DOCSLIB.ORG

Comments on Donald T. Campbell's

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Comments on Donald T. Campbell's Contents W. Callebaut/R. Riedl 2 Preface Donald T. Campbell 5 From Evolutionary Epistemology Via Selection Theory to a Sociology of Scientific Validity Linnda R. Caporael 39 Vehicles of Knowledge: Artifacts and Social Groups W. D. Christensen/C. A. Hooker 44 Selection Theory, Organization and the Development of Knowledge Andy J. Clark 49 Evolutionary Epistemology and the Scientific Method Ed Constant 55 Comments on Donald T. Campbell’s “From Evolutionary Epistemology Via Selection Theory to a Sociology of Scientific Validity” Steve Fuller 58 Campbell’s Failed Cultural Materialism Francis Heylighen 63 Objective, Subjective, and Intersubjective Selectors of Knowledge Aharon Kantorovich 68 The Rationality of Innovation and the Scientific Community as a Carrier of Knowledge Elias L. Khalil 71 Can Artificial Selection Remedy the Failing of Natural Section with Regard to Scientific Validation? Kyung-Man Kim 75 D. T. Campbell’s Social Epistemology of Science Marc De Mey 81 Vision as Paradigm: From VTE to Cognitive Science Erhard Oeser 85 The Two-stage Model of Evolutionary Epistemology Henry Plotkin 89 Knowledge and Adapted Biological Structures Massimo Stanzione 92 Campbell, Hayek and Kautsky on Societal Evolution Franz M. Wuketits 98 Four (or Five?) Types of Evolutionary Epistemology Evolution and Cognition: ISSN: 0938-2623 Published by: Konrad Lorenz Institut für Evolutions- und Kognitionsforschung, Adolf-Lorenz-Gasse 2, A-3422 Alten- Impressum berg/Donau. Tel.: 0043-2242-32390; Fax: 0043-2242-323904; e-mail: [email protected]; World Wide Web: http://www.kla.univie.ac.at/ Chairman: Ru- pert Riedl Managing Editor: Manfred Wimmer Layout: Alexander Riegler Aim and Scope: “Evolution and Cognition” is an interdisciplinary forum devoted to all aspects of research on cognition in animals and humans. The major emphasis of the journal is on evolutionary approaches to cognition, reflecting the fact that the cognitive capacities of organisms result from biological evolution. Empirical and theoretical work from both fields, evolutionary and cognitive science, is accepted, but particular attention is paid to interdisciplinary perspectives on the mutual relationship between evolutionary and cognitive processes. Submissions dealing with the significance of cogni- tive research for the theories of biological and sociocultural evolution are also welcome. “Evolution and Cognition” publishes both original papers and review articles. Period of Publication: Semi-annual Price: Annuals subscription rate (2 issues): ATS 500; DEM 70, US$ 50; SFr 60; GBP 25. Annual subscriptions are assumed to be continued automatically unless subscription orders are cancelled by written information. Single issue price: ATS 300; DEM 43; US$ 30; SFr 36; GBP 15 Publishing House: WUV-Universitätsverlag/Vienna University Press, Berggasse 5, A-1090 Wien, Tel.: 0043/1/3105356- 0, Fax: 0043/1/3197050 Bank: Erste österreichische Spar-Casse, Acct.No. 073-08191 (Bank Code 20111) Advertising: Vienna University Press, Berggasse 5, A-1090 Wien. Supported by Cultural Office of the City of Vienna and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Culture. Werner Callebaut/Rupert Riedl Preface his issue of Evolution and Cognition is dedicated relativism, or, as he called it, “‘cult-solipsism’, por- T entirely to the memory of Donald Thomas traying sciences as self-deceiving social systems in- CAMPBELL (1916–1996), one of the most remarkable capable of distinguishing truth from tribal myth” scientists and humanists of his generation. (CAMP- (CAMPBELL 1979; cf. KIM, this issue). ERISS convinced BELL never pursued scientific aims for their own many STS scholars that a dialogue with ‘the enemy’ sake, but was always motivated by deeper humanis- remained possible and could