Wisconsin Summer Philosophy Seminar
Bayesian Boot Camp
June 16-27, 2025
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UW-Madison campus, by Lake Mendota
The Idea
Bayesianism—using real numbers obeying probability mathematics to represent agents' levels of confidence—grows ever more central to many areas of philosophy (not just epistemology, decision theory, and philosophy of science, but also ethics, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, etc.). Unfortunately, many philosophers are unable to engage with conversations involving Bayesianism because they either missed an opportunity to learn its fundamentals during their training, or never had that opportunity at all.
We will gather a group of philosophers in beautiful Madison, Wisconsin for two weeks during the summer for an intensive course in Bayesianism, designed to equip participants to teach and engage with research in the area. The schedule will be organized around Michael Titelbaum's text Fundamentals of Bayesian Epistemology, but there will be many additional readings, all of which will be discussed seminar-style among the participants and with occasional guest presenters.
The seminar is open to a variety of teachers and researchers: faculty, graduate students, and postdocs. We are not just interested in participants from top research programs; one of our explicit goals is to provide Bayesian training to philosophers who otherwise wouldn't have access to it. No previous knowledge of Bayesianism is required or expected—that's the point!—nor any advanced mathematics beyond high school algebra. (Participants should know elementary formal logic, sentential and predicative.)
This is a great opportunity to meet new people with shared interests, and learn Bayesianism together in a fun and interactive way!
The organizers
Michael Titelbaum
Michael Titelbaum
Professor, UW-Madison
Shimin Zhao
Shimin Zhao
Doctoral student, UW-Madison
Practical information
The seminar will be held on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison from June 16 through June 27, 2025. Participants should plan to arrive on the 15th and depart on the 28th. Thanks to generous funding from the UW Department of Philosophy and College of Letters & Science, there is no cost for participation, but participants will need to cover travel, food, and accommodations (with some suggestions from the organizers). A limited amount of financial support will be available to subsidize travel and lodging costs for participants without sufficient professional funds (exact amounts to be determined).
How to apply
See the specific information under the "Apply" tab above. The application deadline is March 1, 2025; we will try to notify participants of acceptance and available financial support by the beginning of April.
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