DOCSLIB.ORG

Centro De Estudios De Filosofía Analítica

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Centro De Estudios De Filosofía Analítica ANALÍTICA REVISTA DE FILOSOFÍA Nº 7 ANALÍTICA Revista de Filosofía, Nº 7 Director Óscar Augusto García Zárate Comité Editorial David Villena Saldaña Javier Vidal López José Antonio Tejada Sandoval Pablo Quintanilla Pérez-Wicht Miguel Ángel León Untiveros Reseñas Alonso Zela Comité Consultivo Internacional Alberto Cordero-Lecca (City University of New York, EE.UU.) Jean-Pierre Cometti (Universidad de Provenza, Francia) Pascal Engel (Universidad de Ginebra, Suiza) W. D. Hart (Universidad de Illinois, Chicago, EE.UU.) Øystein Linnebo (Birkbeck College, University of London, Reino Unido) Georg Meggle (Universidad de Leipzig, Alemania) Francisco Miró Quesada Cantuarias (Sociedad Peruana de Filosofía) Luis Piscoya Hermoza (UNMSM, Perú) Jorge Secada Koechlin (Universidad de Virginia, EE.UU.) Scott Soames (Universidad de California Sur, EE.UU.) Correo-e: analí[email protected] URL: http://cesfia.org.pe/analitica Incluida en The Philosopher’s Index ISSN: 1996-1464 Depósito Legal: 2012-01040 SUMARIO Presentación 5 ARTÍCULOS Interpretation, Triangulation and Meaning 11 Pablo Quintanilla Tipos de lectura de la mente: objeciones a la propuesta de Bermúdez 47 Laura Danón Hegel, Ciencia y Teoría de Conjuntos 69 Paul Thagard Tres tipos de significado 89 Patrick Suppes El sexto y séptimo dogma del empirismo y la concepción semántica de las teorías científicas 109 Miguel Ángel León Untiveros RESEÑAS The Princeton Companion to Mathematics 135 Reseñado por Javier Castro Albano Roy T. Cook. A dictionary of philosophical logic 141 Reseñado por José Antonio Tejada Sandoval NOTICIAS Día Mundial de la Filosofía 153 PABLOCONTENIDO QUINTANILLA XIV Congreso Nacional de Filosofía 155 II Jornada de Estudiantes de Filosofía Analítica 159 Peirce 2014. The Charles S. Peirce International Centennial Congress 161 Talleres de Filosofía Analítica 162 LIBROS RECIBIDOS 167 4 PRESENTACIÓN Un año más ha transcurrido. Y con él, un nuevo número de Analítica ve la luz. Así, pues, una vez más –y es éste un hecho por demás significativo, y que llena de orgullo al comité editorial– un mancomunado y sostenido despliegue de esfuerzos, en un medio en que resulta particularmente dificultoso mantener «con vida» una publicación académica, hacen posible llevar a ustedes, estimadísimo público lector, otro número de nuestra revista. Y a través de ésta, hoy como al inicio, hace ya algo más de seis años, va también comunicado el esfuerzo de aquellos estudiosos que colaboran con sus escritos a fin de mantener la vigencia de una publicación como ésta que busca difundir investigaciones que, encuadradas preferentemente en el terreno de la reflexión filosófica de cuño analítico, exhiban un nivel óptimo de calidad académica y escritural para beneficio de la comunidad filosófica. No estará de más mencionar en el marco de esta breve presentación la labor que el Centro de Estudios de Filosofía Analítica (CESFIA) ha desarrollado recientemente en lo que concierne puntualmente al auspicio, ya por dos años consecutivos, de un importante evento académico, y cuyo espíritu no es otro sino el de fomentar la seria y concienzuda investigación entre las nuevas generaciones de estudiantes sanmarquinos dedicados a los menesteres de la meditación filosófica, generaciones que constituyen una verdadera y pujante reserva intelectual de nuestra comunidad académica. En efecto, se trató de la I y la II Jornada de Estudiantes de Filosofía Analítica, llevadas a cabo, respectivamente, el 2012 y el 2013, en las instalaciones de la «Decana de América», la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. El CESFIA de manera PRESENTACIÓN particularmente entusiasta patrocinó, como veníamos diciendo, el mencionado evento, y halló una muy receptiva respuesta por parte de los jóvenes investigadores de nuestra universidad que han orientado su reflexión hacia el cúmulo de temas que conciernen a la sólida y respetable tradición analítica. A continuación, pasemos revista sucintamente a las colaboraciones que en esta ocasión Analítica ha tenido el honor de publicar. En la sección de artículos, se ofrecen los siguientes textos. Procedente de la pluma de Pablo