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Michael Dickson

Professor of Philosophy, University of South Carolina
For a couple of decades, I worked in philosophy of physics, especially quantum theory. After a (too-long) stint as an administrator, I have returned to civilian life, and am developing a new research expertise in philosophy of music. This new interest grows out of a lengthy training as a classical pianist and French horn player, a brief career as a professional musician before becoming a philosopher, and a continued abiding and serious interest in both musicology and musical performance. I am currently studying existing work in the field, and developing a few projects of my own.

In addition, I am reviving an old interest in medieval philosophy, originally developed as a graduate student, and subsequently as a teaching avocation at Indiana University, where I worked for ten years in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science. Specifically, I have an interest in medieval theories of truth and medieval aesthetics (and the connections between them), among other things.

I have also done some research in game theory, especially variations of signaling games. This work has included both analytical results and simulations of multi-agent systems.

Finally, I have done some work in what we might as well call 'epistemology of of philosophy', focused on the role that so-called 'intuitions' in fact play in contemporary philosophy (which is prominent in some areas) as compared to the role that I believe they should play (which is nil). My view in a nutshell is that rather than citing 'intuition' as a form of evidence, we should admit that we don't know, and just leave such things as 'thoughts deserving of further investigation'.

Intellectual humility is a key ingredient for scientific progress

Dec 07, 2023 01:33 am UTC| Insights & Views Science

The virtue of intellectual humility is getting a lot of attention. Its heralded as a part of wisdom, an aid to self-improvement and a catalyst for more productive political dialogue. While researchers define intellectual...

Economy

Japan CPI Rises in June, but Core Inflation Stays Below BOJ’s 2% Target

Japans consumer inflation accelerated in June, but underlying price pressures remained below the Bank of Japans (BOJ) 2% target, reinforcing expectations that policymakers will keep interest rates unchanged at their...

Japan Manufacturing Growth Holds Strong in July Despite Middle East Uncertainty

Japans manufacturing sector continued to expand in July, supported by the strongest factory output growth in more than a decade, although businesses remained cautious as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East clouded the...

Gold Price Holds Above $4,130 as Fed Rate Outlook and Middle East Tensions Support Safe-Haven Demand

Gold prices remained resilient on Thursday, staying above the $4,130-an-ounce mark as investors continued buying on recent dips despite rising oil prices and growing expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve could keep...

Asian Stocks Rally on AI Spending Optimism as Middle East Tensions Push Oil to Six-Week High

Asian stock markets advanced on Thursday as strong artificial intelligence (AI) investment plans from major U.S. technology companies boosted confidence in the regions semiconductor sector, while escalating conflict in the...

Australia Jobs Surge in June Strengthens Case for More RBA Rate Hikes

Australias labor market posted a stronger-than-expected performance in June, reinforcing expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) could raise interest rates again to curb persistent inflation. Data released by...

Politics

Arizona Primaries Set High-Stakes Governor and House Battles Ahead of Midterm Elections

Arizonas Republican primary delivered major victories for candidates backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, setting up closely watched contests for governor and a key U.S. House seat in the November 3 midterm elections....

Amish Shah Wins Arizona Democratic Primary in Key U.S. House Race

Moderate Democrat Amish Shah has won the Democratic primary for Arizonas 1st Congressional District, according to media projections, setting up a closely watched general election contest that could play a significant role...

Trump Administration Opens Civil Rights Probes Into Five U.S. Medical Schools Over Admissions

The U.S. Department of Education has launched civil rights investigations into five medical schools over alleged racial discrimination in admissions, expanding President Donald Trumps campaign against diversity, equity,...

ASEAN Forum Puts Middle East Conflict, South China Sea Tensions in Spotlight

Top diplomats from Asia, Europe, and North America gathered in Manila on Thursday for the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), with the escalating Middle East conflict and South China Sea tensions expected to dominate discussions....

Rubio Rejects AI ‘Kill Switch’ Claims as U.S. Defends American Technology Abroad

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed American diplomats to push back against claims that the United States has a kill switch capable of shutting off access to U.S. technology products, according to a State...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Intel, AMD Seek Long-Term China Server CPU Deals as AI Demand Drives Supply Crunch

Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) are negotiating long-term purchase agreements with Chinese server customers as demand for data center processors continues to outpace supply, according to people familiar with the...

Alphabet Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates as AI Spending, Google Cloud Growth Fuel Outlook

Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) delivered stronger-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results, driven by rapid growth in Google Cloud and continued investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure. Despite beating Wall Street...

Elon Musk Fuels SpaceX-Tesla Merger Speculation After Earnings Call

The possibility of a merger between Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and SpaceX gained fresh attention after Teslas second-quarter earnings call, with Deepwater Managements Gene Munster increasing the odds of a deal taking place in...

IBM Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates as Software Growth Offsets Infrastructure Weakness

International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM) reported second-quarter 2026 earnings that missed Wall Street expectations, although its shares gained about 3% after the company had already warned investors about weaker...

OpenAI Australia Data Center Switches Cooling Strategy After Recycled Water Plan Fails

OpenAIs planned mega data center in Australia will rely on a more energy-intensive cooling system after developers abandoned plans to use recycled water, according to a Reuters report published Thursday. The change comes...