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 you present?Are you a postgraduate? Then yes, you should present. |
NEXT TALKBen Long (PhD) Scepticism Thursday 04/06/2026 5pm - 6:15pm S1.50 ORGANISERS |
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Knowledge and Understanding Seminar
Speaker: Anil Gomes (Oxford)
Title: Lichtenberg's Puzzle
"Sometime in 1793 or 1794, the German philosopher, physicist, and aphorist George Christoph Lichtenberg writes in his notebook: 鈥極ne should say it is thinking, just as one says, it is lightning. To say cogito is already too much as soon as one translates it as I am thinking. To assume the I, to postulate it, is a practical requirement鈥� (my translation). Lichtenberg鈥檚 claim was influential on a range of philosophers, including Ernst Mach, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and Wittgenstein. But – I鈥檒l suggest – the problem which he is pressing has been misunderstood. I鈥檒l try and set out the nature of the puzzle and explain why it has force. It will raise a set of questions about the kind of agency involved in conscious thought."