Talk: The Instrumental Relation, by John Maier (14 Feb 2011)

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Philosophy Seminar Series: 14 February 2011, 2-3:45pm, Philosophy Resource Room; Speaker: John Maier, Postdoctoral Fellow, RSSS Philosophy Program, Australia National University; Moderator: Dr. Neil Sinhababu

Abstract: Rationality enjoins us to take the means to our intended ends. A number of philosophers have asked why, and in what sense, this is so. I discuss a seemingly more fundamental question: what is it for a given action to be a means to a given end? I argue against several natural answers to this question, and propose a different answer. I close by considering what bearing the answer to this formal question has on substantive issues about instrumental rationality.

jmaierAbout the speaker: John Maier is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the RSSS Philosophy Program. He received his Ph.D from Princeton in 2008. In 2008-2009, he was a Visiting Instructor at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He works mainly in metaphysics, epistemology, and the philosophy of mind and action.

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More information on the Philosophy Seminar Series can be found here. A list of past talks in the series can be found here.

John Maier is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the RSSS Philosophy Program. He received his Ph.D from Princeton in 2008. In 2008-2009, he was a Visiting Instructor at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He works mainly in metaphysics, epistemology, and the philosophy of mind and action.

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