of the VVS. In this
presentation, I’ll argue that a weaker version of the first reason is
sufficient: these models are so predictively successful just because they
near-optimally perform proper parts (approximately half) of the tasks that
the VVS performs—not because they share any mechanistic structure. Any
structural similarities between DCNNs and the VVS is incidental to their
predictive success, so I conclude that DCNNs do not provide plausible
mechanistic models of the VVS.


*Featured Former Fellow - Vera Matarese*
*Tuesday, March 18th @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EDT*
*ONLINE ONLY  **https://pitt.zoom.us/j/92701773861
<https://pitt.zoom.us/j/92701773861>*

*Title: The Epistemic Saliency of Exoplanet Atmosphere Retrieval Models*
*Abstract: *Retrieval models are crucial in exoplanetary science, given the
severe observational limitations inherent in the field. They are
particularly indispensable for reconstructing the atmospheric conditions of
exoplanets. But a pressing question remains: do they provide some form of
epistemic evidence, or are they merely heuristic tools with a tenuous
epistemic status? To assess this, I will analyze their hybrid nature, the
kind of scientific reasoning they incorporate, and their representational
function.
*This is an online only event.  Watch live using this **Zoom Link:  *
*https://pitt.zoom.us/j/92701773861
<https://pitt.zoom.us/j/92701773861>*


Annual Lecture Series - *Samir Okasha*
*Friday, March 21st @ 3:30 pm - 6:00 pm EDT*
In person in room 1008 (10th floor) Cathedral Learning  or join online at:
 Zoom: https://pitt.zoom.us/j/91859551683
*Title:  The “Philosophy of Fitness” revisited*
*Abstract:*  The "philosophy of fitness'' was a disparaging name given to
the philosophy of biology in the 1970s by critics who felt that
practitioners of this emerging sub-discipline spent too much time analyzing
the concept of fitness, to the exclusion of other topics. Despite the
critics, the philosophical discussion of fitness has burgeoned since then.
Oddly, though, this discussion makes little contact with the technical
literature on fitness in evolutionary theory itself, where there are
ongoing disagreements over what the "right" definition of fitness and / or
the "right" mathematical measure of fitness is, in different contexts, and
why. The existence of parallel literatures on a single topic is not
uncommon in philosophy of science but is rarely ideal. Better integration
is needed.
This talk is part of a broader project that re-visits the concept of
fitness, tries to make sense of the controversies surrounding it, and to
integrate the philosophical and biological discussions. The basic idea is
to regard "fitness" as a theoretical term in science, and then to use the
Ramsey-Carnap-Lewis technique to define it via its theoretical role.
However, the situation is complicated by the fact that there is arguably
more than one "fitness role". Moreover, in any particular evolutionary
model, a given quantity, definable from the model parameters, may realize
one of these fitness roles but not others. Taken together, this explains
why the fitness concept has caused so much confusion, why the term
"fitness" is polysemic in evolutionary biology, and why theorists can
disagree about the "right" fitness measure despite the underlying science
not being in dispute.

*Lunch Time Talk - Andrea Roselli*
*Tuesday, March 25 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EDT*

 In person at 1117 Cathedral of Learning (11th Floor)  or join online
at : *https://pitt.zoom.us/j/93693674422
<https://pitt.zoom.us/j/93693674422>*

*Title: Emergent beasts and where to find them*
*Abstract: *Emergents are elusive beasts. The hunt has been going on for
years, but despite the many ingenious tactics employed, they keep slipping
through our metaphysical nets. In this paper, I propose a way to finally
catch them. My strategy is the following: first, unlike many dualist
frameworks that distinguish weak from strong emergence, I contend that
either emergence entails ontological novelty or it is not emergence at all
– understanding emergence requires us to reconsider how new properties,
behaviors, and laws manifest without being reducible to pre-existing
elements; then, I will propose a thought experiment based on Conway’s game
of life to get an immediate intuitive grasp of the emergent beasts we are
after; finally, I will explore various metaphysical implications of such
emergent properties, the relationship between emergence and causation, and
the broader ramifications for fields such as physics, biology, and
cognitive science. Through this exploration, I aim to clarify the criteria
necessary for identifying true emergent phenomena and provide a robust
framework for understanding their place in the ontological structure of the
universe.


*Lunch Time Talk - Mahdi Khalili*
*Friday, March 28 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EDT*
In person at 1117 Cathedral of Learning (11th Floor)
or to follow along via Zoom, use this link: *https://pitt.zoom.us/j/97141615142
<https://pitt.zoom.us/j/97141615142>*

*Title: Ramsey Meets Ptolemy: Perspectivism about Theory Change*
*Abstract:* A Ramsey-sentence is defined as an existential sentence that is
equivalent to a scientific theory. In this talk, I use the Ramsey-sentence
approach to argue that past theories can contain truthful content. I begin
by reviewing its applications in the work of structural realists and David
Papineau before outlining my own use of the approach. I then apply it to
explain the success of the Ptolemaic model in predicting the positions of
the outer planets. Finally, I draw lessons about theory change in the
history of science, offering a perspectivist interpretation.ent phenomena
and provide a robust framework for understanding their place in the
ontological structure of the universe.

*Information about 2026 - 2027 Fellowships*
 If you would like information about our Fellowships please visit our
websites. Applications will open late Fall.

*Postdoctoral Fellowships: *
https://www.centerphilsci.pitt.edu/programs/postdoc-fellowships/program-overview/

*Visiting Fellows Program:*
https://www.centerphilsci.pitt.edu/programs/visiting-fellows/program-overview/

The 2026 - 2027 Fellows will join *Senior Visiting Fellow, **Nick Huggett* -
*Huggett, Nick | Philosophy | University of Illinois Chicago
<https://phil.uic.edu/profiles/huggett-nick/>*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listbox.elte.hu/pipermail/philphys/attachments/20250306/95538f7a/attachment-0001.html>