2018 MITx Philosophy Award Winners
Congratulations to the three winners of the MITx Philosophy Award.
Pascal Bachor
Course: 24.118x Paradox and Infinity
Award Essay: “Probability in the Infinite Hat Game”
Born and raised in Heidelberg, Germany, Pascal is currently studying computer science in Freiburg in the sunny southwest of the country. In his studies he is focusing on Mathematical Logic and Artificial Intelligence. He is particularly interested in topics at the intersection of philosophy, mathematics and computer science such as computational complexity, logic or ethics. Another one of his passions is music. He enjoys playing Chopin on his piano or singing in a choir as much as dancing to techno and trance.
Pascal Bachor
Course: 24.118x Paradox and Infinity
Award Essay: “Probability in the Infinite Hat Game”
Born and raised in Heidelberg, Germany, Pascal is currently studying computer science in Freiburg in the sunny southwest of the country. In his studies he is focusing on Mathematical Logic and Artificial Intelligence. He is particularly interested in topics at the intersection of philosophy, mathematics and computer science such as computational complexity, logic or ethics. Another one of his passions is music. He enjoys playing Chopin on his piano or singing in a choir as much as dancing to techno and trance.
Valérie Demers
Award Essay: “Experiments on the Two-Envelope Problem”
Valérie Demers grew up in a suburb of Montreal, Canada. She stumbled on the beauty of mathematics thanks to a serendipitous course of group theory in CEGEP. She then decided to study mathematics at Université de Montréal. After completing her master’s degree, she worked in data analysis for several years. She currently works in actuarial science for a large property and casualty insurance company in Quebec, Canada. In her spare time, she likes to learn about pure maths and artificial intelligence.
Valérie Demers
Award Essay: “Experiments on the Two-Envelope Problem”
Valérie Demers grew up in a suburb of Montreal, Canada. She stumbled on the beauty of mathematics thanks to a serendipitous course of group theory in CEGEP. She then decided to study mathematics at Université de Montréal. After completing her master’s degree, she worked in data analysis for several years. She currently works in actuarial science for a large property and casualty insurance company in Quebec, Canada. In her spare time, she likes to learn about pure maths and artificial intelligence.
Laughing Water
Course: 24.00x Introduction to Philosophy: God, Knowledge and Consciousness
Laughing Water was seized by the riddle of consciousness at a tender age, took up hatha yoga at 13, earned an MIT degree in philosophy and psychology and studied cognitive psychology and East-West psychology at the University of Illinois and the California Institute of Integral Studies. Since 1975 he has managed the Real Food Store in Helena, Montana, where he practices yoga two hours a day and bikes to work year-round. A lover of natural and computer languages, he has translated a Russian meteorology book for the MIT Press, completed several online courses in artificial intelligence and regularly attends the Science of Consciousness conferences in Tucson.
Laughing Water
Course: 24.00x Introduction to Philosophy: God, Knowledge and Consciousness
Laughing Water was seized by the riddle of consciousness at a tender age, took up hatha yoga at 13, earned an MIT degree in philosophy and psychology and studied cognitive psychology and East-West psychology at the University of Illinois and the California Institute of Integral Studies. Since 1975 he has managed the Real Food Store in Helena, Montana, where he practices yoga two hours a day and bikes to work year-round. A lover of natural and computer languages, he has translated a Russian meteorology book for the MIT Press, completed several online courses in artificial intelligence and regularly attends the Science of Consciousness conferences in Tucson.