BEGIN:VCALENDAR BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Can LLMs Reason? A Hands-On Exploration DTSTART:20261005T160000Z DTEND:20261005T173000Z UID:https://cdh.princeton.edu/events/2026/10/can-llms-reason-a-hands-on-ex ploration/ DESCRIPTION:\n\n This workshop guides participants through the basics of an LLM setup and the specific way that models are trained to "\;reason ."\; A short history of this process accompanies a simple tutorial ru n locally on participants'\; machines. The goal is to see what is not just "\;next token prediction\,"\; but instead a more open-ended e xploration of context and rules in modern models. No coding experience of any kind is required. Leif Weatherby is founding director of the Digital Theory Lab and Professor of German at New York University. His scholarshi p focuses on literary theory\, digital culture\, and the history of scienc e\, with particular attention to the philosophical foundations of computin g and AI.He is the author of Transplanting the Metaphysical Organ: German Romanticism between Leibniz and Marx (Fordham\, 2016) and\, most recently \, Language Machines: Cultural AI and the End of Remainder Humanism (Unive rsity of Minnesota Press\, 2025)\, which argues that large language models don'\;t simulate cognition but instead generate culture. His writing has appeared in the The New York Times\, Critical Inquiry\, and The Point Magazine. He is currently a fellow of the Open Society Foundations.\n\n\n \n\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n Additional progr ams\n \n\n \n\n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n How to Reason with Words: Models\, Me taphors\, Metaphysics\n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Oct 6 5:00PM–7:00PM\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n Leif Weatherby\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n Lectu re\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n Leif W eatherby &\; Mel Andrews in conversation\n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Oct 8 6:00PM–8:00PM\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n Leif Wea therby\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n Talk\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nhttps: //cdh.princeton.edu/events/2026/10/can-llms-reason-a-hands-on-exploration/ LOCATION:Simpson B60\, Simpson B60\, Princeton University END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR