Seminars, Conference Presentations, & Other Talks

• The Experience Machine is Dead, Long Live the Experience Machine!, University of Otago, Australasian Association of Philosophy Annual Conference, July 2011. Click here for ppt.
  
• Defining Pleasure for Hedonism: Lessons from Science, University of Melbourne, Australasian Association of Philosophy Annual Conference, July 2009. Click here for ppt.
• Hedonism, False Pleasures and the Role of Intuitions in Assessing Theories of Well-Being, University of Auckland, Australasian Association of Philosophy (New Zealand Division) Annual Conference, 3 December 2007. Click here for ppt.

• Designated commentator on Garrett Cullity's paper (Acts, Omissions, Emissions) at the Ethics of Climate Change workshop at Victoria University of Wellington, 3 October 2011. Click here for my comments.
  
• Optimistic Naturalism: Scientific Advancement and the Meaning of Life, Victoria University of Wellington Philosophy Programme Seminar Series, 22 July 2010. Click here for the ppt.
• (With Dr David Eng) Sharing the Responsibility of Dealing with Climate Change: Interpreting the Principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities at the Copenhagen 2009: issues, Options, Outlooks and Outcomes seminar series in Wellington. Click here for the ppt. Note that this presentation is slightly different from the previous one.
• (With Dr David Eng) Sharing the responsibility of dealing with climate change: Interpreting the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. The Ethical Foundations of Public Policy (Protecting the Global Commons stream), Victoria University of Wellington, 10 December 2009. Click here for the ppt.
• The Experience Machine Revisited, Victoria University of Wellington Philosophy Programme Seminar Series, 10 July 2008. Click here for ppt.

• Wellbeing and Measures of Subjective Wellbeing, presentation to the wellbeing group at Statistics New Zealand, December 2011. Click here for the ppt.

• Introduction to Philosophy, 2 short lectures to prospective students during 'Study @ Vic Day', August 2011.
• The Problem with Happiness, 90-minute interactive presentation for the Café Scientifique series at Wholly Bagels in Lower Hutt, September 2010.
  
• Happiness: Its Meaning Measurement and Significance, 3 90-minute lectures, one on each of the following three topics: what 'happiness' means, how happiness is measured, and what we should do about happiness on an individual and a societal level. I created this course and it ran as part of Victoria University of Wellington's Continuing Education Programme, October-November 2009. 
• Click here for the combined ppt.
• Introduction to Philosophy, 2 short lectures to prospective students during 'Study @ Vic Day', August 2010.
• Introduction to Philosophy, 6 1-hour lectures (whole course) on a range of subjects, Wellington High School, August-September 2008. 
• Click here for ppt.
• Introduction to Philosophy, 2 short lectures to prospective students during 'Study @ Vic Day', August 2008.
• Introduction to Ethics, 4 2-hour lectures (whole course) on Ethics, Kapiti Workers' Educational Association, April 2008. 
• Click here for ppt.
• Introduction to Philosophy, 2 short lectures to prospective students during 'Study @ Vic Day', September 2007.

• We Can Test the Experience Machine: Reply to Smith, Victoria University of Wellington Philosophy Student Seminar Series, June 2011. Click here for the ppt.
• Reality Doesn't really Matter: Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Limbo, Victoria University of Wellington Post Graduate Student Conference, November 2010.
  
• Eliminating Bias from the Experience Machine Thought Experiment, Victoria University of Wellington Philosophy Student Seminar Series, October 2010. Click here for the ppt.
  
• Debate on The Existence of Objective Moral Facts, Victoria University of Wellington Philosophy Student Seminar Series, May 2010.
• Sharing the Responsibility of Dealing with Climate Change: Interpreting the Principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities at the Victoria university of Wellington Graduate Student Retreat in Otaki, April 2010.
  
• Defining Pleasure for Hedonism: Lessons from Science, Victoria University of Wellington Philosophy Student Seminar Series, July 2009.
• Hedonism: The Debate, with Adrian Currie, Victoria University of Wellington Philosophy Student Seminar Series, May 2009.
• The Experience Machine Revisited (Again), Victoria University of Wellington Philosophy Student Seminar Series, March 2009.
• Reviving Hedonism: Refuting the White Wall Machine, Bridge Lodge, Lower North Island Graduate Student Conference, March 2008.
• Pleasure is the Only Thing of Value: Refuting the False Pleasures Objection, Victoria University of Wellington Philosophy Student Seminar Series, November 2007.
• Pleasure is the Only Thing of Value: Reviving Hedonism as a Plausible View of 'the Good Life', Philosophers in New Zealand Annual Graduate Student Conference, November 2007.
• The Simple Scientific Account of Pleasure: Step 1 to Reviving Hedonism, Victoria University of Wellington Philosophy Student Seminar Series, August 2007.
• In Search of the Good Life: Pleasure, Happiness, Well-Being... And the Odd Cry from the Wilderness, Riverslea Retreat, Victoria University of Wellington Philosophy Graduate Student Conference, June 2007.
• From Political Philosophy to Political Activism: Encouraging Political Action in Modernity, Onekaka, Victoria University of Wellington Philosophy Graduate Student Conference, June 2006.
• The Science of Happiness, Victoria University of Wellington Philosophy Student Seminar Series, May 2006.

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