Quintanilla, PhD. por la Universidad de Virginia, y actualmente decano de Estudios Generales de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, tenemos «Interpretation, Triangulation and Meaning».También Laura Danón, Doctora en filosofía y actualmente investigadora de la Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades de la Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, colabora en esta ocasión a través de «Tipos de lectura de la mente: objeciones a la propuesta de Bermúdez». Por su parte, Paul Thagard, PhD por la Universidad de Saskatchewan, profesor de filosofía y director del Cognitive Science Program de la University of Waterloo, nos ofrece «Hegel, Ciencia y Teoría de Conjuntos». Patrick Suppes, autor, como es bien sabido, de importantes contribuciones en el ámbito de la filosofía de la ciencia, y actualmente profesor emérito de la Stanford University, ahora comparte con nosotros «Tres tipos de significado». Cerrando esta sección, tenemos «El sexto y séptimo dogma del empirismo y la concepción semántica de las teorías científicas» artículo de Miguel Ángel León, licenciado en Derecho por la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú y doctorando en filosofía por la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. En la sección dedicada a las reseñas, tenemos el texto de Javier Castro Albano, becario doctoral de la Universidad de Buenos Aires y ayudante de primera de Lógica, quien efectúa la presentación crítica de The Princeton Companion to Mathematics. Finalmente, José Antonio Tejada, miembro del CESFIA y egresado de la maestría en Historia de la Filosofía de la Universidad Nacional PRESENTACIÓN Mayor de San Marcos tomó a su cargo la reseña de la obra de Roy T. Coock, A Dictionary of Philosophical Logic. A todos ellos, por supuesto, nuestra inmensa gratitud por la sesuda, responsable y comprometida tarea llevada a efecto en la elaboración de sus impecables y muy interesantes trabajos. Es justo decir que el resultado tanto en el caso de los artículos cuanto en el de las reseñas ha sido óptimo. La idea es ésa, justamente, y no perdemos ocasión de ponerla de relieve: ofrecer a través de nuestra publicación anual textos de calidad que permitan igual al lego interesado en esta dimensión de la reflexión filosófica, como al perito en la materia, ponerse al día en lo que atañe a las investigaciones que actualmente se vienen desarrollando en los campos siempre fecundos de la filosofía analítica. Como siempre, nobleza obliga: también queden expresados nuestros profundos y más sinceros agradecimientos a quienes ahora han contribuido decisivamente a que Analítica continúe circulando entre nosotros. Así, pues, agradecemos de manera muy especial a la Facultad de Letras y Ciencias Humanas de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos por el apoyo recibido. Muy especiales gracias les sean dadas, del mismo modo, a nuestros atentos lectores. Son ustedes, a la postre, los que en buena medida mantienen vivo el interés no sólo de todos aquellos investigadores que buscan publicar a fin de dar a conocer sus ideas y someterlas a la consideración de la comunidad académica, sino de igual forma de quienes, como nosotros, además, cautelamos que cada edición de Analítica se constituya en un medio que favorezca la más adecuada y cuidada presentación de dichas ideas. Creemos que, hasta ahora lo hemos logrado. El reto, planteado de manera permanente, es, en definitiva, perseverar en el despliegue de nuestros mayores y mejores esfuerzos para que ello sea siempre así. ÓSCAR AUGUSTO GARCÍA ZÁRATE Director de Analítica ARTÍCULOS INTERPRETATION, TRIANGULATION AND MEANING PABLO QUINTANILLA Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú [email protected] Recibido: 15/10/13 Aprobado: 14/11/13 SUMMARY Although Donald Davidson has provided a very powerful account of meaning for natural languages, he has done little to explicate what concept of interpretation is assumed by it. Thus, in this paper I wish to ask what it is to interpret a speaker’s utterance. I claim that it is to be able to describe it in terms familiar to the interpreter, attributing to it truth conditions according to the interpreter’s beliefs about the world, under a triangular setting, in which many different descriptions could do equally