Peter is an Anglo-Scandinavian philosopher of mind who specializes in the thought of Whitehead, Nietzsche, and Spinoza, and in fields pertaining to panpsychism and altered states of mind. Following his degree in Continental Philosophy at the University of Warwick, he became a Philosophy lecturer in London for six years after which he pursued his PhD at The University of Exeter – where he is now a research fellow and lecturer.
Colloquium Presentation: 27 May 2022, 14:30 pm (Room 105)
Modelling Psychedelic Metaphysics
Abstract
This two-part presentation will discuss aspects of a project that combines the metaphysics studied in Philosophy with the quantitative methodologies used in Psychology. We endeavour to create a clearer and more comprehensive set of tools for establishing a variety of metaphysical positions that can be used in both research and clinical settings – especially those relating to psychedelic experiences. We have developed a set of survey items that will be given to over 400 participants, along with additional pre-existing survey items and open-text response questions. The results are to be analysed using several different modelling approaches, ranging from long-established methods such as factor-analysis, to more cutting-edge methods involving natural-language-processing and machine learning. There are two main aims of the study: 1) establish a refined set of survey items that best represent a range of metaphysical positions; 2) establish whether the metaphysical beliefs held by individuals are predictive of their language use in open text responses.