Christian List
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Christian List
@clist.bsky.social
Professor of Philosophy and Decision Theory, LMU Munich. Co-Director of the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy. Account used for academic purposes. Further info at: https://christianlist.net/
Reposted by Christian List
Here is a broader discussion of the parallels between corporate agency and AI. Both involve non-human goal-directed agents that affect the social world, often in high-stakes settings, and so they raise similar moral and regulatory challenges, which we must address for the sake of protecting humans.
Group Agency and Artificial Intelligence - Philosophy & Technology
The aim of this exploratory paper is to review an under-appreciated parallel between group agency and artificial intelligence. As both phenomena involve non-human goal-directed agents that can make a ...
link.springer.com
September 8, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Reposted by Christian List
Thrilled to announce that Sebastian Bender is joining LMU Munich as Professor of Early Modern Philosophy. His expertise in 17th-18th c. metaphysics & epistemology (Leibniz, Spinoza, Kant) will boost our History of Philosophy section. Welcome, Sebastian! sebastianbender.net
Sebastian Bender
I am an Assistant Professor (a tenure track "Juniorprofessor") at the Philosophy Department of University of Göttingen. Before coming to Göttingen, I held positions at Humboldt University in Berlin (w...
sebastianbender.net
July 8, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Reposted by Christian List
To determine whether an AI system has free will, we shouldn't look for any mysterious property, ask if the system is unpredictable, or expect its algorithms to be indeterministic. We should ask: are there explanatory reasons to view the system as a choice-making agent with alternative possibilities?
Can AI systems have free will? - Synthese
While there has been much discussion of whether AI systems could function as moral agents or acquire sentience, there has been very little discussion of whether AI systems could have free will. I sket...
link.springer.com
September 2, 2025 at 11:54 AM
To determine whether an AI system has free will, we shouldn't look for any mysterious property, ask if the system is unpredictable, or expect its algorithms to be indeterministic. We should ask: are there explanatory reasons to view the system as a choice-making agent with alternative possibilities?
Can AI systems have free will? - Synthese
While there has been much discussion of whether AI systems could function as moral agents or acquire sentience, there has been very little discussion of whether AI systems could have free will. I sket...
link.springer.com
September 2, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Reposted by Christian List
Another summer read from the MCMP.
Just released by the Institute of Art and Ideas (@iai.tv): Christian List (of @lmumuenchen.bsky.social) on why "Science as we know it won’t explain consciousness"

"None of the physical and behavioural markers of consciousness that scientists study get to the heart of what consciousness is."
Consciousness reveals there's no single objective world | Christian List
bit.ly
August 11, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Now forthcoming in Synthese: "Can AI systems have free will?", preprint available at: philsci-archive.pitt.edu/26166/3/Free...
Can AI systems have free will? - PhilSci-Archive
philsci-archive.pitt.edu
August 8, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by Christian List
From why-why-why to global justice: LMU philosopher Laura Valentini asks fundamental questions about human coexistence. www.lmu.de/en/newsroom/...
From why-why-why to global justice
Political philosopher Laura Valentini asks fundamental questions about human coexistence. Now she is receiving the Princess Therese of Bavaria Prize.
www.lmu.de
August 4, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Reposted by Christian List
Feeling what others feel: In a world battered by crises, what does empathy really mean? An interview with philosopher Monika Betzler on empathy and morality.
www.lmu.de/en/newsroom/...
Feeling what others feel
In a world battered by crises, what does empathy really mean? An interview with philosopher Monika Betzler on empathy and morality.
www.lmu.de
August 4, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Reposted by Christian List
LMU philosophers Prof. Monika Betzler and Prof. Laura Valentini have each been awarded a Princess Therese of Bavaria Prize 2025. www.lmu.de/en/newsroom/...
Winners of Princess Therese of Bavaria Prize 2025
This year, the Princess Therese of Bavaria Foundation has recognized outstanding female researchers from the spheres of culture and the humanities at LMU.
www.lmu.de
August 4, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Reposted by Christian List
At this year's MCMP Summer School, we had wonderful lectures by Professors Francesca Boccuni (San Raffaele), Hilary Greaves (Oxford), and Alyssa Ney (LMU). Many thanks to our speakers and especially to the fabulous participants from all over the world! www.mathsummer.philosophie.uni-muenchen.de
August 1, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Reposted by Christian List
Recently published: "A quadrilemma for theories of consciousness", by Christian List, Philosophical Quarterly, 2025, academic.oup.com/pq/article/7...
A quadrilemma for theories of consciousness
Abstract. In this paper, I argue that no theory of consciousness can simultaneously respect four initially plausible metaphysical claims—namely ‘first-pers
academic.oup.com
June 13, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Reposted by Christian List
Just accepted:

