PhD Position on the Logic and Philosophy of Informational Content

6 Apr 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Utrecht University

Research Field

Cultural studies

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Netherlands

Application Deadline

1 May 2024 - 21:59 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Not Applicable

Hours Per Week

40.0

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Are you interested in logical and philosophical questions about semantic content, relevance, and explanation? Check out this PhD position!

Your job
In this project, you will formally investigate the notion of informational content – a notion that is sometimes identified with meaning or cognitive significance. Content is what sentences communicate, what agents believe, and what norms express. This notion can also be useful for analysing relevance logics, which require a ‘content connection’ between the antecedents and consequents of valid conditionals. Because content plays a central role in belief, relevance, and explanation, a correct understanding of this notion is vitally important for theorising about agency.

Institutional assumptions about agency are often idealised and unrealistic, leading to bad predictions about how people form beliefs, draw inferences, and choose to act in different situations. Part of the problem is that standard (e.g. possible worlds) models of content do not provide a sufficient level of fine-grainedness. Recent years have seen an explosion of philosophical research on the notion of informational content (e.g. Berto, Fine, Yablo). This research project will explore various ways in which models of content can be modified and how they impact our theories of belief, relevance, and explanation.

You will investigate formal models of informational content, with the aim of addressing research questions such as the following:

• How can the notion of content be used in a logical analysis of relevance that sharply distinguishes two aspects of valid implication: truth preservation and relevance?
• What notion of content is most suitable to analyzing cognitive attitudes such as belief and reasoning in real-world scenarios?
• How can a fine-grained notion of content bear on counterfactual or conditional explanations? Can this benefit the field of explainable artificial intelligence (XAI)?

In this project, you will:

• use a combination of formal and informal philosophical methods to address research questions about the philosophy and logic of informational content;
• assess various analyses of content and its applications to belief and reasoning, especially to notions of relevance and knowledge;
• present your findings at international conferences and network with other scholars;
• help organise a conference in Utrecht on the project themes.

Requirements
Specific Requirements

• You have a (research) Master’s degree with a strong background in philosophy and logic.
• You have a clear understanding of the fundamentals of modal logic.
• You are enthusiastic about disseminating your research through publications and conference and workshop presentations.
• You have excellent writing skills.
• You have the ability to communicate clearly.
• You are prepared to work in a collaborative research environment.

Additional Information
Benefits

We offer:

• a position for 18 months, in case of good performance and a positive evaluation, the contract will be extended for the remaining period of 30 months (48 months in total);
• a working week of 38 hours and a gross monthly salary between €2,770 and €3,539 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU);
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development , leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities , as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University .

Selection process

As Utrecht University, we want to be a home for everyone. We value staff with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and identities, including cultural, religious or ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment in which everyone can flourish and contribute.

We invite you to submit your application using the 'apply now' button. Your application should include:

• your curriculum vitae;
• your motivation letter;
• the contact information for two academic referees;
• a writing sample (max 10.000 words, upload under the section "Master's thesis").

The position is expected to start on 1 October 2024.

Additional comments

For more information, please contact Colin Caret at [email protected] .

Candidates for this vacancy will be recruited by Utrecht University.

Website for additional job details

https://www.academictransfer.com/339896/

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Universiteit Utrecht

Country

Netherlands

City

Utrecht

Postal Code

3512BL

Street

Janskerkhof 13

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.academictransfer.com/en/339896/phd-position-on-the-logic-and-philos…

Contact

City

Utrecht

Website

http://www.uu.nl/

Street

Domplein 29

Postal Code

3512 JE

STATUS: EXPIRED