Subject: women in Afghanistan
The government of Afghanistan is waging a war upon women. Since the
Taliban took power in 1996, women have had to wear burqua and have been
beaten and stoned in public for not having the proper attire, even if
this means simply not having the mesh covering in front of their
eyes. One woman was beaten to DEATH by an angry mob of fundamentalists
for accidentally exposing her arm while she was driving. Another was
stoned to death for trying to leave the country with a man that was not
a relative. Women are not allowed to work or even go out in public
without a male relative; professional women such as professors,
translators, doctors, lawyers, artists and writers have been forced from
their jobs and stuffed into their homes, so that depression is becoming
so widespread that it has reached emergency levels. There no way in such
an extreme Islamic society to know the suicide rate with certainty, but
relief workers are estimating that the suicide rate among women, who
cannot find proper medication and treatment for severe depression and
would rather take their lives than live in such conditions, has
increased significantly. Homes where a woman is present must have their
windows painted so that she can never be seen by outsiders. They must
wear silent shoes so that they are never heard. Women live in fear of
their lives for the slightest misbehavior. Because they cannot work,
those without male relatives or husbands are either starving to death or
begging on the street, even if they hold Ph.D.'s. There are almost no
medical facilities available for women,and relief workers, in protest,
have mostly left the country, taking medicine and psychologists and
other things necessary to treat the sky-rocketing level of depression
among women. At one of the rare hospitals for women, a reporter found
still, nearly lifeless bodies lying motionless on beds, wrapped in their
burqua, unwilling to speak, eat, or do anything, but slowly wasting
way.Others have gone mad and were seen crouched in corners, perpetually
rocking or crying, most of them in fear. One doctor is considering, when
what little medication that is left finally runs out, leaving these
women in front of the president's residence as a form of peaceful
protest. It is at the point where the term 'human rights violations'
has become an understatement. Husbands have the power of life and death
over their female relatives,especially their wives,but an angry mob has
often just as much right to stone or beat a woman, to death, for
exposing an inch of flesh or offending them in the slightest way. Women
enjoyed relative freedom, to work, dress generally as they wanted, and
drive and appear in public alone until 1996. The rapidity of this
transition is the main reason for the depression and suicide; women who
were once educators, doctors or simply used to basic human freedoms are
now severely restricted and treated as SUB-HUMAN in the name of
right-wing fundamentalist Islam. It is not their tradition or
'culture', but is alien to them, and it is extreme even for those
cultures where fundamentalism is the rule. Everyone has a right to a
tolerable human existence, even if they are women in a Muslim
country. If we can threaten military force in Kosovo in the name of
human rights for the sake of ethnic Albanians, citizens of the world can
certainly express peaceful outrage at the oppression, murder and
injustice committed against women by the Taliban. STATEMENT: In signing
this, we agree that the current treatment of women in Afghanistan is
completely UNACCEPTABLE and deserves support and action by the United
Nations and that the current situation overseas will not be tolerated.
Women's Rights is not a small issue anywhere and it is UNACCEPTABLE for
women in 1999 to be treated as sub-human and so much as property.
Equality and human decency is a RIGHT not a freedom, whether one lives
in Afghanistan or elsewhere.
1) Suzanne Dathe, Grenoble, France
2) Laurence COMPARAT, Grenoble,France
3) Philippe MOTTE, Grenoble, France
4) Jok FERRAND, Mont St Martin, France
5) Emmanuelle PIGNOL, St Martin d'Heres, FRANCE
6) Marie GAUTHIER, Grenoble, FRANCE
7) Laurent VESCALO, Grenoble,FRANCE
8) Mathieu MOY, St Egreve, FRANCE
9) Bernard BLANCHET, Mont St Martin, FRANCE
10) Tassadite FAVRIE, Grenoble, FRANCE
11) Loic GODARD, St Ismier, FRANCE
12) Benedicte PASCAL, Grenoble, FRANCE
13) Khedaidja BENATIA, Grenoble, FRANCE
14) Marie-Therese LLORET, Grenoble,FRANCE
15) Benoit THEAU, Poitiers, FRANCE
16) Bruno CONSTANTIN, Poitiers, FRANCE
17) Christian COGNARD, Poitiers, FRANCE
18) Robert GARDETTE, Paris, FRANCE
19) Claude CHEVILLARD, Montpellier, FRANCE
20) gilles FREISS, Montpellier, FRANCE
21) Patrick AUGEREAU, Montpellier, FRANCE.
