The Idaho Humanities Council (IHC), the statewide nonprofit organization devoted to enhancing public awareness, appreciation, and understanding of the humanities in Idaho, awarded $59,205 in grants this spring, including one to Boise State University Department of Philosophy.
The department of Philosophy received $1,200 for support of a public lecture by distinguished New York University Professor of Philosophy David Chalmers. The presentation was held at the Community Library in Ketchum as part of the Inland Northwest Philosophy Conference and explored the ways in which virtual reality technologies challenge our understanding of the distinction between appearance and reality. Chalmer’s lector was entitled “The Virtual and the Real: The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality.” The project director was Philosophy department chair Dr. Andrew Cortens.
Many of Dr. Chalmers’s public appearances and television appearances can be seen on YouTube. For example, he participated in the 2016 Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate: Is the Universe a Simulation? (hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson). Click here to view the video. He has also given a TED Talk on consciousness. Click here to view the Ted Talk. Chalmer’s was interviewed on the same topic on the PBS series Close to Truth. Click here to view interview.