Jonah N. Schupbach portrait
  • Associate Professor, Philosophy

Research Statement

My main line of research investigates the nature, logic, and limitations of human reasoning. Working on such topics, I've naturally found myself having to cross interdisciplinary boundaries, especially between philosophy, logic, intellectual history, and the cognitive, mathematical, and computer sciences. Drawing from these disciplines, I hope to shed new light on the modes of reasoning humans actually employ, whether as individuals in everyday settings, or in more organized, social endeavors such as the sciences. And by bringing traditionally distinct areas of research on human reasoning to bear on one another, I aim to provide new advice and correctives for improving human reasoning in the real world. 

My work has been published in top philosophy and psychology journals. In addition to my research, I maintain an active teaching schedule, supervise PhD students, and serve on the editorial board of The Reasoner.

Presentations

  • “Trimming IBE’s Hedges: In Defense of Naive Explanatory Inference.” Philosophy Department Colloquium; Simon Fraser University; Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 02/09/2024.
  • “Trimming IBE’s Hedges: In Defense of Naive Explanatory Inference.” Philosophy Department Colloquium; University of Illinois; Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 01/26/2024.
  • "Creative Intelligence, Abduction, and Inference to the Best Explanation." XVIIth Congress on Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science and Technology; Buenos Aires, Argentina. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 07/2023.
  • “Creative Intelligence, Abduction, and Inference to the Best Explanation.” Philosophy Department Colloquium; University of Illinois; Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 01/20/2023.
  • "On the Logical Structure of Best Explanations." 28th Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 11/11/2022.
  • "Conjunctive Explanations" (with David Glass). 27th Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association; Baltimore, Maryland; November 19-22, 2020 [Rescheduled: November 11-14, 2021]. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 11/2021.
  • "The Structure of Best Explanations." 8th Biennial Conference of the European Philosophy of Science Association; University of Turin; Italy; September, 2021. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 09/2021.
  • "The Structure of Best Explanations." Colloquium; Düsseldorf Center for Logic and Philosophy of Science; Düsseldorf, Germany; May 18, 2021. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 05/18/2021.
  • "Computer Simulations and Conceptual Engineering." ARCHÉ  Conceptual Engineering Seminar; ARCHÉ Philosophical Research Centre; University of St. Andrews; St. Andrews, Scotland; April 20, 2021. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 04/2021.
  • "The Structure of Best Explanations." British Society for the Philosophy of Science, Annual Conference; University of Kent; Canterbury, England; July 13-15, 2020. Conference Paper, Refereed, Accepted, 04/2020.
  • "Inductive Logical Pluralism." Conference on Bayesian Epistemology: Perspectives and Challenges; Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy, LMU Munich, Germany; August 10-14, 2020. Conference Paper, Refereed, Accepted, 03/2020.

Publications