PPIG: Philosophy, Psychology, and Informatics Group
Speaker: Carrie Figdor (University of Iowa)
Title: Semantic Implications of Evolutionary Theory for Psychology
Abstract: Evolutionary explanations imply ontological commitment to characters. “Character” is a technical term in biology for the units that capture the evolutionary trajectories of traits. I will explain what characters are, what ontological commitment to characters involves, and what this ontological commitment implies for our understanding of cognitive abilities and our uses of cognitive terms to refer to those abilities.
Further information
We are a group of researchers from diverse backgrounds in the above-mentioned groups (and beyond) who aim to gain an interdisciplinary yet deep understanding of the threads that bind the human mind and the world. In particular, this seminar series focuses on the nature of cognition, metacognition and social cognition. We’ll be tackling questions such as, what does it mean to think? What does it mean to think about thinking? And, what does it mean to think about one’s own thinking versus thinking about the thinking of other people? Please come along!
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Contact details
PPIG: Philosophy, Psychology, and Informatics Group
Room 2.12, Appleton Tower, 11 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9LE