[PhilosophyEvents] Kareem Khalifa: "Understanding and Measurement: The Case of Segregation Indices"

[Dan Hicks]

Hi everyone,

I’m happy to announce the first event in our Philosophy Speaker Series for the fall. This talk is open to the public, and a recording will be posted on Youtube.

"Understanding and Measurement: The Case of Segregation Indices”
Kareem Khalifa (UCLA)
Friday, September 13, 3:30-5pm
COB1 267

When scientists develop new ways of measuring a phenomenon, they frequently improve their understanding of that phenomenon. Despite this, little philosophical attention has been devoted to the intersection of understanding and the epistemology of measurement. In this paper, I argue that even the theories of understanding that (initially) appear among the least likely to afford insights into measurement—namely those that claim understanding requires explanation—illuminate how new measurement techniques improve understanding. Using the refinement of segregation indices in the late 1980s, I suggest four ways that measurement improves explanatory understanding. I conclude with further suggestions as to how the philosophical literatures on understanding and measurement might mutually benefit each other.

-----
Dan Hicks
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Philosophy
University of California, Merced

Pronouns: they/them/their

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.ucmerced.edu/pipermail/philosophyevents/attachments/20240906/5b292e10/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Kareem Slide.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 273335 bytes
Desc: Kareem Slide.pdf
URL: <http://lists.ucmerced.edu/pipermail/philosophyevents/attachments/20240906/5b292e10/attachment-0002.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Speaker Series Flyer #1.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 526498 bytes
Desc: Speaker Series Flyer #1.pdf
URL: <http://lists.ucmerced.edu/pipermail/philosophyevents/attachments/20240906/5b292e10/attachment-0003.pdf>