The First Philosophy and Reinforcement Learning Symposium
The First Philosophy and Reinforcement Learning Symposium is an invitational meeting that brings together philosophers and reinforcement learning researchers to explore the intersection of their respective fields. It will be held at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on May 1–2.
About
The Philosophy and Reinforcement Learning Symposium (PRL) is a two-day meeting that brings together researchers in reinforcement learning, philosophy of mind, and cognitive science to examine foundational questions at the intersection of these fields. The first PRL symposium will be held at UMass Amherst in Amherst, MA on May 1–2.
Reinforcement learning (RL) has become central both as an engineering paradigm for sequential decision-making and as a conceptual framework in cognitive science and neuroscience. Yet many of RL’s foundational commitments—such as how to interpret "reward," the normative assumptions implicit in optimization, and the relationship between algorithmic learning rules and human cognition—remain underexamined and, in some cases, underdeveloped. Addressing these issues requires not only philosophical analysis of existing RL frameworks, but also new technical work within RL itself, including the development of methods that better reflect normative, cognitive, or experiential considerations. The Philosophy and Reinforcement Learning Symposium (PRL) is designed to foster sustained, genuinely bidirectional exchange between philosophy and reinforcement learning, bringing together researchers who aim both to sharpen philosophical accounts of learning and mind and to advance reinforcement learning theory and practice in light of those accounts.
The symposium is supported by the HFA and CICS Collaborative Seed Fund and is co-organized by Eleonore Neufeld (Department of Philosophy, HFA) and Philip Thomas (Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences, CICS).
Note: The symposium will include talks by invited participants and structured discussion sessions. Additional details about public access (if applicable) and logistics will be posted as the program is finalized.
Schedule
The detailed schedule is currently being finalized and will be posted here.
Travel
Getting to UMass Amherst
UMass Amherst is located in Amherst, Massachusetts, in the Pioneer Valley region of western Massachusetts. For most travelers, flying into Bradley International Airport (BDL) is typically more convenient than flying into Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), due to shorter ground travel time and generally easier transfers.
- Recommended airport: Bradley International Airport (BDL), Windsor Locks, CT (approximately 45–60 minutes to UMass by car, depending on traffic)
- Alternative airport: Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston, MA (often 2+ hours to UMass, and highly traffic-dependent)
From the airport, attendees typically travel to Amherst via rental car or car service. Additional guidance on ground transportation options can be provided upon request.
Hotel support for invited participants
Invited participants will have hotel accommodations covered for three nights, for itineraries that arrive on April 30 and depart on May 3. Hotel details and booking instructions will be shared directly with invited participants.