well. However, some descriptions might prove better than others due to epistemic virtues similar to those that make a scientific theory more explicative than another one. Key words: Davidson, meaning, interpretation, triangulation, truth conditions RESUMEN Aunque Donald Davidson ha propuesto una concepción muy poderosa de significado para lenguas naturales, ha hecho poco por explicitar la concepción de interpretación que está asumida en esta. Así, en este artículo deseo abordar qué es interpretar una proferencia verbal emitida por un hablante. Sostengo que es describir la proferencia en terminos familiares para el intérprete, atribuyéndoles condiciones de verdad en concordancia con sus creencias, [Analítica, Año 7, N.º 7, Lima, 2013; pp. 11-46] PABLO QUINTANILLA dentro de un contexto triangular en el que diferentes descripciones podrían funcionar igualmente bien. Sin embargo, algunas descripciones podrían probar ser mejores que otras, en consideración a ciertas virtudes epistémicas semejantes a aquellas que hacen que una teoría científica sea más explicativa que otra. Palabras clave: Davidson, significado, interpretación, triangulación, condiciones de verdad In this paper I wish to show how Davidson’s account of linguistic interpretation can be a
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Fritz Allhoff
    Philosophies of the Sciences Philosophies of the Sciences A Guide Edited by Fritz Allhoff A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication This edition first published 2010 © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd Blackwell Publishing was acquired by John Wiley & Sons in February 2007. Blackwell’s publishing program has been merged with Wiley’s global Scientific, Technical, and Medical business to form Wiley-Blackwell. Registered Office John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom Editorial Offices 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell. The right of Fritz Allhoff to be identified as the author of the editorial material in this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
    [Show full text]
  • Stephen J. Gould's Legacy
    STEPHEN J. GOULD’S LEGACY NATURE, HISTORY, SOCIETY Venice, May 10–12, 2012 Organized by Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti in collaboration with Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia ABSTRACTS Organizing Committee Gian Antonio Danieli, Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti Elena Gagliasso, Sapienza Università di Roma Alessandro Minelli, Università degli studi di Padova and Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti Telmo Pievani, Università degli studi di Milano Bicocca and Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti Maria Turchetto, Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia Chairpersons Bernardino Fantini, Université de Genève Marco Ferraguti, Università degli studi di Milano Elena Gagliasso, Sapienza Università di Roma Giorgio Manzi, Sapienza Università di Roma Alessandro Minelli, Università degli studi di Padova and Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti Telmo Pievani, Università degli studi di Milano Bicocca and Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti Maria Turchetto, Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia Invited speakers Guido Barbujani, Università degli studi di Ferrara Marcello Buiatti, Università degli studi di Firenze Andrea Cavazzini, Université de Liège Niles Eldredge, American Museum of Natural History, New York T. Ryan Gregory, University of Guelph Alberto Gualandi, Università degli studi di Bologna Elisabeth Lloyd, Indiana University Giuseppe Longo, CNRS; École Normale Supérieure, Paris Winfried Menninghaus, Freie Universität Berlin Alessandro Minelli, Università degli studi di Padova and Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti Gerd Müller, Konrad Lorenz Institute, Vienna and Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti Marco Pappalardo, McGill University, Montreal Telmo Pievani, Università degli studi di Milano Bicocca and Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti Klaus Scherer, Université de Genève Ian Tattersall, American Museum of Natural History, New York May 20, 2012 will be the tenth anniversary of Stephen Jay Gould’s death.
