Zoe Drayson
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zoedrayson.bsky.social
Zoe Drayson
@zoedrayson.bsky.social
2.3K followers 310 following 440 posts
Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of Cognitive Science at UC Davis. Philosophical Shark Jumper ®️ 🦈
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Reposted by Zoe Drayson
sarahrobins.bsky.social
Ready to start thinking about summer? ☀️
Issues in Philosophy of Memory 5 is headed to Purdue
June 10-12, 2026

Keynote lineup is 🔥🔥🔥. Come join us!

Call for papers is live. 750 word abstracts, on any philosophical topic related to memory. Submit by Dec 20th!
November 19, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Reposted by Zoe Drayson
francesegan.bsky.social
The online journal Philosophy and the Mind Sciences is doing a symposium on my book, Deflating Mental Representation, based on my Jean Nicod lectures. See the Call for Papers here:
philosophymindscience.org/index.php/ph...
and a précis of the book here:
philpapers.org/rec/EGAPOD
Call for Papers: Book Symposium on "Deflating Mental Representation" by Frances Egan | Philosophy and the Mind Sciences
Philosophy and the Mind Sciences (PhiMiSci) focuses on the interface between philosophy of mind, psychology, and cognitive neuroscience. PhiMiSci is a peer-reviewed, not-for-profit open-access journal...
philosophymindscience.org
November 10, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Reposted by Zoe Drayson
fintanmallory.com
Oetker is the name of the monster
malrog.bsky.social Malcolm Quinn @malrog.bsky.social · 22d
I never want to meet Dr Oetker.
October 29, 2025 at 8:15 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
Huge thanks to @ispsm.bsky.social for a great and truly international online conference - it was a privilege to wrap up the event as the final keynote speaker!
ispsm.bsky.social ispsm @ispsm.bsky.social · 26d
Aaand last but not least, the excellent Zoe Drayson with the closing keynote on “Mind beyond mechanism: explanations in cognitive science” 🚀
October 26, 2025 at 6:38 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
🚨New publication🚨: my paper 'What motivates mental fictionalism?' is part of a Philosophical Psychology symposium on Mind As Metaphor by @adamtoonphilos.bsky.social. Available at www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
What motivates mental fictionalism?
Mental fictionalists propose that we should continue to engage in truth-conditional discourse about the mind, even though we have reason to believe that the discourse lacks truthmakers. In Mind As ...
www.tandfonline.com
October 25, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Reposted by Zoe Drayson
worgztheowl.bsky.social
The Fred West Wing
jowolff.bsky.social Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 27d
Just started to wonder whether the White House construction includes a patio, and what might end up buried under it.
October 25, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Reposted by Zoe Drayson
oldjerryfodor.bsky.social
Free Halloween costume idea: Bride of Kripkenstein
October 23, 2025 at 8:00 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
Online conference hosted by the International Society for the Philosophy of the Sciences of the Mind this weekend - my keynote is on Sunday. Registration is free!
ispsm.bsky.social ispsm @ispsm.bsky.social · Oct 17
💫 Our conference #ISPSM25 is just around the corner (24-26 October). We hope to see you there! ✨

Visit our website for more information about the programme and to register: www.ispsmind.com/internationa...
a sea otter is swimming in the water .
Alt: a sea otter is floating in the water and clapping its paws
media.tenor.com
October 23, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Reposted by Zoe Drayson
fintanmallory.com
Wikipedia wants you to know that John Maynard Keynes is not the lead vocalist of Tool. Just in case you were confused.
Wikipedia page for Maynard James Keenan. It starts with "Not to be confused with John Maynard Keynes. Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan; April 17, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, philanthropist, record producer, and winemaker. He is best known as the singer and primary lyricist of the rock bands Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer.
October 11, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Reposted by Zoe Drayson
alkennedy.bsky.social
@zoedrayson.bsky.social one for you
adamroberts.bsky.social Adam Roberts @adamroberts.bsky.social · Oct 10
"I say I say I say, my dog's got no gnosis."

"No nose? How does it smell?"

[*angrily*] "He lacks any and all immanent knowledge or transcendent insight, such as was sought by Clement of Alexandria, Marcion or Simon Magus. What has smell to do with it?"