even be profitable (cf. tic concerns. See, e.g., his Presidential Address to the RESTIVO in press). CAMPBELL’s descriptive epistemology, American Psychological Association [CAMPBELL as developed in his William JAMES Lectures at Har- 1975].) CAMPBELL ended his scholarly career as Uni- vard University in 1977, relies on physiological, psy- versity Professor at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, chological, and sociological approaches to deal with Pennsylvania, after having taught at the University epistemological issues, for it includes the (fallible) of Chicago (1950–53), Northwestern University theory of how the processes studied by these ap- (1953–79), and Syracuse University (1979–82). proaches “could produce truth or useful approxima- A social psychologist by training (he was a student tions to it”. Isn’t it somewhat ironic or paradoxical of Edward TOLMAN and Egon BRUNSWIK at Berkeley), that CAMPBELL-the-naturalistic-psychologist in- CAMPBELL’s uniquely creative blending of method- creasingly stood for a respectful conversation with ological rigor and daring theoretical speculation the epistemological tradition (including its skepti- about the individual and collective human mind (cf. cist offshoot, which he deeply admired) at a time De MEY, this volume) was to make him highly influ- when many a philosopher (including such influen- ential in many other fields as well. Many psycholo- tial evolutionary epistemologists as Ronald GIERE or gists and social scientists know him best for his David HULL), following the QUINEAN suggestion that contributions to methodology, which include mea- psychology and sociology should replace epistemol- surement issues (e.g., convergent and discriminant ogy, surrendered to “nihilistic naturalism” (Susan validation by the multitrait-multimethod matrix), HAACK), a position which CAMPBELL himself more experimental design (most notably, the method of graciously described as “epistemologically vacu- quasi-experimentation [COOK/CAMPBELL 1979]), and ous”? evaluation research. CAMPBELL for all his modesty (CAMPBELL 1981) Biologists and philosophers tend to regard him as could do all this, and more, because he was a true the major American evolutionary epistemologist of encyclopedist in Otto NEURATH’s sense, one of a our century. Scholars in the booming but divided handful of genuine generalists of the post-World new field of STS or Science and Technology Studies War II generation who transformed cybernetics into remember him most as the grand old man who sym- General Systems Theory (cf. HEYLIGHEN, this vol- pathized with all of the warring factions: philoso- ume). Contrary to a common perception, CAMP- phers speaking in the name of rationality and BELL’s EE is not neo-DARWINIAN in the dominant, correspondence truth, relativistic and constructivist reductionist sense of the orthodoxy promoted by, sociologists doing their thing, cognitive scientists say, George C. WILLIAMS or DAWKINSIAN sociobiol- painfully turning naturalistic, verstehende histori- ogy: Not only did he consider a hierarchy of levels on ans…His personal contribution to this ongoing de- which DARWINIAN mechanisms operate (which al- bate, which in his inimitable manner he dubbed lowed him to highlight the phenomenon of “vicar- ERISS, for “Epistemologically Relevant Internalist ious selection”); he also and increasingly took into Sociology of Science” (cf. his later “sociology of sci- account internal (“structural”) selection factors and entific validity”), was an attempt to reidentify the mechanisms. “something special about science, which gives it The concept of a nested hierarchy of vicarious selec- some greater legitimate claim to objectivity than tion processes, which was in part inspired by systems- other social systems” in the light of post-KUHNIAN theoretical considerations (cf. CAMPBELL 1973), may Evolution and Cognition ❘ 2 ❘ 