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I'm a postdoctoral research fellow in the Mind, Language & Action Group (MLAG) of the Instituto de Filosofia, Universidade do Porto.
I've held visiting fellowships at the Tilburg Center for Moral Psychology, Epistemology and Philosophy of Science (TiLPS) (Tilburg University) and at the Center for Research in Experimental and Applied Epistemology (CRESA) (Vita Salute San Raffaele University).
I've taught courses at universities across Europe and the US, including Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Leiden University, University of Groningen, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rutgers State University, and San Jose State University.
I completed my PhD at the Erasmus Institute for Philosophy and Economics (EIPE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
You can contact me at: james [dot] grayot [at] gmail [dot] com
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
Philosophy of economics and behavioral science. I investigate the epistemic aims and explanatory power of decision models in behavioral economics, experimental psychology, and neuroeconomics. Among other things, my aim is to clarify how psychological theories and neuroscientific evidence interact in the study of rational agency.
Philosophy of mind and cognitive science. I investigate whether and how theories of E-cognition (especially embodied and extended cognition) can explain ‘higher’ cognitive activities, like strategic reasoning, decision-making, and problem solving. My aim is to develop an explanatory framework that can synthesize non-representational accounts of cognition with traditional computational and representational models of the mind.
Click here to read an interview about my research in the Erasmus Magazine.
PUBLICATIONS
PUBLICATIONS
2025
"Representation hunger: Reformulating the 'Problem Domain' of Truly Complex Cognition". Mind & Language. (Forthcoming)
"Mindshaping and the Embodiment of Rationality" (w/ Enrico Petracca). The Routledge Handbook of Mindshaping, edited by Tadeusz Zawidzki. (Forthcoming)
2024
Dual Process Theory and the Challenges of Functional Individuation (w/ Lukas Beck and Thijs Heijmeskamp). Phenomenology & Cognitive Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11097-024-10000-3
2023
The Vices and Virtues of Instrumentalized Knowledge (w/ Job Seigmann). Philosophies, 8(5), 84 (2023). https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies8050084
How Can Embodied Cognition Naturalize Bounded Rationality? (w/ Enrico Petracca). Synthese 201, 115 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-023-04124-3
2022
Taming Uncertainty: Review of Hertwig, Pleskac, and Pachur (2019). Erasmus Journal for Philosophy & Economics. 15, 2. 2022. https://doi.org/10.23941/ejpe.v15i2.703
From Philosophy to Anesthesiology and Back: An Interdisciplinary Reflection on the Neural Correlates of State Consciousness (w/ Hjalmar Hansen). Biology & Philosophy 37, 3. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-021-09832-z
2021
Economic Agency and the Subpersonal Turn in Economics. In The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Economics, pp. 83-95. 2021. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315739793
New Functionalism and the Social and Behavioral Sciences (w/ Lukas Beck). European Journal for Philosophy of Science. 11, 103. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13194-021-00420-2
2020
Dual Process Theories in Behavioral Economics and Neuroeconomics: a Critical Review. Review of Philosophy and Psychology. 11, 105–136, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13164-019-00446-9
Individuation, Process, and Scientific Practices: Review of Bueno, Chen, and Fagan (2018). Metapsychology Online. 2020. http://metapsychology.net/index.php/book-review/individuation-process-and-scientific-practices/
2019
Self-Control, Decision Theory, and Rationality: Review of JL Bermúdez (2018). Journal of Economic Methodology. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350178X.2020.1729531
From Selves to Systems: On the Intrapersonal and Intraneural Dynamics of Decision Making. Journal of Economic Methodology, 1-20, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350178X.2019.1625213
Agency & Choice: On the Cognitive and Conceptual Foundations of Agency in Economics and Behavioral Decision Research. PhD thesis. Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/1765/114982. To read a summary, click here.
2017
The Quasi-economic Agency of Human Selves. Œconomia. History, Methodology, Philosophy, (7-4), 481-511, 2017. https://journals.openedition.org/oeconomia/2790
2016
Neural Networks, Real Patterns, and the Mathematics of Constrained Optimization: An Interview with Don Ross. Erasmus Journal for Philosophy and Economics, 9(1), pp.142-155. 2016. https://doi.org/10.23941/ejpe.v9i1.224
PAPERS IN PROGRESS
PAPERS IN PROGRESS
"Why Be a Frame-Sensitive Reasoner? On the Rational Requirements of Ultraintensionality"
"Reification and the Incongruous Demands of Scientific Representation" (w/ Lukas Beck)
"Why Economic Agency Entails Embodied and Extended Cognition" (w/ Don Ross) (SI article - Frontiers in Psychology)
"How do Embodied and Extended Minds Internalize Content?"
“Two Problems With the Mentalism-Behaviorism Dichotomy in Economics” (completed)
SELECTED TALKS
SELECTED TALKS
2024
"Why Be a Frame-Sensitive Reasoner?" Mind, Language and Action Group (MLAG) Seminar Series 2024/2025. Institute of Philosophy, University of Porto (October 2; post-recording November 5).
2023
"Why Be a Frame-Sensitive Reasoner?" How Should we Reason? Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives. Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy, LMU Munich (October 16).