‘The Impossibility of Non-manipulable Probability Aggregation’
– Franz Dietrich & Christian List

Abstract in alt text or read the full paper here:
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

#philsci #philsky
July 17, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Reposted by Christian List
In episode 419, I talk with Dr. Christian List about his book, Why Free Will Is Real. #Philosophy

youtu.be/XHmdhDjLGwA
#419 Christian List: Why Free Will Is Real
YouTube video by The Dissenter
youtu.be
July 12, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Reposted by Christian List
Recently published: "Do group agents have free will?", by Christian List, Inquiry, 2025 (open access) doi.org/10.1080/0020...
Do group agents have free will?
It is common to ascribe agency to some organized collectives, such as corporations, courts, and states, and to treat them as loci of responsibility, over and above their individual members. But sin...
doi.org
March 25, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Reposted by Christian List
The University of Vienna is hiring a full Professor in Philosophy of Mind! Spread the word! philjobs.org/job/show/29293
Full Professor of Philosophy of Mind, University of Vienna - PhilJobs:JFP Full Professor of Philosophy of Mind, University of Vienna
An international database of jobs for philosophers
philjobs.org
July 1, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Reposted by Christian List
Ocean health is moving into a danger zone, with rampant human-caused carbon dioxide emissions having already pushed ocean acidification levels beyond safe limits in large swaths of the marine environment. 🌊
news.mongabay.com/2025/06/as-o...
As ocean acidification ramps up, experts call for speedy ocean protection
Ocean health is moving into a danger zone, with rampant human-caused carbon dioxide emissions having already pushed ocean acidification levels beyond safe limits in large swaths of the marine environm...
news.mongabay.com
June 27, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Reposted by Christian List
On the 9th anniversary of the 2016 Brexit referendum, it's worth reposting a 2019 blog post with some social-choice-theoretically inspired comments on the referendum. blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2019/...
Is Brexit the will of the people? The answer is not quite that simple
Christian List looks at majoritarianism, Condorcet’s paradox and the UK’s decision to leave the EU.
www.lse.ac.uk
June 23, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Reposted by Christian List
I'm sympathetic to first-personal facts so I was interested to read this paper by Christian List about them academic.oup.com/pq/article/7...; at first I was leaning towards rejecting "one world", as does he, but now I've realized that gets you things interacting with their non-worldmates so idk
A quadrilemma for theories of consciousness
Abstract. In this paper, I argue that no theory of consciousness can simultaneously respect four initially plausible metaphysical claims—namely ‘first-pers
academic.oup.com
June 17, 2025 at 8:09 PM
On the 9th anniversary of the 2016 Brexit referendum, it's worth reposting a 2019 blog post with some social-choice-theoretically inspired comments on the referendum. blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2019/...
Is Brexit the will of the people? The answer is not quite that simple
Christian List looks at majoritarianism, Condorcet’s paradox and the UK’s decision to leave the EU.
www.lse.ac.uk
June 23, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Reposted by Christian List
Congratulations to my brilliant colleague Alyssa Ney (now here on Bluesky @alyssaney.bsky.social) for winning the Patrick Suppes Prize in Philosophy of Science!

www.amphilsoc.org/news/aps-awa...
APS Awards 2025 Patrick Suppes Prize in Philosophy of Science, largest book prize in Philosophy, to Dr. Alyssa Ney | American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society has awarded the 2025 Patrick Suppes Prize in Philosophy to Dr. Alyssa Ney for her book The World in the Wave Function: A Metaphysics for Quantum Physics (Oxford Univ...
www.amphilsoc.org
June 16, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Reposted by Christian List
Newly published: "Do our observations make reality happen?", by Alyssa Ney, Nature, 2025, www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Do our observations make reality happen?
Finally answering the most-vexed question in quantum theory might mean redefining what is real.
www.nature.com
June 15, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Reposted by Christian List
Christian List explains it nicely. There is no contradiction between the idea of free will and the fact that our choices are part of the causal chains of natural laws. What we call conscious choice is indeed our choice, but it doesn't mean it's detached from the microphysical processes of our brain.
Does free will exist? | Christian List | TEDxTUM
YouTube video by TEDx Talks
www.youtube.com
June 7, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Reposted by Christian List
Gibt es einen freien Willen?

Dieser Frage widmet sich BAdW-Mitglied @clist.bsky.social in seiner Forschung - und auch hier im TED talk!

Damit ein wunderschönes langes Wochenende allen! Mit vielen freien Willensentscheidungen!
☕️🍰🛌🚴‍♀️🕺🎳🆓
Does free will exist? | Christian List | TEDxTUM
YouTube video by TEDx Talks
m.youtube.com
June 6, 2025 at 5:00 PM