Summary: This episode of In Context features George Smith and Daniel Dennett, both professors in the department of philosophy at Tufts University. George Smith focuses on philosophy of science and logic, with particular focus on transforming data into evidence. Co-editor of the Cambridge Companion to Newton, he's an expert on how Isaac Newton transformed notions of high-quality evidence. Daniel Dennett focuses on philosophy of mind and cognitive science, and has written multiple books on consciousness. Throughout this conversation, George and Dan share their thoughts on how theories turn data into evidence, what contributions Descartes, Newton, Hume, and Darwin made to the history of philosophy, what consciousness is and isn't, why we fall prey to anthropomorphizing machines, and how we should engage with AI systems.