22) Jean IMBERT, Marseille, FRANCE
23) Jean-Claude MURAT, Toulouse, France
24) Anna BASSOLS, Barcelona, Spain
25) Mireia DUNACH, Barcelona, Spain
26) Michel VILLAZ, Grenoble, France
27) Pages Frederique, Dijon, France
28) Rodolphe FISCHMEISTER, Chatenay-Malabry, France
29) Francois BOUTEAU, Paris, France
30) Patrick PETER, Paris, France
31) Lorenza RADICI, Paris, France
32) Monika Siegenthaler, Bern, Switzerland
33) Mark Philp, Glasgow, Scotland
34) Tomas Andersson, Stockholm, Sweden
35) Jonas Eriksson, Stockholm, Sweden
36) Karin Eriksson, Stockholm, Sweden
37) Ake Ljung, Stockholm, Sweden
38) Carina Sedlmayer, Stockholm, Sweden
39) Rebecca Uddman, Stockholm, Sweden
40) Lena Skog, Stockholm, Sweden
41) Micael Folke, Stockholm, Sweden
42) Britt-Marie Folke, Stockholm, Sweden
43) Birgitta Schuberth, Stockholm, Sweden
44) Lena Dahl, Stockholm, Sweden
45) Ebba Karlsson, Stockholm, Sweden
46) Jessica Carlsson, Vaxjo, Sweden
47) Sara Blomquist, Vaxjo, Sweden
48) Magdalena Fosseus, Vaxjo, Sweden
49) Charlotta Langner, Goteborg, Sweden
50) Andrea Egedal, Goteborg, Sweden
51) Lena Persson, Stockholm, Sweden
52) Magnus Linder, Umea, Sweden
53) Petra Olofsson, Umea, Sweden
54) Caroline Evenbom, Vaxjo, Sweden
55) Asa Pettersson, Grimsas, Sweden
56) Jessica Bjork, Grimsas, Sweden
57) Linda Ahlbom Goteborg, Sweden
58) Jenny Forsman, Boras, Sweden
59) Nina Gunnarson, Kinna, Sweden
60) Andrew Harrison, New Zealand
61) Bryre Murphy, New Zealand
62) Claire Lugton, New Zealand
63) Sarah Thornton, New Zealand
64) Rachel Eade, New Zealand
65) Magnus Hjert, London, UK
67) Madeleine Stamvik, Hurley, UK
68) Susanne Nowlan, Vermont, USA
69) Lotta Svenby, Malmoe, Sweden
70) Adina Giselsson, Malmoe, Sweden
71) Anders Kullman, Stockholm, Sweden
72) Rebecka Swane, Stockholm,Sweden
73) Jens Venge, Stockholm, Sweden
74) Catharina Ekdahl, Stockholm, Sweden
75) Nina Fylkegard, Stockholm, Sweden
76) Therese Stedman, Malmoe, Sweden
77) Jannica Lund, Stockholm, Sweden
78) Douglas Bratt
79) Mats Lofstrom, Stockholm, Sweden
80) Li Lindstrom, Sweden
81) Ursula Mueller, Sweden
82) Marianne Komstadius, Stockholm, Sweden
83) Peter Thyselius, Stockholm, Sweden
84) Gonzalo Oviedo, Quito, Ecuador
85) Amalia Romeo, Gland, Switzerland
86) Margarita Restrepo, Gland, Switzerland
87) Eliane Ruster, Crans p.C., Switzerland
88) Jennifer Bischoff-Elder, Hong Kong
89) Azita Lashgari, Beirut, Lebanon
90) Khashayar Ostovany, New York, USA
91) Lisa L Miller, Reno NV
92) Danielle Avazian, Los Angeles, CA
93) Sara Risher, Los Angeles, Ca.
