Kit Patrick
Areas of Interest & Expertise
- Philosophy of Science
- Epistemology
- Philosophy of Law
- Formal models of Induction
Biography
I study how experts reason reliably. My main focus has been reasoning in science, especially historical sciences such as Geology. More recently, I have worked on judicial reasoning. I am especially interested in whether formal models of reasoning under uncertainty are compatible with basic facts about how we reason. I have an ongoing project on access to entitlements, and another on the hyperintensionality of inductive reasoning.
Before coming to Azim Premji University, I worked at the University of Bristol. I received my Phd there in philosophy of science, and earlier had studied History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University.
I have an interest in Indian history and run the History of India podcast. In my spare time, I enjoy sketching and poetry. But mostly, I enjoy teaching.
Click here for his personal website.
Courses
Philosophy of Law
The course introduces students to philosophical considerations that underpin laws and legal systems, their functioning, and their limitations.
The Self
In using insights from both analytic philosophy and Indian philosophy to grapple with questions about the self, students will develop the capability to draw ideas from one tradition to solve problems that arise in another.
Philosophy of Measurement
In this course, students will gain the capability of identifying and evaluating the normative presuppositions of different measurements through detailed case studies.
Philosophy of Science
This course aims to enable students to rigorously engage with, and critically evaluate, scientific and social scientific work.
Ethics
In this course students focus on ethics as applied to concrete ethically troubling contexts within the broader context of India and learn to come up with their own views and criticisms.
Paradoxes
This course introduces formal systems as tools to solve specific problems, giving students the capacity to evaluate which (and whether) a particular formal system is appropriate for the problem before them.
Introduction to Philosophy
This course equips students with core philosophical capabilities, especially working with others you disagree with, clarity of expression, and building the foundations of rigorous creativity.
Publications
- Patrick, K., & Hodesdon, K. (2017). Is theory choice using epistemic virtues possible? In Applications of Formal Philosophy. 139 – 168. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10670-017‑9923‑1
- Patrick, Kit. (2018). Unity as an Epistemic Virtue. Erkenntnis, 83(5). 983‑1002. https://doi.org/10.1007/978 – 3‑319 – 58507-9_7
On-going Projects
- Modelling judicial reasoning in India.
- The hyperintentionality of inductive logic.
- Deduction and verisimilitude.
- Explanatory competition.