1997, Vol. 3, No. 1 Preface well be CAMPBELL’s single most important contribu- learning select behaviors on behalf of natural se- tion to EE and evolutionary theory more generally lection. (RICHERSON/BOYD in press) (see, e.g., CONSTANT, DE MEY, and KIM, this issue). CAMPBELL’s insistence on the “blindness” of varia- RICHERSON/BOYD (in press) pinpoint its meaning and tion (and retention, but that is a different matter) relevance against the background of the inadequacy has generated quite some misunderstanding. Most of DARWIN’s theory of inheritance in The Descent of importantly perhaps, is that this has prevented peo- Man (1871). As a consistent naturalist, philosophi- ple in the Artificial Intelligence community from cally speaking (see, e.g., CAMPBELL 1988), DARWIN appreciating the useful complementarity of CAMP- took great care to suggest continuity between humans BELL’s views and those of that other great contempo- and other animals, which he secured by attaching rary polymath, Herbert SIMON, on levels ontology, great importance to imitation and other forms of the adaptive (“satisficing”) behavior, and reduction of inheritance of acquired variation: complexity in general (THAGARD 1988 is a case in His theory allowed him to account for the essen- point). Yet as CONSTANT (this issue) points out, the tial similarity of all living humans, while account- point CAMPBELL wanted to drive home may be for- ing for the vast diversity in human behavior, by mulated as a simple reductio ad absurdum. attributing the underlying similarities to conser- The U.S. and Austrian varieties of Evolutionary vative traits and by attributing variation between Epistemology (EE) turn out, then, to share some of human groups mostly to labile traits strongly in- their intellectual ancestry, for BRUNSWIK (who fluenced by inherited habits. DARWIN’s distinc- coined the term “ratiomorphic apparatus”) influ- tion between more
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Toward a New Science of Information
    Data Science Journal, Volume 6, Supplement, 7 April 2007 TOWARD A NEW SCIENCE OF INFORMATION D Doucette1*, R Bichler 2, W Hofkirchner2, and C Raffl2 *1 The Science of Information Institute, 1737 Q Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20009, USA Email: [email protected] 2 ICT&S Center, University of Salzburg - Center for Advanced Studies and Research in Information and Communication Technologies & Society, Sigmund-Haffner-Gasse 18, 5020 Salzburg, Austria Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] ABSTRACT The concept of information has become a crucial topic in several emerging scientific disciplines, as well as in organizations, in companies and in everyday life. Hence it is legitimate to speak of the so-called information society; but a scientific understanding of the Information Age has not had time to develop. Following this evolution we face the need of a new transdisciplinary understanding of information, encompassing many academic disciplines and new fields of interest. Therefore a Science of Information is required. The goal of this paper is to discuss the aims, the scope, and the tools of a Science of Information. Furthermore we describe the new Science of Information Institute (SOII), which will be established as an international and transdisciplinary organization that takes into consideration a larger perspective of information. Keywords: Information, Science of Information, Information Society, Transdisciplinarity, Science of Information Institute (SOII), Foundations of Information Science (FIS) 1 INTRODUCTION Information is emerging as a new and large prospective area of study. The notion of information has become a crucial topic in several emerging scientific disciplines such as Philosophy of Information, Quantum Information, Bioinformatics and Biosemiotics, Theory of Mind, Systems Theory, Internet Research, and many more.
