Y4: Language Models and Virtual Worlds

This is a seminar in the philosophy of technology, with special emphasis on questions and claims about the nature of virtual (computer generated) entities and the capacities of large language models. As the Course Guide indicates in more detail, discussions range from topics in metaphysics and epistemology to philosophy of mind and philosophy of language. Three recurring themes are the possibility of external-world knowledge, the nature of consciousness, and the nature of linguistic representation.

HANDOUTS

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ASSESSMENTS

Midterm

Final