Postgraduate "Work In Progress" Seminar
Postgraduate Work-In-Progress SeminarA weekly seminar for Philosophy postgraduates to present their in-progress work, followed by a well-spirited trip to the pub. OverviewThe WIP provides a risk-free and supportive space for postgraduates to present their work and receive feedback from other graduates and faculty.
Attendance optional but highly recommended. All postgraduates are welcome to present or attend -- whether MA, MPhil, PhD, Visitors, etc. Useful InfoThe WIP is a unique opportunity for graduates to develop their presenting and writing skills, take risks, test out ideas, and receive constructive feedback from peers.
Presentations need not be watertight or polished pieces at all. You are encouraged to present work at all stages of the writing process. "Should I present?"1. If you are a postgraduate, then you should present. 2. You are a postgraduate. 3. Therefore, you should present. |
NEXT TALKOscar Jenkinson (MA) Kant/Hegel Wednesday 01/07/2026 5pm - 6:15pm S0.08 ORGANISERS |
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PG Work in Progress Seminar
Speaker: Toby Tricks (MPhil)
Title: Modelling the Mind: A Fictionalist Reading of Nietzsche鈥檚 Drive Psychology
Abstract:
Nietzche鈥檚 account of the drives is increasingly being recognised as central to his philosophical psychology; it is a problem, then, that it appears confused. A particularly prominent issue concerns Nietzsche鈥檚 characterisation of how the drives interact with one another: he often uses agential language which many take to commit him to the homunculus fallacy. I argue that this view is mistaken, because Nietzsche鈥檚 agential characterisations of the drives are fictions: as they aren鈥檛 meant to be true, he is able to sidestep fallacious homuncularism. We might worry that if many of the claims in Nietzsche鈥檚 drive psychology are fictional, then it can鈥檛 teach us much. That need not be the case, however: drawing on Catherine Elgin鈥檚 work in the epistemology of science, I argue that despite being fictional, Nietzsche鈥檚 account of the drives can still provide epistemic value and facilitate genuine cognitive achievement, in just the same way that scientific models do despite being idealised and distorted representations of reality. Acknowledging the fictional nature of much of Nietzsche鈥檚 drive talk I鈥檒l further argue has an added bonus: it allows us to more fully appreciate the subtlety and power of his account of human psychology.