2015 Sophia Lecture

Dr. Shannon Spaulding, assistant professor of philosophy at Oklahoma State University, delivered the third annual Sophia Lecture on October 16, 2015. Professor Spaulding’s general philosophical interests are in the philosophy of mind, philosophical psychology and the philosophy of science. The principal goal of her research is to construct a philosophically and empirically plausible account of social cognition, and her other research interests include the imagination, pretense and action theory. 

The abstract from her Sophia Lecture, entitled “Divergent Social Interpretations,” read, "Disagreeing with others about how to interpret a social interaction is a common occurrence. We often find ourselves offering divergent interpretations of others’ motives, intentions, beliefs, and emotions. Think, for example, about the divergent interpretations of the death of Eric Garner. In this talk, Dr. Spaulding discusses how."