    [Show full text]
  • Evolution and Executive Functions: Why Our Toolboxes Are Empty
    Revista Española de Neuropsicología 4, 4:351-377 (2002) Copyright© 2002 de REN ISSN: 1139-9872 Evolution and executive functions: Why our toolboxes are empty Roy Sugarman PhD Royal Adelaide Hospital: Glenside Campus Dept of Psychiatry, Adelaide University Abstract: Despite the recent findings with regard to our origins as human primates, we still struggle to find tools that evaluate executive functioning adequately and reliably. Despite some evidence of ecological validity, our toolboxes remain largely empty. With regard to how we produce common behaviours by using individually distinct, multiple areas of focus, each brain is individual. In a sense, not many complex, human, behaviours follow a normal distribution. This work traces the probable origins of executive functioning in humans in a social context, defining in passing the nature of human self-regulation. A discussion follows which integrates these ideas within a second order, cybernetic neuroepistemology of human thought and emotion, and questions the logical paradox of assuming that isolated cortical areas such as the frontal lobes generate executive functions in a linear progression. A brief exploration follows with regard to the nature of human consciousness, and the difficulties in measuring such a homeostatic mechanism as executive function. Using alcohol related brain changes, and cross-cultural issues as exemplars, an attempt is made to define a neuroepistemology for understanding the dynamic interplay between executive function and consciousness. Key words: Brain´s Evolution, executive functioning. Evolución y funciones ejecutivas: por qué nuestras cajas de herramientas estan vacías Resumen: A pesar de los recientes hallazgos en relación a nuestros orígenes como humanos primates, aún luchamos para encontrar instrumentos que evalúen el funcionamiento ejecutivo adecuadamente y de manera fiable.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Transdisciplinary Paradigm for the Study of Complex Systems?", In: Self-Steering and Cognition in Complex Systems, Heylighen F., Rosseel E
    Heylighen F. (1990): "A New Transdisciplinary Paradigm for the Study of Complex Systems?", in: Self-Steering and Cognition in Complex Systems, Heylighen F., Rosseel E. & Demeyere F. (ed.), (Gordon and Breach, New York), p. 1-16. A NEW TRANSDISCIPLINARY PARADIGM FOR THE STUDY OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS? Francis Heylighen Transdisciplinary Research Group Free University of Brussels ABSTRACT: two paradigms for studying the relation between autonomy and cognition are reviewed and contrasted: the "artificial" paradigm, which sees autonomous systems as linear, information-processing organizations, and the "autopoietic" paradigm, which sees them as circular, self-producing organizations. It is argued that these two paradigms are not inconsistent but complementary, and that they can be synthesized in an encompassing paradigm based on the self-organization of complex systems through variation-and-selective retention, leading to the emergence of relatively autonomous subsystems. Some implications of such an encompassing paradigm on the level of science, technology, individual persons and society are outlined, with reference to the papers in this collection. It is argued that the further development of such a transdisciplinary approach will lead to a new "science of complexity". 1. Introduction In the preface to this book it was argued that some recent trends in different disciplines seem to converge around the concepts of self-organization, autonomy and cognition. Whether these developments really announce the emergence of a new paradigm remains to be proven. Only time can tell. In this position paper, I will assume that they do, and investigate where this new paradigm would be coming from, and where it might be heading to.
    [Show full text]
  • Artificial Intelligence
    Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence and Wisdom in the Global Sustainable Information Society Fourth International Conference on Philosophy of Information, IS4SI Summit Berkeley 2019, UC Berkeley, 2-6 June 2019 Wolfgang Hofkirchner Director, GSIS – The Institute for a Global Sustainable Information Society, Vienna Contents 1 A complex systems view 1.1 The Great Bifurcation 1.2 The Transformation into a Global Sustainable Information Society 2 Conditions for thriving and surviving 2.1 Globality 2.2 Sustainability 2.3 Informationality 3 Intelligence, AI, and wisdom 1 A complex systems view Seen from a complex systems view, the evolution of mankind faces a Great Bifurcation. Global challenges might cause the extermination of mankind. At the same time, global challenges can be mastered through a transformation into a global sustainable information society. 1.1 The Great Bifurcation Civilisation at the breakthrough to a higher level crossroads (rise of complexity): integration of differentiated, interdependent social systems into a single meta-/suprasystem – Global Sustainable Information global space of possible Society challenges trajectories (multicrisis in all techno-, eco-, social breakdown (decline of complexity): subsystems) impossible trajectories disintegration and tipping point* falling apart of civilisation * Ervin László 1.2 Transformation Metasystem transition* agency system n interacting agency (proto-element) (network) * Francis Heylighen et al. system n+1 (proto-element) 1.2 Transformation Metasystem …organisational transition
    [Show full text]
  • John Dewey, Historiography, and the Practice of History. Seth J
    East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 5-2009 John Dewey, Historiography, and the Practice of History. Seth J. Bartee East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the Other History Commons Recommended Citation Bartee, Seth J., "John Dewey, Historiography, and the Practice of History." (2009). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1859. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1859 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. John Dewey, Historiography, and the Practice of History _____________________ A thesis presented to the faculty of the Department in History East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Arts in History _____________________ by Seth J. Bartee May 2009 _____________________ Dr. Melvin E. Page, Chair Dr. Daniel Newcomer Dr. William Burgess Dr. Stephen Fritz Keywords: John Dewey, Pragmatism, Historiography, Personhood, Instrumentalism ABSTRACT John Dewey, Historiography, and the Practice of History by Seth J. Bartee John Dewey was America‟s foremost authority on many of the critical issues in the twentieth century. Dewey dedicated his professional career as an expert on the major branches of philosophy. A neglected aspect of Dewey‟s philosophy is his writings on historiography, the philosophy of history, and his influence on American historians.
