The Jowett Society

Abstract: Imagine two worlds. In one, causal relations and mechanisms hold reliably across many cases; laws are unchanging. In the second world, by contrast, these things are fragile, holding only unreliably: just because one thing causes another over there doesn’t mean that it causes it over here. Much of our world is like the second world. This has many consequences for science. I will discuss some of them, focusing on data science and prediction, and in turn on fears of AI takeover and even human extinction.

Please note: The seminar runs from 15:00 to 17:00, drinks are held in the Faculty Hub afterwards.

Registration: If you do not hold a university card, please contact the seminar convenor or admin@philosophy.ox.ac.uk at least two working days before a seminar to register your attendance.

_{Jowett Society Organising Committee: Joshua Loo, Zachary Lang, Xavier Morales Zayas and Sepehr Razavi | Jowett Society Website}