יום ב' 17.12.2007, 18:00 - 20:00
חדר 449 בנין גילמן

במסגרת קולוקוויום בר הילל

Professor Christopher Pincock,
Department of Philosophy, Purdue University

A Priori Contributions to Scientific Knowledge

Commentator: Yakir Levin, Ben Gurion Univeristy

התכנסות לקפה וכיבוד קל בשעה 17:30, ליד חדר 449
ההרצאה תינתן בשפה האנגלית!

 

Abstract: Assuming that scientific knowledge is not wholly empirical, what are the options for accounting for its a priori basis? I consider one influential answer to this question: Peacocke’s attempt to ground a priori knowledge in the conditions on concept possession. While I see Peacocke’s approach as quite promising for handling logic and athematics, I argue that he is not able to extend his account of a priori knowledge to handle induction.

Christopher Pincock is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Purdue University (USA). Since receiving his Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley in 2002 under the direction of Prof. Paolo Mancosu, he has pursued research on the general issue of why mathematics is so useful in the sciences. This has led him to consider the philosophical relationship between Bertrand Russell and Rudolf Carnap as well as non-historical debates surrounding the interpretation of scientific theories that use mathematics. His paper "A Role for Mathematics in the Physical Sciences" recently appeared in Nous and his chapter "Carnap, Russell and the External World" is forthcoming in the Cambridge Companion to Carnap. .

פרופ' ליאו קורי , יו"ר