    [Show full text]
  • Is Morality a Gadget? Nature, Nurture and Culture in Moral Development
    Author Accepted Manuscript. To appear in a special issue of Synthese on The Cultural Evolution of Human Social Cognition, edited by Richard Moore, Rachael Brown & Cecilia Heyes. 24 July 2019 IS MORALITY A GADGET? NATURE, NURTURE AND CULTURE IN MORAL DEVELOPMENT Cecilia Heyes All Souls College & Department of Experimental Psychology University of Oxford Oxford OX1 4AL United Kingdom [email protected] 1 Abstract Research on ‘moral learning’ examines the roles of domain-general processes, such as Bayesian inference and reinforcement learning, in the development of moral beliefs and values. Alert to the power of these processes and equipped with both the analytic resources of philosophy and the empirical methods of psychology, ‘moral learners’ are ideally placed to discover the contributions of nature, nurture and culture to moral development. However, I argue that to achieve these objectives research on moral learning needs to 1) overcome nativist bias, and 2) distinguish two kinds of social learning: learning from and learning about. An agent learns from others when there is transfer of competence - what the learner learns is similar to, and causally dependent on, what the model knows. When an agent learns about the social world there is no transfer of competence - observable features of other agents are just the content of what-is-learned. Learning from does not require explicit instruction. A novice can learn from an expert who is ‘leaking’ her morality in the form of emotionally charged behaviour or involuntary use of vocabulary. To the extent that moral development depends on learning from other agents, there is the potential for cultural selection of moral beliefs and values.
    [Show full text]
  • Towards a Cybernetic Foundation for Natural Resource Governance
    Towards a Cybernetic Foundation for Natural Resource Governance A Thesis Presented to the Academic Faculty by Talha Manzoor In Partial Fullfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering Supervisor: Abubakr Muhammad (LUMS) Co-supervisor: Elena Rovenskaya (IIASA) arXiv:1803.09369v1 [cs.SY] 20 Mar 2018 Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering Lahore University of Management Sciences December 2017 © 2017 by Talha Manzoor To Marwa and her never-ending quest for adventure. Abstract This study explores the potential of the cybernetic method of inquiry for the problem of natural resource governance. The systems way of thinking has already enabled scientists to gain considerable headway in framing global environmental challenges. On the other hand, technical solutions to environmental problems have begun to show significant promise, driven by the advent of technology and its increased proliferation in coupled human and natural systems. Such settings lie on the interface of engineering, social and environmental sciences, and as such, require a common language in order for natural resources to be studied, managed and ultimately sustained. In this dissertation, we argue that the systems theoretic tradition of cybernetics may provide the necessary common ground for examining such systems. After discussing the relevance of the cybernetic approach to natural resource governance, we present a mathematical model of resource consumption, grounded in social psychological research on consumer behavior. We also provide interpretations of the model at various levels of abstraction in the social network of the consuming population. We demonstrate the potential of the model by examining it in various theoretic frameworks which include dynamical systems, optimal control theory, game theory and the theory of learning in games.