    [Show full text]
  • Three Schools of Paraconsistency K T∗ P D,M U [email protected]
    Three Schools of Paraconsistency K T∗ P D,M U [email protected] Received by Greg Restall Published July 1, 2003 http://www.philosophy.unimelb.edu.au/ajl/2003 c 2003 Koji Tanaka Abstract: A logic is said to be paraconsistent if it does not allow everything to follow from contradictory premises. There are several approaches to paraconsistency. This paper is concerned with several philosophical posi- tions on paraconsistency. In particular, it concerns three ‘schools’ of para- consistency: Australian, Belgian and Brazilian. The Belgian and Brazilian schools have raised some objections to the dialetheism of the Australian school. I argue that the Australian school of paraconsistency need not be closed down on the basis of the Belgian and Brazilian schools’ objections. In the appendix of the paper, I also argue that the Brazilian school’s view of logic is not coherent. But though logic has come a long way very recently, it has a longer way to go, both in whom it involves and what it investigates. There are, for in- stance, virtually no black researchers, and exceedingly few women are en- gaged; and for all the proclaimed rationality of modern humans and their institutions, logic touches comparatively little human practice. Differ- ently, there remain many notions of considerable logical import, some of historical significance, of which we lack decent accounts or, sometimes, a clear appreciation. To the satisfactory elucidation of these, sociative logics can make essential contributions. Sylvan (1989) p. 133. 1 I A logic is said to be paraconsistent if it does not allow everything to fol- low from contradictory premises: it is not the case that for any α and β, ∗I would like to thank Graham Priest for making some of the ideas contained in the paper clear and for his comments on drafts of the paper.
    [Show full text]
  • Newton Da Costa on Non-Reflexive Logics and Identity
    Becker Arenhart, Jonas Rafael Newton da Costa on non-reflexive logics and identity Esta obra está bajo una Licencia Creative Commons Argentina. Atribución - No Comercial - Sin Obra Derivada 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ar/ Documento descargado de RIDAA-UNQ Repositorio Institucional Digital de Acceso Abierto de la Universidad Nacional de Quilmes de la Universidad Nacional de Quilmes Cita recomendada: Becker Arenhart, J. R. (2019). Newton da Costa on non-reflexive logics and identity. Metatheoria, 9(2), 19-31. Disponible en RIDAA-UNQ Repositorio Institucional Digital de Acceso Abierto de la Universidad Nacional de Quilmes http://ridaa.unq.edu.ar/handle/20.500.11807/2536 Puede encontrar éste y otros documentos en: https://ridaa.unq.edu.ar Newton da Costa on Non-Reflexive Logics and Identity Newton da Costa sobre la lógica no-reflexiva y la identidad Jonas Rafael Becker Arenhart† Abstract Newton da Costa pioneered first-order systems of so-called non-reflexive logics (NRL). According to those systems of logic, the reflexive law of identity is restricted; it does not apply to every kind of object the system deals with. NRL were later developed into higher-order systems and quasi-set theory by Décio Krause. The main motivation to develop such systems came from non-relativistic quantum mechanics. Intuitively, it is argued that quantum entities somehow “lost their identities”, they are non-individuals. Non-reflexive logics are the systems employed to formally underpin such a metaphysical interpretation of the theory. In this paper we re-access da Costa’s contributions in the light of recent developments on both the metaphysics of quantum mechanics and on the latest developments of the formalism.
