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Zoe Drayson

@zoedrayson.bsky.social

2.2K followers 300 following 430 posts

Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of Cognitive Science at UC Davis. Philosophical Shark Jumper ®️ 🦈

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Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 13h

Absolute banger

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 1d

I asked AI about Saul Kripke's take on the "would you still love me if I was a worm?" thing

Applying Kripke's logic to the worm question
From a Kripkean perspective, the prompt presents a scenario that is not a possible world for the original person. The "you" who is a worm is a fundamentally different being, and not a possible version of the "you" who is human. This is known as the "Humphrey objection," named for an example Kripke used to illustrate the philosophical problem of identifying an individual across possible worlds.
Instead of a partner loving a human-turned-worm, Kripke's philosophy suggests we are imagining two separate beings in two different possible worlds:
The actual world: A person you love.
Another possible world: A worm with the characteristics you asked about.
Kripke would say that the question "Would you still love me if I was a worm?" fails because the premise is impossible. It is not a test of unconditional love, but rather a category error. A worm could not be you, so your partner could not love you as a worm.

Kripke's likely position
While Kripke didn't discuss the metaphysics of romantic love, his work on personal identity and essentialism provides strong clues to his likely position. He argued that we can stipulate what we are talking about in a counterfactual world. If your beloved says, "I would still love you if you were a worm," they are stipulating that their love follows you through any changes. They are not talking about some other, worm-like individual.
Therefore, the Kripkean approach would likely validate the enduring nature of love, so long as the speaker's intention is to refer to the same rigid designator ("you"). Love, in this metaphysical analysis, would track the identity of the person, not their contingent biological features. The statement "Kripke loves you" would be necessarily true, because "Kripke" and "you" would both be rigid designators referring to the same two individuals in any possible world, regardless of whether one of them happens to be a worm.

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 2d

Congratulations!

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 4d

I read this as Pigeon Street Detectives and thought you meant these guys

Mr Baskerville and Mr Jupiter from 1980s BBC children’s animation Pigeon Street

Reposted by Zoe Drayson

Frances Egan @francesegan.bsky.social · 7d

Shamelessly promoting my favorite paper. Everybody who was anybody in the history of science/philosophy/mathematics had a view on the moon illusion. frances-egan.org/uploads/3/5/...

frances-egan.org

Reposted by Zoe Drayson

Ian Phillips @ianbphillips.bsky.social · 9d

Got the feet to fill Dennett's shoes? New junior position in Philosophy of Mind/Cog Sci at Tufts. philjobs.org/job/show/29606

Assistant Professor Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Cognitive Science (tenure-track), Tufts University: School of Arts & Sciences - PhilJobs:JFP Assistant Professor Philosophy of Mind, Philosoph...

An international database of jobs for philosophers

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 16d

This one's for you @aidanmcglynn.bsky.social

Some AI generated nonsense about Lunchables and epistemic injustice

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 16d

It is vital that your teeth are beach-ready, Frankie! 😊

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 17d

😂

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 17d

"In this context, "realism" refers to a practical or realistic approach to surgery, not a philosophical doctrine" 🥲

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 17d

There's more

Screenshot of a research article published in 1953 titled "Realism in the Surgery of the Tonsils and Adenoids"

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 17d

Ah yes, the medieval puzzle of Socrates' fingernail...

The fingernail in ontology
Ontology is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of being, and the fingernail's existence raises questions about what constitutes a discrete "part" of a human being.
A "thing" versus a "process": Philosopher Thomas Nail argues that nothing is a static "thing," but rather a dynamic process in constant motion. A fingernail embodies this idea perfectly; it is not a static object but a continuous flow of keratinized skin cells produced by the nail matrix. The very moment we identify it as a "thing," it is already in the process of growing, shedding, and changing.
The puzzle of detached parts: The fingernail's ontology becomes complicated once it is clipped. Is a discarded fingernail still "Socrates's fingernail," as medieval mereology might question, or does it lose its identity once it's separated from the whole person?. The fact that it is dead, and no longer part of the living being, suggests its status changes significantly upon detachment.

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 17d

I feel like there was scope to do more with the ALT text on that one 😉

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 17d

😂

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 17d

Now you've got me going down this rabbit hole. juniperpublishers.com/adoh/ADOH.MS...

Tooth Embedded in the Upper Lip for 25 Years following Facial Trauma: A Case Report with Literature Review

juniperpublishers.com

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 17d

"I refute it thus!" *chomp*

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 17d

"a dentist's duty to a "real" tooth might be viewed differently than a duty to a "perceived" tooth" 🦷 💭

Philosophical implications:
Ontology (the study of being):
"Dental realism" explores whether teeth are "things-in-themselves" (Kant's concept) or simply phenomena within our experience.
Epistemology (the study of knowledge):
The debate questions how we know about teeth and how our knowledge relates to their reality. If teeth are objective, we discover them; if they are ideal, we create them through perception.
Ethics:
The philosophical status of teeth affects ethical discussions surrounding dental procedures. For example, a dentist's duty to a "real" tooth might be viewed differently than a duty to a "perceived" tooth.

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 17d

When a typo in your Google search leads to new and exciting philosophical positions

AI Overview: "Dental realism"refers to the philosophical debate about whether teeth exist independently of human perception, a concept rooted in metaphysical realism. While realism asserts an objective reality for teeth, idealist philosophies contend that teeth's existence is tied to our consciousness and perception. Philosophers use this idea, for example, to discuss the ethics of tooth extraction, examining whether a procedure impacts a real entity or merely a subjective experience.

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 20d

In my mid 20s I was all embodied-and-extended, practically enactivist-leaning - I didn't solidify until I was around 30.

Neil Levy @neillevy.bsky.social · 20d

In my mid 20s, I was working on Foucault and Heidegger and accepted a strong social constructionism of scientific facts. I have a terrible memory: protects me from ever solidifying.

Reposted by Zoe Drayson

Ordinary Notes @hystericalblkns.bsky.social · 22d

If you’re on academia dot edu, let me suggest that you strongly consider deleting your account.

The new TOC from academia dot edu.

By creating an Account with Academia.edu, you grant us a worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, transferable license, permission, and consent for Academia.edu to use your Member Content and your personal information (including, but not limited to, your name, voice, signature, photograph, likeness, city, institutional affiliations, citations, mentions, publications, and areas of interest) in any manner, including for the purpose of advertising, selling, or soliciting the use or purchase of Academia.edu's Services.

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 24d

Yep.

Cailin O’Connor @cailinmeister.bsky.social · 24d

In tenure letters the last few years I've been forcibly struck by how much service the women I'm reviewing are doing compared to the men. (Actual evidence backs this anecdote up - see below.) link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Faculty Service Loads and Gender: Are Women Taking Care of the Academic Family? - Research in Higher Education

This paper investigates the amount of academic service performed by female versus male faculty. We use 2014 data from a large national survey of faculty at more than 140 institutions as well as 2012 d...

link.springer.com

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 25d

Feel free to correct my arithmetic, but I make that only 361 possibilities

Ad for shoes which come in 19 different colored pairs, claiming that the 19 colors lead to infinite possibilities.

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 25d

Apparently "adicity" uses the Greek root and "arity" uses the Latin one. That's all!

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 25d

I am respecting the personal time of my colleagues by not texting them work questions on a Sunday. But heads up, @rohanfrench.bsky.social, I'll be asking you about the difference between arity and adicity sometime this week 😁

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 28d

And you know it could have easily been So Much Worse