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You are hereby invited to the third seminar in our new interdisciplinary series on Evolution, Complexity and Cognition (ECCO) <http://ecco.vub.ac.be> : A Progressive Evolutionary Worldview Jan Bernheim (Human Ecology Department, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bioethics research group, VUB) Abstract: A worldview helps when facing existential questions. Ideally, it should at least provide workable inroads to questions on ontology, ontogeny, teleology, futurology, epistemology, life praxis, ethology, ethics, and importantly- a rational framework for emotions and mysteries. Also, empirically, religious people are happier and healthier, and live longer. The traditional religious and political-philosophical worldviews are largely discredited or objectionable, and have left a void. I argue that an evolutionary approach (physical historical for the universe, Darwinian for the bio-sphere and historical for human affairs) is a potent instrument to make sense of things. The progressive evolutionary worldview is also an optimistic one because what we know of evolution suggest progress in complexity. When? This THURSDAY 25th January, 2-4 pm. Where? The seminar room is B 0.036 (building B, level 0, close to the human sciences computer rooms), on the VUB Campus Etterbeek. Coffee and drinks are available. Free entrance: everybody welcome! _____ Seminar Program for the coming weeks: 31th January Clément Vidal, A Minimal Philosophical Agenda. Worldview Construction as a Philosophical Method. 7th February Mixel Kiemen, Complex-Adaptive information processing. 14th February Wim Christiaens, Apostel's concept of causality: defining Being by folding "logic" on "life". 21th February Dirk Kenis, Knowledge Management in Virtual Communities: opportunities for Agile Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) 28th February Erden Goktepe, Mediating International Agents: The Question of Efficiency. Future speakers : Karin Verelst, Helen de Cruz, Arnold De Loof, Mehmet Tezcan, Klaas Chielens. More info about the ECCO seminars: http://pcp.vub.ac.be:8000/ECCO-web/11 or http://www.knosos.be/?q=node/1666 (PDF <http://www.knosos.be/?q=system/files/ecco_seminars_2007_0.pdf> program with abstracts). Best regards, Clément Vidal. _________________________________ http://clement.vidal.philosophons.com <http://clement.vidal.philosophons.com/> Evolution, Complexity and Cognition research group, Free University of Brussels. Krijgskundestraat 33. B-1160 Brussels, Belgium. +32 (0) 2 640 67 37