"How does the Embodied and Extended Mind Internalize Content?" Symposium topic: "Reconsidering the Role of Philosophy in Cognitive Science". 6th Annual Panhellenic Conference on Cognitive Science: Xylokastro, Greece (September 20-24). * Symposium co-organizer: talk not attended due to illness.
"Reification and it's Descriptive-Normative Entanglement". European Philosophy of Science Association (EPSA): Belgrade, Serbia (September 20-23). * Paper accepted: talk not attended due to illness.
2021
"On the Supposed Explanatory Power of Dual Process Theory" (w/ Lukas Beck and Thijs Heijmeskamp). Annual Conference for the Nederlandse Onderzoeksschool Wijsbegeerte (OZSW): Tilburg University (December 4).
"Practical Skepticism About Mental Representation in the Decision Sciences." Center for Research in Experimental and Applied Epistemology (CRESA) (May 5).
“Why Cognition Matters for Contemporary Decision Research.” Applied Cognitive Psychology: From lab to the field: Panteion (Athens) University of Social and Political Sciences (April 13).
“New Functionalism and the Social and Behavioral Sciences” (with Lukas Beck). ANPOSS/ENPOSS/ POSS-RT 2021: University of Tokyo (March 7).
2019
“Strategic Reasoning, Decision Making, and the Anti-Representationalist Agenda: Methodological Considerations for Scaling-Up E-Cognition.” Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science (Dec 10).
“Imagination and the Anti-representationalist Agenda.” Pretend play and E-cognition: University of Antwerp, Center for Philosophical Psychology (Sept 19-21).
“Improving Decision Models: Enlightened Bayesianism meets Computational Cognition.” Economic Behaviors: Models, Measurements, and Policies: Como School for Advanced Studies (June 30-July 5).
“Enlightened Bayesianism meets Computational Cognition.” From Brain to Behavior - Neuroscience and the Social Sciences: IMT Lucca School for Advanced Study (May 22-24).
2017
“From Selves to Systems: on the Refinement and Integration of Dualistic Models of Rational Choice.” Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Behavioral Economics Workshop: University of Helsinki (May 22-23).
“Cognitivism in Behavioral Decision Research: on the Computational Basis of Cognition.” 5th Annual Nordic Network for Philosophy of Science: University of Copenhagen (Apr 20-21).
2016
“The Quasi-Economic Agency of Human Selves.” Graduate Conference in Philosophy of Science: University of Antwerp (Sept 14).
“Folk Psychology and the Human Socio-Cognitive Syndrome”. 2nd Conference for the Intl. Association for Cognitive Semiotics: Maria Curie-Sklodowska University (June 20-22).
2015
“What Are We Really Talking About When We Talk About Folk Psychology?” Annual Conference for the Nederlandse Onderzoeksschool Wijsbegeerte (OZSW): Vrije University Amsterdam (Dec 12).
“Minded Agents, Economic Agents, and Ordinary Folk”. Conference 12th Intl. Network for Economic Method: University of Cape Town (Nov 18-23)
TEACHING
TEACHING
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | lecturer | 2018 - 2022
Courses completed:
Epistemology [two terms]
Philosophy of Social Science [two terms]
PPE in Practice (PiP 2)
Guest lectures:
"Time Discounting"
"Ethical Aspects of Climate Science" (in PiP 2).
Leiden University | lecturer | 2021
Current courses:
Science Methodology
University of Groningen | lecturer | 2019 – 2020
Courses completed:
Philosophy of Mind
Philosophy of Cognitive Science
Scientific Knowledge: Theory into Praxis
Philosophy of Science (Honours College) [two terms]
Rutgers State University | lecturer | 2017 - 2020
Courses completed:
Introduction to Formal Reasoning and Decision-Making (online) [six terms complete]
Erasmus University Rotterdam | guest lecturer | 2018
Guest lectures:
“Values in Science” (Philosophy of Science 2)
“Theory” (Philosophy of Science 1)
"Models" (Philosophy of Science 1)
University docent:
Curriculum development of “Philosophy of Science 3”
Erasmus University Rotterdam | tutorial instructor | 2015 – 2018
Tutorials:
Philosophy of Economics [14 tutorials]
San Jose State University | lecturer | 2011
Courses completed:
Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking [two terms]
ACADEMIC SERVICES
ACADEMIC SERVICES
Academic Refereeing
Psychological Review
Journal of Economic Methodology
Journal of Value Inquiry
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Diametros
Erasmus Journal of Philosophy & Economics
Book Review Editor | 2022 - present
Journal of Economic Methodology
Copy Editor / English Proofreader | 2013 - present
Erasmus Journal of Philosophy & Economics. Over 100 articles copy-edited.
PhD Council representative | Erasmus University Rotterdam | 2016 – 2017
Representative for the Erasmus Graduate School of Social Sciences and Humanities (EGS3H).
EIPE Research Assistant | Erasmus University Rotterdam | 2013 – 2014
Assistant for Dr. Conrad Heilmann, co-director of Erasmus Institute for Philosophy & Economics.
EIPE Student Representative | Erasmus University Rotterdam | 2013 – 2014
Organizer and liaison for research master student affairs within the department of theoretical philosophy.
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