    [Show full text]
  • 13 QUESTIONS ABOUT UNIVERSAL LOGIC 13 Questions to Jean-Yves B´Eziau, by Linda Eastwood
    Bulletin of the Section of Logic Volume 35:2/3 (2006), pp. 133–150 Jean-Yves B´eziau 13 QUESTIONS ABOUT UNIVERSAL LOGIC 13 questions to Jean-Yves B´eziau, by Linda Eastwood The expression “universal logic” prompts a number of misunderstandings pressing up against to the confusion prevailing nowadays around the very notion of logic. In order to clear up such equivocations, I prepared a series of questions to Jean-Yves B´eziau,who has been working for many years on his project of universal logic, recently in the University of Neuchˆatel, Switzerland. 1. Although your proposal to develop a universal logic is very appealing, isn’t it a utopian one? Isn’t it an absurd, or even dangerous thing to believe that it would be possible to develop a unique logic accounting for everything? Let us immediately reject some misunderstanding; universal logic, as I understand it, is not one universal logic. In fact, from the viewpoint of universal logic the existence of one universal logic is not even possible, and this is a result that can easily be shown. One might thus say somehow ironically the following: according to universal logic there is no universal logic. Some people in some countries have always tried to elaborate a uni- versal system that would account for any sort of reasoning, or reasoning as a whole. Aristotelian logic was depicted itself as a universal one. More recently, first-order classical logic appeared to some as a universal system accounting for mathematical reasoning as well as current one, that is, the one used to buy your bread at the bakery.
    [Show full text]
  • Adaptationism and the Logic of Research Questions: How to Think Clearly About Evolutionary Causes
    Biol Theory (2015) 10:343–362 DOI 10.1007/s13752-015-0214-2 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Adaptationism and the Logic of Research Questions: How to Think Clearly About Evolutionary Causes Elisabeth A. Lloyd1 Received: 20 March 2015 / Accepted: 29 May 2015 / Published online: 9 July 2015 Ó Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research 2015 Abstract This article discusses various dangers that popular methods, despite its benign reputation. In ‘‘The accompany the supposedly benign methods in behavioral Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm,’’ evolutionary biology and evolutionary psychology that fall Gould and Lewontin (1979) drew attention to several under the framework of ‘‘methodological adaptationism.’’ dangers in using this method. In this article, I present a A ‘‘Logic of Research Questions’’ is proposed that aids in framework for analysis that makes their worries clearer. I clarifying the reasoning problems that arise due to the also warn of further risks of this methodological frame- framework under critique. The live, and widely practiced, work, expanding on the dangers it poses to scientific rea- ‘‘evolutionary factors’’ framework is offered as the key soning in evolutionary biology. At the same time, I comparison and alternative. The article goes beyond the emphasize that I am not attacking the notion of looking for traditional critique of Stephen Jay Gould and Richard C. adaptations in evolutionary studies: I am not anti-adapta- Lewontin, to present problems such as the disappearance of tion. The issues concern which framework is most appro- evidence, the mishandling of the null hypothesis, and priate and fruitful. failures in scientific reasoning, exemplified by a case from As evolutionary biology is usually taught and con- human behavioral ecology.
    [Show full text]
  • Sentence, Proposition, Judgment, Statement, and Fact: Speaking About the Written English Used in Logic John Corcoran
    Sentence, Proposition, Judgment, Statement, and Fact: Speaking about the Written English Used in Logic John Corcoran Dedication: for Professor Newton da Costa, friend, collaborator, co-discoverer of the Truth-set Principle, and co-creator of the Classical Logic of Variable-binding Term Operators-on his eightieth birthday. abstract. The five ambiguous words|sentence, proposition, judg- ment, statement, and fact|each have meanings that are vague in the sense of admitting borderline cases. This paper discusses sev- eral senses of these and related words used in logic. It focuses on a constellation of recommended primary senses. A judgment is a pri- vate epistemic act that results in a new belief; a statement is a public pragmatic event involving an utterance. Each is executed by a unique person at a unique time and place. Propositions and sentences are timeless and placeless abstractions. A proposition is an intensional entity; it is a meaning composed of concepts. A sentence is a linguistic entity. A written sentence is a string of characters. A sentence can be used by a person to express meanings, but no sentence is intrinsically meaningful. Only propositions are properly said to be true or to be false|in virtue of facts, which are subsystems of the universe. The fact that two is even is timeless; the fact that Socrates was murdered is semi-eternal; the most general facts of physics|in virtue of which propositions of physics are true or false|are eternal. As suggested by the title, this paper is meant to be read aloud. 1 Introduction The words|sentence, proposition, judgment, statement, and fact|are am- biguous in that logicians use each of them with multiple normal meanings.
