Dear all
The first CamPoS (Cambridge Philosophy of Science) seminar of the new year is
tomorrow. Our speaker is Jonathan Cohen of the University of California, San
Diego. Details as follows:
Time: Wednesday 10 October, 1-2:30pm
Place: Seminar Room 2, Department of History and Philosophy of Science (Free
School Lane, CB2 3RH)
Title: Many Molyneux Questions [Joint work with Mohan Matthen]
Abstract: Molyneux's Question (MQ) concerns whether a newly sighted man would
recognize/distinguish a sphere and a cube by vision, assuming he could
previously do this by touch.
We argue that (MQ) splits into questions about (a) shared
representations of space in different perceptual systems, and about (b) shared
ways of constructing higher dimensional spatiotemporal features from
information about lower dimensional ones, most of the technical difficulty
centring on (b). So understood, MQ resists any monolithic answer: everything
depends on the constraints faced by particular perceptual systems in extracting
features of higher dimensionality from those of lower. Each individual question
of this type is empirical and must be investigated separately.
We present several variations on MQ based on different levels of
dimensional integration — some of these are familiar, some novel adaptations of
problems known elsewhere, and some completely novel. Organizing these cases in
this way is useful because it unifies a set of disparate questions about
intermodal transfer that have held philosophical and psychological interest,
suggests a new range of questions of the same type, sheds light on similarities
and differences between members of the family, and allows us to formulate a
much-augmented set of principles and questions concerning the intermodal
transfer of spatiotemporal organization.
The term card for Michaelmas 2018 is available at
https://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/news-events/seminars-reading-groups/campos
<https://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/news-events/seminars-reading-groups/campos>
You can also follow our activities at https://twitter.com/CamPhilSci
All are welcome.
All the best
Matt
Dr Matt Farr • Teaching Associate in Philosophy of Science
University of Cambridge • Department of History & Philosophy of Science
Free School Lane | Cambridge | CB2 3RH
w mattfarr.co.uk <http://www.mattfarr.co.uk/> | e [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]> | t 01223334559
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