Please distribute to others who may be interested...
You are hereby invited to the twenty-fourth seminar organized in
2005 by the "Evolution, Complexity and
Cognition (ECCO)" research group:
Mathematical
symbols as epistemic actions
by
(CLWF, VUB)
Place: room 3C204 (building C, 3rd floor), VUB campus
Etterbeek
Time: Friday, Oct. 21, at 17:30 h.
Abstract
Why are mathematical models so
surprisingly efficient in the sciences? I adopt an externalist
perspective on human mathematical abilities. Focusing on algebra, I
will show that the human brain contains several specialized neural
circuits which can be co-opted to generate cognitive capacities that
are necessary to solve equations. However, algebra has emergent
properties which cannot be reduced to these cognitive subsystems. In
particular, experimental evidence suggests that our evolved number
sense is only capable of representing approximate quantities. Active
externalism, a cognitive mechanism proposed by various authors,
including Andy Clark and Merlin Donald, allows humans to overcome
these cognitive limitations by performing epistemic actions in the
world that could not be performed in the mind alone. I discuss the
extensive use of external symbols in the history of early modern
European algebra, and demonstrate that this has led to an increasing
efficiency of mathematics as epistemic tool in the sciences. This
externalization of mathematical symbols can be traced back in the
archaeological record to at least 20 000 years ago. Wider
implications of externalist and evolutionary approaches to
understanding mathematical cognition are discussed.
About the speaker
Helen De Cruz is a research assistant at
the Free University of Brussels' Centre for Logic and Philosophy of
Science. She is currently preparing a Ph.D. thesis which investigates
possible relationships between evolved mathematical abilities and
cultural mathematical concepts. Her research interests include
cognitive archaeology, cognitive science and evolutionary
psychology.
More information
A recent article by Helen De Cruz on the connection between evolved mathematical cognitive abilities and cultural transmission of mathematical concepts can be found at:
More information
A recent article by Helen De Cruz on the connection between evolved mathematical cognitive abilities and cultural transmission of mathematical concepts can be found at:
http://www.cogsci.rpi.edu/CSJarchive/Proceedings/2005/docs/p565.pdf
ECCO
seminar programme coming weeks
- 28 Oct: Marko Rodriguez: A
Multi-Graph to Support the Scholarly Process
- 4 Nov: Francis Heylighen: Developing a Self-Organizing Knowledge Network for Complexity Science.
- 18 Nov: Bertin Martens: Extending the Evolutionary Epistemology Paradigm into Economics
- 25 Nov: Nathalie Gontier: Symbiogenesis as a Fundamental Evolutionary Principle
ECCO seminars normally take place each Friday at 17h30 in room
3C204 of the VUB Campus Etterbeek. Everyone interested is welcome.
The seminars are very interactive, with small groups (about 8-10
people). The intention is to discuss in depth the research being
proposed, and to look for interdisciplinary connections with other
themes related to Evolution, Complexity and Cognition. Seminars last
about two hours, after which the remaining participants go to take a
drink or a snack in the Opinio Café on the campus, to continue the
discussion in a more relaxed setting.
--
Francis Heylighen
Evolution, Complexity and Cognition group
Free University of Brussels
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYL.html
Francis Heylighen
Evolution, Complexity and Cognition group
Free University of Brussels
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYL.html