    [Show full text]
  • Proceedings of the Inaugural Meeting Ofais Sigprag Par Agerfalk Uppsala University, [email protected]
    Association for Information Systems AIS Electronic Library (AISeL) All Sprouts Content Sprouts 9-1-2010 Proceedings of the Inaugural Meeting ofAIS SIGPrag Par Agerfalk Uppsala University, [email protected] Mark Aakhus Rutgers University, [email protected] Mikael Lind Viktoria Institute, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://aisel.aisnet.org/sprouts_all Recommended Citation Agerfalk, Par; Aakhus, Mark; and Lind, Mikael, " Proceedings of the Inaugural Meeting ofAIS SIGPrag" (2010). All Sprouts Content. 253. http://aisel.aisnet.org/sprouts_all/253 This material is brought to you by the Sprouts at AIS Electronic Library (AISeL). It has been accepted for inclusion in All Sprouts Content by an authorized administrator of AIS Electronic Library (AISeL). For more information, please contact [email protected]. Working Papers on Information Systems ISSN 1535-6078 Proceedings of the Inaugural Meeting of AIS SIGPrag Pär Ãgerfalk Uppsala University, Sweden Mark Aakhus Rutgers University, USA Mikael Lind Viktoria Institute, Sweden Abstract The Special Interest Group on Pragmatist IS Research (SIGPrag) was approved by the Association for Information Systems (AIS) council at its June 2008 meeting in Gallway. The motivation for this initiative is the growing recognition of the importance of theorizing the IT artifact and its organizational and societal context from a pragmatic and action-oriented perspective. SIGPragâs mission is to provide a much-needed centre of gravity and to facilitate exchange of ideas and further development of this area of IS scholarship. In summary, pragmatist IS research rests on the following set of assumptions: ⢠Human life is a life of activity.
    [Show full text]
  • CURRICULUM VITAE April 2021 PERSONAL DETAILS Name
    CV – Cecilia Heyes 1 CURRICULUM VITAE April 2021 PERSONAL DETAILS Name Cecilia Heyes Date of birth 6 March 1960 Nationality British Address All Souls College, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 4AL, UK E-mail [email protected] Website http://users.ox.ac.uk/~ascch/ Twitter @CeliaHeyes Google Scholar H=70, total~20,500 Wikipedia Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior and Cognition Qualifications Bachelor of Science, Psychology, First Class honours, UCL, 1981 Doctor of Philosophy, Psychology, UCL, 1984 Doctor of Science, University of Oxford, 2016 Appointments Senior Research Fellow in Theoretical Life Sciences, All Souls College Professor of Psychology, University of Oxford Honorary Professor, UCL PREVIOUS APPOINTMENTS 1984-86 Harkness Fellow - Lehigh University, University of Chicago, Tufts, USA 1986-89 Research Fellow, Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge 1988-93 Lecturer in Psychology, UCL 1993-96 Senior Lecturer in Psychology, UCL 1995-2010 Fellow, ESRC Centre for Economic Learning and Social Evolution (ELSE), UCL 1996-2000 Reader in Psychology, UCL 1996-2008 Member, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL 2000-2008 Professor of Psychology, UCL HONOURS & AWARDS 1987 Fellow of the 21st Century Trust 2001 Nordlys Lecturer, University of Tromso, Norway 2002 UCL Faculty of Life Sciences Teaching Award 2004 Broadbent Lecturer, British Psychological Society 2004 British Psychological Society, Cognitive Section Prize 2006 Chichele Lecturer and Visiting Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford 2010-present Fellow of the British Academy, Psychology
    [Show full text]
  • Ecopsychology
    E u r o p e a n J o u r n a l o f Ecopsychology Special Issue: Ecopsychology and the psychedelic experience Edited by: David Luke Volume 4 2013 European Journal of Ecopsychology EDITOR Paul Stevens, The Open University, UK ASSOCIATE EDITORS Martin Jordan, University of Brighton, UK Martin Milton, University of Surrey, UK Designed and formatted using open source software. EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Matthew Adams, University of Brighton, UK Meg Barker, The Open University, UK Jonathan Coope, De Montfort University, UK Lorraine Fish, UK Jamie Heckert, Anarchist Studies Network John Hegarty, Keele University, UK Alex Hopkinson, Climate East Midlands, UK David Key, Footprint Consulting, UK Alex Lockwood, University of Sunderland, UK David