Colloquium: Kenny Easwaran, Texas A&M University
Biography:
Kenny Easwaran is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Texas A&M University. He specializes in formal epistemology and decision theory, as well as philosophy of mathematics. Much of his work has focused on issues that arise out of the use of infinity in probability and decision theory. In recent years, he has also worked on issues in social epistemology, including the role of trust in mathematical reasoning, and the way probabilities and values can be combined in groups to guide collective decisions. He received his Ph.D. from the Group in Logic and the Methodology of Science at UC Berkeley in 2008, and taught for six years as Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California before moving to Texas A&M.
TWO DIMENSIONS OF GROUP AGENCY:
Abstract
There is a large literature on what it takes for behavior to count as intentional action. There is also a growing literature on what it takes for collective behavior to count as a group action. We aim to show that there are two dimensions on which collective agency can vary, and not just one. This will proceed by means of many examples illustrating the way these two dimensions can interact with one another. This talk is based on a paper co-authored with Reuben Stern (Leibniz Universität Hannover).