Are countries more like humans or more like computers?
Having done my PhD in Vienna, I was already used to living in a beautiful historical city. But while Vienna reminds me of fairy tales, Edinburgh, my current home, feels like the set of a Harry Potter film. Add to that the fact that the University of Edinburgh is one of the world’s leading institutions in my research field, and it was no wonder that it became my first choice when I was looking for a university for the abroad phase of my Erwin Schrödinger fellowship.
So I was delighted when my now mentor at the University of Edinburgh, Mark Sprevak, agreed to host me. We had never met before and I didn’t have any contacts at the university. I just emailed him out of the blue and he said yes. I was particularly interested in his expertise in the philosophy of computation and the fact that the university’s philosophy department is well-known for its strengths in the fields of philosophy of mind and the philosophy of science.
States and their behavior shape our lives and global developments. To better understand their actions, philosopher Renan Silva examines whether states possess human-like or computer-like characteristics.
Exploring the nature of states
My Schrödinger project is about whether states (countries) can be thought of as agents and whether they literally perform computations, like brains and digital computers do. While it is common for political scientists to model states as agents and computing systems, the nature of state agency and computation is little understood.
My research draws upon various subfields of philosophy and the social sciences so I thought it would make sense to spend the first part of my fellowship, in Edinburgh, at a philosophy department, and the return phase, in Vienna, at an international relations department.
A sense of belonging despite culture shock
Although I had previously studied at a large university (I did my bachelor’s degree at King’s College London), it was nonetheless a cultural shock to move from the Central European University (CEU) in Vienna, where I did my PhD, to the University of Edinburgh. CEU is relatively small. It’s the sort of place where you bump into the president/rector in the corridors. Meanwhile, the University of Edinburgh is much larger and older. Fortunately, it still manages to keep a sense of community and is a wonderful place to work at.
Visa facilitates relations with the UK
Sadly, since Brexit, European Union (EU) citizens have to apply for a visa to stay in the UK for more than six months. Despite that, I would urge any prospective Schrödinger applicants not to be discouraged by this. You will likely be eligible for a Global Talent visa, which is one of the best UK visas available. And while it is relatively expensive (it’s currently £766 for the visa itself plus £1,035/year for the so-called ‘healthcare surcharge’), EU citizens can apply via the government’s app and it’s very quick and easy to do. Moreover, one should bear in mind that while it is more straightforward to move to a country in the Schengen Area, it is much harder to find good and affordable accommodation in cities like Paris or Zurich than in Edinburgh or other major British cities (excluding London, of course).
