Sean Dorrance Kelly

I don't really understand the Youtube Algorithm, but it seems to be promoting a podcast interview I did last fall with Lex Fridman on Existentialism, Nihilism, and the Search for Meaning. It was a pretty fun and wide-ranging discussion. Take a look! youtube.com/watch?v=cC1Hsz…

@JDHamkins Got it. You were referring to a different pair of cases than I was. My takeaway from your analysis is that, although I’m not naturally inclined to constructivism, you have to admit that its denial of LEM makes it a tough position to refute.

Ah, I had meant the two cases to be: either (1) the reals have a well order, but we can't exhibit one explicitly; or (2) they do not, but in this case there must be an ordinal-definable real number, but we can't exhibit one explicitly. In both cases, we make an existential claim that can't be explicitly witnessed. But the constructivist simply denies the LEM and has no problem.

An argument against those who claim there is no well-order of the reals, on the grounds that we cannot exhibit one explicitly. (Attributed to Woodin by Karagila.) If there is no well order of the real numbers, then they cannot all be ordinal definable, since the OD reals have a clearly defined well order. So there must be reals that are not definable from ordinal parameters. But can the person exhibit a specific such real with a proof that it is not ordinal definable? No, because any specific real could be definable. So the opponent must admit that it is not a necessary requirement to exhibit specific instances for existential claims. But that was the ground of the original objection to well-orders for the reals. So their objection falls away.

@JDHamkins 1/ I might be misunderstanding your point. But I thought your comment about the “implicit LEM of having two cases” referred to the case where constructibility is required for existence and the case where it is not. Surely the constructivist, as such, must take a stand here.

@Sean_D_Kelly Can you explain a little more? I don't quite get it.

@JDHamkins Good point. But if they make that move, then it puts pressure on the primary constructivist commitment, doesn’t it? What’s left of constructivism if the truth of the claim that only constructible entities exist is consistent with its falsity?

@Sean_D_Kelly But of course, the true constructivists will simply double down and deny the implicit LEM of having the two cases.

Very excited for this new adventure! I hadn’t planned to say that the arts and humanities are “the soul of higher education” - I just heard it coming out of my mouth. And maybe there’s a better way to say it. But that seems like a decent start. news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/…

@jennfrey @Tyler_A_Harper @cwellmon Couldn’t agree more! This is, of course, consistent with the idea that it is not *all* of what philosophy should be. But I’m with you that we need to be doing this much more than we are.

@Sean_D_Kelly @Tyler_A_Harper @cwellmon But here's the thing: if philosophy can't come out of the tower, out of the paywalled journals where we leave the jargon and pedantry behind and show the people they need us, we are doomed in today's neoliberal academy.

Yes

@jennfrey @Tyler_A_Harper @cwellmon This looks like a super-interesting read - thanks for the suggestion!

@Sean_D_Kelly @Tyler_A_Harper I think @cwellmon's book Permanent Crisis is a really excellent history of the rise of the German research university and the ways "humanities" has been shaped by it. So much there to consider!

@jennfrey @Tyler_A_Harper 2/ …imagining what the arguments could be against it. I do get, of course, that as a matter of fact academia does not act in accordance with this middle way. And that’s seems wrong to me. But I’m wondering what the best arguments are for its being that way are, if any.

@jennfrey 1/ Genuine question: What’s the best thing to read on either side of the traditional scholarship vs. public humanities debate? The middle way suggested here by @Tyler_A_Harper - that there should be room for some of each - seems so obviously true to me that I’m having trouble…

Just arrived in beautiful Missoula, Montana, and am so excited to join Matt for this event tomorrow night! umt.campuslabs.com/engage/event/9…

@cc_leboeuf Woohoo!!!

Excited to have been recognized by the APA for my op-ed on #bodypositivity! 🎉

@timcrane102 So sorry for your loss, Tim. It seems from your description that he made the most of his time here, and offered much to those around him. A contribution we can all hope to emulate.

@JSEllenberg How about a rank-ordered list of all those cities by the number of countries X for which they appear on your original list? And is New York City at the top of this second list?

Is there a list which, for each country X, gives the city outside country X with the most residents born in country X? For how many X is the answer New York?

@zenahitz Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Being and Time! Wait. How long is your vacation, anyway?

Vacation plans: 1. mariachi 2. cookies 3. sleep 4. laundry 5. listening to the Pogues and crying 6. lots and lots of driving 7. carefully evade rabid wildlife 8. read Being and Time.

@kmiyahara2013 How fun - please say hello to Erik for me! I’ve enjoyed following the award-winning work that he and his brother are doing at the intersection of art, architecture, and philosophy. I love the idea of you and Erik knowing one another!

@Sean_D_Kelly Thank you Sean! -- I finally got to meet Erik Rietveld this week and we were talking about you!

Exciting news! Paper got accepted for presentation at the 5th Conference on Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence (PhAI 2023 pt-ai.org/2023)! Thrilled to share my research on discerning genuine and artificial agency in chatbots, and learn from fellow researchers' work!

@JulienNewman Fun to talk, Julien - thanks for your hospitality!

Fun conversation with @JulienNewman ...

I'm excited to cohost the @blitzscalingpod tomorrow. We'll discuss how an @nytimes piece I wrote on the gift of aliveness relates to @reidhoffman and @chrisyeh's book #blitzscaling Sign up here to ask questions on the livestream: youtube.com/watch?v=zHZmOI… nytimes.com/2017/12/25/opi…

@ManonGarciaFR Wouldn’t miss it!

@ManonGarciaFR Looking forward to your talk tomorrow! ethics.harvard.edu/event/ethics-y…