    [Show full text]
  • Stephen Jay Gould Papers M1437
    http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt229036tr No online items Guide to the Stephen Jay Gould Papers M1437 Jenny Johnson Department of Special Collections and University Archives August 2011 ; revised 2019 Green Library 557 Escondido Mall Stanford 94305-6064 [email protected] URL: http://library.stanford.edu/spc Guide to the Stephen Jay Gould M1437 1 Papers M1437 Language of Material: English Contributing Institution: Department of Special Collections and University Archives Title: Stephen Jay Gould papers creator: Gould, Stephen Jay source: Shearer, Rhonda Roland Identifier/Call Number: M1437 Physical Description: 575 Linear Feet(958 boxes) Physical Description: 1180 computer file(s)(52 megabytes) Date (inclusive): 1868-2004 Date (bulk): bulk Abstract: This collection documents the life of noted American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science, Stephen Jay Gould. The papers include correspondence, juvenilia, manuscripts, subject files, teaching files, photographs, audiovisual materials, and personal and biographical materials created and compiled by Gould. Both textual and born-digital materials are represented in the collection. Preferred Citation [identification of item], Stephen Jay Gould Papers, M1437. Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif. Publication Rights While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use
    [Show full text]
  • The Lvov-Warsaw School : a True Mythology
    The Lvov-Warsaw School : a True Mythology Jean-Yves Beziau Abstract. I discuss various aspects of the Lvov-Warsaw School: its past, present and future; its location, evolution, thematics; the variety of its members. I de- velop this analysis on the basis of my 25-year experience with Poland. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000). Primary 01A72; Secondary 0303, 03A05, 03B22, 03B45; 03B50; 03B53; 03C95. Keywords. Lvov-Warsaw School, Twardowski, Les´niewski,Lukasiewi cz, Tarski, Polish Logic, Metalogic, Methodology of Deductive Sciences, Consequence, Universal Logic. Dedicated to Jan Zygmunt my host during my first stay in Poland, Wroc law, 1992-93 Contents 1. From Bah´ıa Blanca to Wroc law 2 1.1. Meeting with Stan Surma at the end of the world 2 1.2. The Polish Brazilian connection 3 1.3. Polish surroundings 5 2. The Atopicity of the Lvov-Warsaw School 9 2.1. A school without a location 9 2.2. A school without a topic 14 2.3. A school which is not a school 19 3. The Future of the Lvov-Warsaw school 21 3.1. No Future 21 3.2. Logic in Poland 1992-2017 24 3.3. The Universal Logic Project 31 Acknowledgments 34 References 34 2 Jean-Yves Beziau This paper is an introductory chapter of a book about a very famous school of logic. I did not “order” this book but I am very glad to have received this proposal and the book to be published in a book series I have created inspired by this school. The present paper is a mix between personal recollections and logico-philosophical reflections on this glorious school of logic.
