Rational Enquirer Issue #2

Philosopher sails around the world

Applied Philosophy Placements

when they are least able to deal with them.

Consequently, Weir says, “the ability to reason well, and in particular to spot and cogently point out the flaws in an argument, come in handy every single day. I think this might be the best part of my job.​Sometimes I am able to make something important happen. But I know that even when I fail, being their champion is much appreciated.”

Weir’s philosophy training makes her successful in her work in other ways, too. She often gets the job of researching important topics that the clinicians’ schedules of appointments don’t leave them enough time for. For this part of the job, “My ability to boil twenty-plus pages of info into something they can read in five minutes is the key to my success.” It also falls to her to keep the office running effectively and efficiently, for which “the ability to think systematically and break things down is also a major part of why I'm good at what I do.”

In summary, the job is “totally not what I thought I would be doing, but I can honestly say I get up most days happy to be doing it!”

While she gets to use her philosophical skills every day, the love of the content of academic philosophy has never completely left Weir’s system, either. In response to the news that the upcoming Rudrick Visiting Scholar in Philosophy was a leading figure in areas of philosophy that overlap with her thesis work, Weir said, “I totally plan to come to Eva Kittay's talk in October ... and I may just geek out at getting to see her speak in person.”

Werth put his longstanding interest in solo ocean crossing into action. In 2008, he departed from Beaufort, North Carolina aboard Renegade, wintered in the Azores, then spent the next summer in Portugal, and the subsequent winter in Lagos. “Settling” for a while thereafter back in Portugal, he worked as a napkin and placemat artist, building a reputation in the local artistic and sailing communities. In 2011, he set sail again, via Madeira, the Canary Islands and, 35 days later, arrived in Antigua.

At that point, due to a range of health concerns, Werth passed Renegade on to another sailor. He now lives aboard another boat in North Carolina, making it “geriatric friendly” for a future passage to Bermuda. While many philosophers like to think that they intrepidly travel where curiosity leads, Werth cashed this out by sailing, solo, around the world.

Andria Bianchi

How can people with dementia participate in decisions about their own care and treatment?
Providence Healthcare and St. Michael’s Hospital

My experience in the Applied Philosophy PhD pilot project was both philosophically and professionally rewarding. I completed my project at two healthcare organizations in Toronto- Providence Healthcare and St. Michael’s Hospital. The clinical ethicists at each of these organizations were my on-site supervisors. The objective of my study was to examine the extent to which individuals with dementia (and related neurological impairments) who cannot provide informed consent can still participate in their care and treatment decisions. I was interested in two questions. The first was descriptive. I wanted to know how individuals currently participate in their treatment decisions. The second question was normative. I wanted to explore how people with neurological impairments should be enabled to contribute to their treatment decisions. In order to examine these questions, I interviewed twenty-seven healthcare practitioners, including medical doctors, geriatric psychiatrists, registered nurses, social workers, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists, all of whom have experience working with people with dementia.

Throughout the interview process it became increasingly clear that determining how to appropriately include persons with dementia in their healthcare decisions is incredibly complex. Clinicians are often uncomfortable with the uncertainty that is comes along with working with this population and learning how to work within a practice of uncertainty was relevant to all participants. One method that was suggested as a way to enable patients to participate was through advance directives, which are documents that instruct physicians about the care that a person wants to receive in case they become incompetent/incapable of providing informed consent. Many clinicians spoke positively about advance directives in a way that echoes what Ronald Dworkin says in his philosophical arguments in support of them. However, many of these same clinicians noted that while advance directives are a good idea, they are difficult to implement in practice because of the fact that individuals’ preferences often change upon being diagnosed with dementia. This response reinforces some of Rebecca Dresser’s philosophical concerns about the usefulness of advance directives. This was an interesting comparison to make in my final paper, as informed by my applied work.

Paul’s books include The Cognitive Science of Science:  Explanation, Discovery, and Conceptual Change; The Brain and the Meaning of Life; and Hot Thought: Mechanisms and Applications of Emotional Cognition. Doreen Fraser writes, “Paul’s work is so wide-ranging in part because he has welcomed collaboration. His collaborators have included philosophers, psychologists, political scientists, statisticians, and engineers. Moreover, he is open to working with everyone, from undergraduate students to research chairs, from graduate students to fellow faculty members in the department, which is one reason why his regular presence in the department will be missed.”

People are eager to read what Paul writes. His works have been cited more than 16,000 times, and his books have been translated into ten languages. And, Paul also knows how to write for people besides philosophers: if you are looking for some smart, fun reading, you should check out his Psychology Today Blog, Hot Thought.

Paul is a highly decorated scholar. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Cognitive Science Society, and the Association for Psychological Science. In 2007 he was awarded the Canada Council Molson Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities and he won a Killam Prize in 2013. But he is not merely a researcher. During his time at Waterloo he has been one of the Department’s popular graduate supervisors and mentors. Chris Eliasmith says, “Paul has been a friend and mentor at every step of my career, and I am incredibly luck for it.  He gave me my first exposure to what is now my main field of study in philosophy of mind and cognitive science. He helped me get my first paper published, coached me on what PhD programs to apply to, got me my first job, and has helped me through the challenges of being an interdisciplinary faculty member. More than this, we have continued to be close collaborators since he was my Master’s supervisor. Paul’s generosity, kindness, and wit were always, and will continue to be, a main source of wisdom for me. Put simply, I’m indebted to Paul more than I can say.”

The Department will be holding events to commemorate Paul’s contributions to the discipline, the Department, and the University in the near future. Watch this space for further information.