"I'm sorry, I misheard."
October 10, 2025 at 3:34 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
Absolute banger
October 9, 2025 at 8:02 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
I asked AI about Saul Kripke's take on the "would you still love me if I was a worm?" thing
Applying Kripke's logic to the worm question From a Kripkean perspective, the prompt presents a scenario that is not a possible world for the original person. The "you" who is a worm is a fundamentally different being, and not a possible version of the "you" who is human. This is known as the "Humphrey objection," named for an example Kripke used to illustrate the philosophical problem of identifying an individual across possible worlds. Instead of a partner loving a human-turned-worm, Kripke's philosophy suggests we are imagining two separate beings in two different possible worlds: The actual world: A person you love. Another possible world: A worm with the characteristics you asked about. Kripke would say that the question "Would you still love me if I was a worm?" fails because the premise is impossible. It is not a test of unconditional love, but rather a category error. A worm could not be you, so your partner could not love you as a worm. Kripke's likely position While Kripke didn't discuss the metaphysics of romantic love, his work on personal identity and essentialism provides strong clues to his likely position. He argued that we can stipulate what we are talking about in a counterfactual world. If your beloved says, "I would still love you if you were a worm," they are stipulating that their love follows you through any changes. They are not talking about some other, worm-like individual. Therefore, the Kripkean approach would likely validate the enduring nature of love, so long as the speaker's intention is to refer to the same rigid designator ("you"). Love, in this metaphysical analysis, would track the identity of the person, not their contingent biological features. The statement "Kripke loves you" would be necessarily true, because "Kripke" and "you" would both be rigid designators referring to the same two individuals in any possible world, regardless of whether one of them happens to be a worm.
October 8, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Reposted by Zoe Drayson
francesegan.bsky.social
Shamelessly promoting my favorite paper. Everybody who was anybody in the history of science/philosophy/mathematics had a view on the moon illusion. frances-egan.org/uploads/3/5/...
frances-egan.org
October 2, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Reposted by Zoe Drayson
ianbphillips.bsky.social
Got the feet to fill Dennett's shoes? New junior position in Philosophy of Mind/Cog Sci at Tufts. philjobs.org/job/show/29606
Assistant Professor Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Cognitive Science (tenure-track), Tufts University: School of Arts & Sciences - PhilJobs:JFP Assistant Professor Philosophy of Mind, Philosoph...
An international database of jobs for philosophers
philjobs.org
September 30, 2025 at 6:52 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
There's more
Screenshot of a research article published in 1953 titled "Realism in the Surgery of the Tonsils and Adenoids"
September 23, 2025 at 12:03 AM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
Ah yes, the medieval puzzle of Socrates' fingernail...
The fingernail in ontology Ontology is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of being, and the fingernail's existence raises questions about what constitutes a discrete "part" of a human being. A "thing" versus a "process": Philosopher Thomas Nail argues that nothing is a static "thing," but rather a dynamic process in constant motion. A fingernail embodies this idea perfectly; it is not a static object but a continuous flow of keratinized skin cells produced by the nail matrix. The very moment we identify it as a "thing," it is already in the process of growing, shedding, and changing. The puzzle of detached parts: The fingernail's ontology becomes complicated once it is clipped. Is a discarded fingernail still "Socrates's fingernail," as medieval mereology might question, or does it lose its identity once it's separated from the whole person?. The fact that it is dead, and no longer part of the living being, suggests its status changes significantly upon detachment.
September 22, 2025 at 11:55 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
When a typo in your Google search leads to new and exciting philosophical positions
AI Overview: "Dental realism"refers to the philosophical debate about whether teeth exist independently of human perception, a concept rooted in metaphysical realism. While realism asserts an objective reality for teeth, idealist philosophies contend that teeth's existence is tied to our consciousness and perception. Philosophers use this idea, for example, to discuss the ethics of tooth extraction, examining whether a procedure impacts a real entity or merely a subjective experience.
September 22, 2025 at 9:25 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
In my mid 20s I was all embodied-and-extended, practically enactivist-leaning - I didn't solidify until I was around 30.
neillevy.bsky.social Neil Levy @neillevy.bsky.social · Sep 19
In my mid 20s, I was working on Foucault and Heidegger and accepted a strong social constructionism of scientific facts. I have a terrible memory: protects me from ever solidifying.
September 19, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Reposted by Zoe Drayson
hystericalblkns.bsky.social
If you’re on academia dot edu, let me suggest that you strongly consider deleting your account.
The new TOC from academia dot edu. By creating an Account with Academia.edu, you grant us a worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, transferable license, permission, and consent for Academia.edu to use your Member Content and your personal information (including, but not limited to, your name, voice, signature, photograph, likeness, city, institutional affiliations, citations, mentions, publications, and areas of interest) in any manner, including for the purpose of advertising, selling, or soliciting the use or purchase of Academia.edu's Services.
September 17, 2025 at 7:09 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
Yep.
September 15, 2025 at 6:44 PM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
Feel free to correct my arithmetic, but I make that only 361 possibilities
Ad for shoes which come in 19 different colored pairs, claiming that the 19 colors lead to infinite possibilities.
September 15, 2025 at 3:27 AM
zoedrayson.bsky.social
I am respecting the personal time of my colleagues by not texting them work questions on a Sunday. But heads up, @rohanfrench.bsky.social, I'll be asking you about the difference between arity and adicity sometime this week 😁
September 14, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Reposted by Zoe Drayson
aaronbornstein.bsky.social
Come work with us! UC Irvine Cognitive Sciences is looking for a new Assistant Professor to join our team: recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF09896

I'm not on the committee, but happy to talk if you're interested.
Assistant Professor - Cognitive Sciences
University of California, Irvine is hiring. Apply now!
recruit.ap.uci.edu
September 11, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Reposted by Zoe Drayson
zoedrayson.bsky.social
I just tried to send a colleague a Zoom link but accidently sent that Hello Kitty Roblox video instead. So professional.
Email: "Hi Zoe, Thank you for agreeing to meet with me on short notice and during your sabbatical. Here's my Zoom info (you sent me a Hello Kitty YouTube link)
September 11, 2025 at 7:46 PM