Topics in Philosophy: Human Reasoning
24.260, Fall 2025
1. (Sep 4) Two faces of human cognition, 1_two_faces (Dorst extract). Optional: Simulating the Worm
2. (Sep 9) The conjunction fallacy, Tversky and Kahneman 1983 [Handout]
3. (Sep 11) The conjunction fallacy, Dorst and Mandelkern 2022 (skip sections 3.3, 4.1, and 4.2) [Handout]
4. (Sep 16) The sunk cost fallacy, Hastie and Dawes 2010 [Handout]
5. (Sep 18) The sunk cost fallacy, Kelly 2004 [Handout]
6. (Sep 23) Overconfidence, Moore 2008 [Handout]
7. (Sep 25) Overconfidence, Moore 2015 [Handout]
8. (Sep 30) Overconfidence, Dorst_OC1 and Dorst_OC2 [Handout]
9. (Oct 2) Student presentations
10. (Oct 7) Student presentations
11. (Oct 9) The gambler’s fallacy, Kahneman and Tversky 1972 [Handout]
Short paper 1 due at 11:59pm. Share Google Doc permissions.
12. (Oct 14) The gambler’s fallacy, Dorst_GF, (sections 1–4) [Handout]
13. (Oct 16) The gambler’s fallacy, Dorst_GF (only section 5) and Xiang et al. 2025
14. (Oct 21) Hindsight bias, Hedden 2019 [Handout]
15. (Oct 23) Hindsight bias, Gerken 2024 [Handout]
16. (Oct 28) Hindsight bias, Dorst_HB (sections 7.1–7.5) [Handout]
17. (Oct 30) Confirmation bias, no reading [charts on polarization; plots from Lord1979]
18. (Nov 4) Student presentations
19. (Nov 6) Student presentations
(Nov 11) No class (student holiday)
Short paper 2 due at 11:59pm. Share Google Doc permissions.
20. (Nov 13) Confirmation bias, Kelly 2008
21. (Nov 18) Class cancelled (Kevin sick)
22. (Nov 20) Disagreement, Joshi 2020 [Handout]
(Nov 25) No class (Thanksgiving)
(Nov 27) No class (Thanksgiving)
23. (Dec 2) Disagreement, Elga 2007 [Handout]
24. (Dec 4) Student presentations
25. (Dec 9) Student presentations
(Dec 10) No class. Long Paper due at 11:59pm. Share Google Doc permissions.
2. (Sep 9) The conjunction fallacy, Tversky and Kahneman 1983 [Handout]
3. (Sep 11) The conjunction fallacy, Dorst and Mandelkern 2022 (skip sections 3.3, 4.1, and 4.2) [Handout]
4. (Sep 16) The sunk cost fallacy, Hastie and Dawes 2010 [Handout]
5. (Sep 18) The sunk cost fallacy, Kelly 2004 [Handout]
6. (Sep 23) Overconfidence, Moore 2008 [Handout]
7. (Sep 25) Overconfidence, Moore 2015 [Handout]
8. (Sep 30) Overconfidence, Dorst_OC1 and Dorst_OC2 [Handout]
9. (Oct 2) Student presentations
10. (Oct 7) Student presentations
11. (Oct 9) The gambler’s fallacy, Kahneman and Tversky 1972 [Handout]
Short paper 1 due at 11:59pm. Share Google Doc permissions.
12. (Oct 14) The gambler’s fallacy, Dorst_GF, (sections 1–4) [Handout]
13. (Oct 16) The gambler’s fallacy, Dorst_GF (only section 5) and Xiang et al. 2025
14. (Oct 21) Hindsight bias, Hedden 2019 [Handout]
15. (Oct 23) Hindsight bias, Gerken 2024 [Handout]
16. (Oct 28) Hindsight bias, Dorst_HB (sections 7.1–7.5) [Handout]
17. (Oct 30) Confirmation bias, no reading [charts on polarization; plots from Lord1979]
18. (Nov 4) Student presentations
19. (Nov 6) Student presentations
(Nov 11) No class (student holiday)
Short paper 2 due at 11:59pm. Share Google Doc permissions.
20. (Nov 13) Confirmation bias, Kelly 2008
21. (Nov 18) Class cancelled (Kevin sick)
22. (Nov 20) Disagreement, Joshi 2020 [Handout]
(Nov 25) No class (Thanksgiving)
(Nov 27) No class (Thanksgiving)
23. (Dec 2) Disagreement, Elga 2007 [Handout]
24. (Dec 4) Student presentations
25. (Dec 9) Student presentations
(Dec 10) No class. Long Paper due at 11:59pm. Share Google Doc permissions.