Luke, University of Greenwich, UK Jeff Shantz, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Canada FOCUS & SCOPE The EJE aims to promote discussion about the synthesis of psychological and ecological ideas. We will consider theoretical papers, empirical reports, accounts of therapeutic practice, and more personal reflections which offer the reader insight into new and original aspects of the interrelationship between humanity and the rest of the natural world. Topics of interest include: • Effects of the natural environment on our emotions and wellbeing • How psychological disconnection relates to the current ecological crisis • Furthering our understanding of psychological, emotional and spiritual relationships with nature For more information, please see our website at http://ecopsychology-journal.eu/ or contact us via email:
    [Show full text]
  • Envisaging a Comprehensible Global Brain As a Playful Organ
    Alternative view of segmented documents via Kairos 2 December 2019 | Draft Envisaging a Comprehensible Global Brain -- as a Playful Organ Patterns connecting the dots between hemispheres, epicycles and quavers - / - Introduction Patterning and framing a global brain? Systemic feedback cycles of global brain interrelationships in 2D Various representations of cyclic dynamics with implications for a global brain Implication of 3D representation of a global brain Dynamic patterns of play engendered by Homo ludens and Homo undulans? Requisite helical cognitive engagement within a global brain Brainwaves and feedback loops in a global brain? Pathology of the global brain? Global brain as an organ: playable, playful or neither? References Introduction Collectively distributed cognition: This exploration is partly inspired by the work of Stafford Beer, as a management cybernetician, into the design of an appropriate collective brain (Brain of the Firm: the managerial cybernetics of organization, 1981), especially given the requisite complexity for a "viable system" (Giuliana Galli Carminati, The Planetary Brain: From the Web to the Grid and Beyond, 2011). Use of the metaphor followed from the influential study by an earlier cybernetician, W. Ross Ashby (Design for a Brain: the origin of adaptive behavior, 1952). The design preoccupation was the primary feature of a presentation by Shann Turnbull (Design Criteria for a Global Brain, 2001) as presented to the First Global Brain Workshop (Brussels, 2001). The argument follows from the controversial assertion recently made by President Macron of France with respect to the "brain death" of NATO and the potential implications for any "global brain" (Are the UN and the International Community both Brain Dead -- given criteria recognizing that NATO is brain dead? 2019).
    [Show full text]
  • Ld1 in PURSUIT of TRUTH
    IN PURSUIT OF TRUTH Essays on the Philosophy of Karl Popper on the Occasion of His 80th Birthday Edited by PA UL LEVINSON \ with Fore words by (t 21). Isaac Asimov and Helmut Schmidt Chancellor, Federal Republic of Germany I1b2. f'.- t4 z;-Ld1 HUMANITIES PRESS INC. Atlantic Highlands, NJ 248 liv PURSUIT OP TROT/I hope and no proof is Stoicism and Judeo-Christian religion, in which irrationalism and stoicism alternate. Yet there is no inconsistency in the philosophy of hope without proof, especially as a moral injunction to oiler the benefit of doubt wherever at all possible. Now, the philosophy of hope without proof is not exactly Popper's. It began with T. H. Huxley, the famous militant Darwinian, and H. C. Wells. Its best expression is in Bertrand Russell's Free A Popperian Harvest0 Man's Worship," the manifesto of hope born out of despair, clinging to both despair and reason most heroically. This famous paper, published in Russell's W. W. BARTLEY, III Philosophical Essays of 1910, is a sleeper. It was hardly noticed by It is by its methods rather than its subject-matter that philosophy contemporaries and followers, yet now it is the expression of current religion, is to be distinguished from other arts or sciences. ofcurrent scientific ethos. Here, I think, Popper's philosophy of science gave it A. J. Ayer, 1955' substance. Philosophers arc as free as others to use any method in searching Or perhaps Russell's "Free Man's Worship" gives Popper's philosophy of truth. There is no tnethod peculiar to philosophy.
    [Show full text]