Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2014 10:46:13 +0000 From: Helen Anne Curry <[email protected]> Subject: HPS Dept Seminar, 6 March: Rae Langton on generic speech acts and social kinds To: [email protected] Message-ID: <[email protected]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
*Rae Langton *(Philosophy, Cambridge) will speak at the History and Philosophy of Science Departmental Seminar this Thursday, 6 March at 4.30pm on *Generic speech acts and social kinds* Generics are a primitive default mode of generalizing: 'Tigers have stripes', 'Birds fly', 'Mosquitoes carry the West Nile virus'. They pick up on significant or striking properties, and link them to a psychologically salient kind. Current work in psychology reveals their role in 'essentialist' thinking about natural and social kinds. I want to focus on their social role -- e.g. 'Women can't do science', 'Hispanics are lazy' -- connecting this with their force when used in illocutionary speech acts. In the social domain generic speech acts can be powerful tools for the expression and creation of social norms, group prejudice, stereotyping, and hate speech. Their subtle workings make them hard to notice, and hard to fight. This talk will identify some problems, but thoughts about remedies will be welcome. Tea and biscuits will be available from 4pm in Seminar Room 1. Following the talk we will go to the pub, and on to dinner. All are welcome! -- Helen Anne Curry Lecturer in History of Modern Science and Technology Department of History and Philosophy of Science University of Cambridge Free School Lane Cambridge CB2 3RH 01223 335748
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