    [Show full text]
  • Adaptationism and the Logic of Research Questions: How to Think Clearly About Evolutionary Causes
    Biol Theory (2015) 10:343–362 DOI 10.1007/s13752-015-0214-2 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Adaptationism and the Logic of Research Questions: How to Think Clearly About Evolutionary Causes Elisabeth A. Lloyd1 Received: 20 March 2015 / Accepted: 29 May 2015 / Published online: 9 July 2015 Ó Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research 2015 Abstract This article discusses various dangers that popular methods, despite its benign reputation. In ‘‘The accompany the supposedly benign methods in behavioral Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm,’’ evolutionary biology and evolutionary psychology that fall Gould and Lewontin (1979) drew attention to several under the framework of ‘‘methodological adaptationism.’’ dangers in using this method. In this article, I present a A ‘‘Logic of Research Questions’’ is proposed that aids in framework for analysis that makes their worries clearer. I clarifying the reasoning problems that arise due to the also warn of further risks of this methodological frame- framework under critique. The live, and widely practiced, work, expanding on the dangers it poses to scientific rea- ‘‘evolutionary factors’’ framework is offered as the key soning in evolutionary biology. At the same time, I comparison and alternative. The article goes beyond the emphasize that I am not attacking the notion of looking for traditional critique of Stephen Jay Gould and Richard C. adaptations in evolutionary studies: I am not anti-adapta- Lewontin, to present problems such as the disappearance of tion. The issues concern which framework is most appro- evidence, the mishandling of the null hypothesis, and priate and fruitful. failures in scientific reasoning, exemplified by a case from As evolutionary biology is usually taught and con- human behavioral ecology.
    [Show full text]
  • The Quantum and the Classical Domains As Provisional Parallel Coexistents
    The quantum and the classical domains as provisional parallel coexistents . Michel Paty To cite this version: Michel Paty. The quantum and the classical domains as provisional parallel coexistents .. Synthese, Springer Verlag (Germany), 2000, 1-2, p. 179-200. halshs-00185365 HAL Id: halshs-00185365 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00185365 Submitted on 12 Nov 2007 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. 1 Synthese (Kluwer, Dordrecht/Boston), 125, n°1-2, oct.-nov. 2000, 179-200 (French, Steven ; Krause, Décio ; Doria, Francisco (eds.), In honour of Newton da Costa, on the occasion of his seventieth birthday). The quantum and the classical domains as provisional parallel coexistents Michel PATY An essay in honour of Newton da Costa with admiration, friendship and saudades ABSTRACT. We consider the problem of the relationship between the quantum and the classical domains from the point of view that it is possible to speak of a direct physical description of quantum systems having physical properties. We put emphasis, in evidencing it, on the specific quantum concept of indistiguishability of identical in a conceptual way (and not in a logical way in the vein of «da Costa's school»).
    [Show full text]
  • University of Cincinnati
    UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date: 14-May-2010 I, Lindsay R Craig , hereby submit this original work as part of the requirements for the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy It is entitled: Scientific Change in Evolutionary Biology: Evo-Devo and the Developmental Synthesis Student Signature: Lindsay R Craig This work and its defense approved by: Committee Chair: Robert Skipper, PhD Robert Skipper, PhD 6/6/2010 690 Scientific Change in Evolutionary Biology: Evo-Devo and the Developmental Synthesis A dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy of the College of Arts and Sciences by Lindsay R. Craig B.A. Butler University M.A. University of Cincinnati May 2010 Advisory Committee: Associate Professor Robert Skipper, Jr., Chair/Advisor Professor Emeritus Richard M. Burian Assistant Professor Koffi N. Maglo Professor Robert C. Richardson Abstract Although the current episode of scientific change in the study of evolution, the Developmental Synthesis as I will call it, has attracted the attention of several philosophers, historians, and biologists, important questions regarding the motivation for and structure of the new synthesis are currently unanswered. The thesis of this dissertation is that the Developmental Synthesis is a two-phase multi-field integration motivated by the lack of adequate causal explanations of the origin of novel morphologies and the evolution of developmental processes over geologic time. I argue that the first phase of the Developmental Synthesis is a partial explanatory reconciliation. More specifically, I contend that the rise of the developmental gene concept and the discovery of highly conserved developmental genes helped demonstrate the overlap in explanatory interests between the developmental sciences and other scientific fields within the domain of evolutionary biology.
    [Show full text]