Pages of Felix Kopecky

Contact

E-Mail: firstname.lastname@kit.edu (PGP key)

Research

Current work

There are very recent calls to explore applications of computer models and simulations in philosophy, particularly in social epistemology (e.g., Grim 2019; Mayo-Wilson & Zollman 2021). Within this line of research, I study disagreement and polarisation in agent-based models built on the theory of dialectical structures (Betz 2009; 2013). My focus is on argumentation and the effects that argumentative features have on epistemological processes.

Areas of specialisation

Argumentation theory, and in particular:

computational argumentation theory
debate typology

Social epistemology, and in particular:

disagreement
polarisation

Computational philosophy, particularly:

agent-based models of opinion dynamics

Publications

forthcoming: Inconsistent belief aggregation in diverse and polarised groups (with Gregor Betz). Philosophy of Science. DOI: 10.1017/psa.2024.29.
2024: Argumentation-induced rational issue polarisation. Philosophical Studies 181(1). DOI: 10.1007/s11098-023-02059-6.
2022: Arguments as drivers of issue polarisation in debates among artificial agents. Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation 25(1). DOI: 10.18564/jasss.4767.

Presentations

Tracking divergent debates in dialectical structures, 3rd European Conference on Argumentation, Groningen, 27 June 2019. (Slides)
Introduction to debate analysis with the theory of dialectical structures and Argdown (in German), Marburg, 5 December 2020 (invited).
Rational issue polarisation among agents with perfect memory: How argumentation shapes multi-agent epistemic processes, GAP.11, Berlin, 15 September 2022. (Handout)
Belief polarisation in agent-based debate models, Workshop on agent-based models of epistemic communities, Bochum, 23 February 2023 (invited).
Inconsistent belief aggregation in diverse and polarised groups: A computational study, Institutional epistemology workshop 2023, Helsinki, 20 June 2023.
Inconsistent belief aggregation in diverse and polarised groups: A computational study, Workshop on reasoning with imperfect information in social settings, Pisa, 27 October 2023.
On the use of symbolic and generative AI in philosophy (in German), DKPHIL XXVI, Münster, 23 September 2024.
Diversity in dialectical structures, Computational Social Philosophy Seminar (online), 7 October 2024 (invited).

Teaching

Computational models in sociology and epistemology (with Michael Mäs and Gregor Betz)

Software

taupy: A Python package to study the theory of dialectical structures. (Documentation; Source code; PyPI)
argdown-l3: An Argdown parser for LaTeX. (Source code)

Academic CV

2020–2023: Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter (part-time, fixed term) in Gregor Betz's group
2020–2021: Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter (part-time, fixed term) in André Bächtiger's group
2019: MA in Philosophy, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
2015: BA in Philosophy, Freie Universität Berlin