Rationality (Undergrad)
Syllabus
Textbook: Titelbaum, Fundamentals of Bayesian Epistemology volume 1 and volume 2. (Buy the paperbacks.)
Readings (.zip file)
Problem set 1 (original version) due Sept 27
Problem set 1 (renumbered version), Due September 27
Problem set 2, due October 11.
Papers
Paper advice
Paper 1 Prompts (due November 6)
Paper 2 Prompts (due December 13)
Textbook: Titelbaum, Fundamentals of Bayesian Epistemology volume 1 and volume 2. (Buy the paperbacks.)
Readings (.zip file)
Problem set 1 (original version) due Sept 27
Problem set 1 (renumbered version), Due September 27
Problem set 2, due October 11.
Papers
Paper advice
Paper 1 Prompts (due November 6)
Paper 2 Prompts (due December 13)
Lectures:
I. Rationality under uncertainty
1. (Sept 6) Gershman 2021, pp 1–6 (Handout)
2. (Sept 8) Degrees of belief, Titelbaum Ch. 1 (Handout)
3. (Sept 13) Probability, Titelbaum Ch. 2
4. (Sept 18) Conditional Probability, Titelbaum Ch. 3
5. (Sept 20) Conditionalization, Titelbaum Ch. 4
6. (Sept 25) Deference Principles, Titelbaum sections 5.1–5.3. Problem Set 1 due in class.
7. (Sept 27) Confirmation, Titelbaum Ch. 6
8. (Oct 2) Decision Theory, Titelbaum Ch. 7
II. Human (ir)rationality
9. (Oct 4) Hindsight bias, Hedden 2019. (Handout)
10. (Oct 9) No class (student holiday).
11. (Oct 11) The gambler’s fallacy, Dorst blogpost (2020) Problem Set 2 due in class. (Handout)
12. (Oct 16) Motivated reasoning, Mandelbaum 2019 (Handout)
13. (Oct 18) Motivated Ignorance, Kinney and Bright 2022 (Handout)
14. (Oct 23) The sunk cost fallacy, Kelly 2004 (Handout)
15. (Oct 25) No class. (I’m traveling.)
16. (Oct 30) Overconfidence, Dorst 2023 (Handout)
17. (Nov 1) Polarization, Henderson and Gebharter 2021 (Handout)
18. (Nov 6) Polarization, Nielsen and Stewart 2018, Part 1 (pages 1–10). (Handout) Paper 1 due at 11:59pm.
19. (Nov 8) Polarization, O’Connor and Weatherall 2018 (Handout)
20. (Nov 13) Polarization, Kelly 2008 (Handout)
21. (Nov 15) Confirmation bias, Dorst 2023, sections 1–2 and Salow 2018, section 1 (Handout)
22. (Nov 20) Confirmation bias. Hahn and Harris 2014 (pages 59–76) (Handout)
23. (Nov 22) No class. (Thanksgiving)
24. (Nov 27) Selective memory, Singer et al 2019 (Handout)
25. (Nov 29) Selective memory, Dallmann 2017 (Handout)
26. (Dec 4) Selective memory, Wilson 2014 (Handout)
27. (Dec 6) Wishful thinking, Melnikoff and Strohminger 2023
28. (Dec 11) Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives, Shenoy and Yu 2013
29. (Dec 13) Why does this matter? (Dorst 2020, Hartman2022) Paper 2 due at 11:59pm.
I. Rationality under uncertainty
1. (Sept 6) Gershman 2021, pp 1–6 (Handout)
2. (Sept 8) Degrees of belief, Titelbaum Ch. 1 (Handout)
3. (Sept 13) Probability, Titelbaum Ch. 2
4. (Sept 18) Conditional Probability, Titelbaum Ch. 3
5. (Sept 20) Conditionalization, Titelbaum Ch. 4
6. (Sept 25) Deference Principles, Titelbaum sections 5.1–5.3. Problem Set 1 due in class.
7. (Sept 27) Confirmation, Titelbaum Ch. 6
8. (Oct 2) Decision Theory, Titelbaum Ch. 7
II. Human (ir)rationality
9. (Oct 4) Hindsight bias, Hedden 2019. (Handout)
10. (Oct 9) No class (student holiday).
11. (Oct 11) The gambler’s fallacy, Dorst blogpost (2020) Problem Set 2 due in class. (Handout)
12. (Oct 16) Motivated reasoning, Mandelbaum 2019 (Handout)
13. (Oct 18) Motivated Ignorance, Kinney and Bright 2022 (Handout)
14. (Oct 23) The sunk cost fallacy, Kelly 2004 (Handout)
15. (Oct 25) No class. (I’m traveling.)
16. (Oct 30) Overconfidence, Dorst 2023 (Handout)
17. (Nov 1) Polarization, Henderson and Gebharter 2021 (Handout)
18. (Nov 6) Polarization, Nielsen and Stewart 2018, Part 1 (pages 1–10). (Handout) Paper 1 due at 11:59pm.
19. (Nov 8) Polarization, O’Connor and Weatherall 2018 (Handout)
20. (Nov 13) Polarization, Kelly 2008 (Handout)
21. (Nov 15) Confirmation bias, Dorst 2023, sections 1–2 and Salow 2018, section 1 (Handout)
22. (Nov 20) Confirmation bias. Hahn and Harris 2014 (pages 59–76) (Handout)
23. (Nov 22) No class. (Thanksgiving)
24. (Nov 27) Selective memory, Singer et al 2019 (Handout)
25. (Nov 29) Selective memory, Dallmann 2017 (Handout)
26. (Dec 4) Selective memory, Wilson 2014 (Handout)
27. (Dec 6) Wishful thinking, Melnikoff and Strohminger 2023
28. (Dec 11) Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives, Shenoy and Yu 2013
29. (Dec 13) Why does this matter? (Dorst 2020, Hartman2022) Paper 2 due at 11:59pm.