94) Melanie London, New York, NY
95) Susan Brownstein , Los Angeles, CA
96) Steven Raspa, San Francisco, CA
97) Margot Duane, Ross, CA
98) Natasha Darnall, Los Angeles, CA
99) Candace Brower, Evanston,IL
100) James Kjelland, Evanston, IL
101) Michael Jampole, Beach Park, IL, USA
102) Diane Willis, Wilmette, IL, USA
103) Sharri Russell, Roanoke, VA, USA
104) Faye Cooley, Roanoke, VA, USA
105) Natalie Edwards, Charlottesville VA USA
106) Cyndy Williams, Charlottesville, VA USA
107) Donna Hall, Lynchburg, Va USA
108) Robin Hinkle, Lynchburg, VA USA
109) George Vass Venice, FL USA
110) Martha Ferris, Moncks Corner, SC USA
111) Teresa Smith, Charleston, SC, USA
112) Terry Longo, Orlando, FL, USA
113) Charlotte Downs, Orlando, FL, USA
114) Laura M. Connaughton, Orlando, FL USA
115) Ronit Doran, Tel Aviv, Israel
116) Eran Hazoum, Tel Aviv, Israel
117) Ze'ev Ben-Tsvi, Givaatim, Israel
118) Esther Spanjer, Netherlands
119) Pascal Moser, Bern, Switzerland
120) Lucien Moser, Bern, Switzerland
121) Josepha Oostvogels, Bern, Switzerland
122) Germany
123) Sierd de Bruin, Bern,Switzerland
124) Tina Eslick, Rossdorf, Germany
125) Daniela Bergsch, Cologne, Germany
126) Brigitte Molsich, Pulheim, Germany
127) Beate Molsich, Bochum, Germany
128) Claudine Ip, Mauritius
129) Max Li ,Mauritius
130) Laval Liong, Mauritius
131) Jrme BOURGEOIS, FRANCE
132) Patricia Labeye, France
133) Nicolas Gilbert, FRANCE
134) Cline BONNAIRE, France
135) Claudio Banegas Bruzzone, BELGIUM
136) Stephane Wajskop, BELGIUM
137) Nannette RIPMEESTER, The Netherlands
138) Marja Exalto Sijbrands
139) Bep Jungschlager, Delft, The Netherlands
140) Mandy Jungschlager, Schiedam, The Netherlands
141) Shirly van den Boogert, Delft, The Netherlands
142) Robert de Vette, Schiedam, The Netherlands
143) Margt van den Oever, Delft, The Netherlands
144) Vivian Engels, Delft, The Netherlands
145) Bart Sosef, Honselersdijk, The Netherlands
146) Matthijs Withaar, Naaldwijk, The Netherlands
147) Joost Den Haag, the Netherlands
148) Marco Van Belle, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
149) Leon van Rijnsbergen, Den Bosch, The Netherlands
150) Walco van Loon, Hilversum, The Netherlands
151) Noor van de Beek, Batam, Indonesia
152) Lucie Kompier, Utrecht, The Netherlands
153) Canavesi Manuela, Milano Italia
154) Sabina Langer, Milano, Italia
155) Giorgio Amsicora Onnis, Treviglio (Bg), Italia
156) Matteo Boni, Milano, Italia
157) Camillo Boni, Milano, Italia
158) Barattieri Silvana, Milano, Italia
159) Cavaliere Sara, Milano, Italia
160) Flocchini Anna, Milano, Italia
161) Lucia GASPERINI, Milano, Italia
162) Bruno Mansoux, Paris, France
163) Giovanni Losurdo, Pisa, Italia
164) Reza Ansari, Paris, France
165) Jean Kaplan, Paris, France
166) Giovanni Gallavotti, Italia
167) Michael Keane, The Hague, The Netherlands
168) Hans Maassen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
169) Dennis Dieks, Hilversum, The Netherlands
170) Laszlo E. Szabo, Budapest, Hungary
PLEASE COPY this email on to a new message, sign the bottom and forward
it to everyone on your distribution lists. If you receive this list with
more than 200 names on it, please e-mail a copy of it to :
sarabande(a)brandeis.edu <mailto:sarabande@brandeis.edu> (Send after every
200 names.) Even if you decide not to sign, please be considerate and do
not kill the petition. Thank you. It is best to copy rather than
forward the petition. Melissa Buckheit , Brandeis University
--
Laszlo E. Szabo
Department of Theoretical Physics
Department of History and Philosophy of Science
Eotvos University, Budapest
H-1518 Budapest, Pf. 32.
Phone: (36-1)2090-555/6671
Fax: (36-1)372-2509
Home: (36-1)200-7318
http://hps.elte.hu/~leszabo
Nehany napja uj webhely indult Pszichologia Online neven. Cime:
www.pszichologia.hu
A hely elsosorban laikusoknak szol, és ismeretterjeszto cellal inditottuk.
Jeleneleg ismeretterjeszto irasok, konyvismertetok, szakertoi nevjegyzek,
jatek talalhato rajta.
Szeretnenk a szolgaltatasokat kiszelesiteni. A szakma szamara a
kozeljovoben inditjuk utjara a hazai szakfolyoiratok tartalomjegyzeket es
absztraktjait tartalmazo adatbazist, amely keresheto is lesz. Ezen kivul
sajtokozpontot szervezunk, ahol a sajto kepviseloi egy helyen
ertesulhetnek szakmai konferenciakrol, rendezvenyekrol, stb. Utobbit egy
elektronikus hirlevellel toldjuk meg, hogy az informacio mindenkepp
eljusson az illetekesekhez. Az esemenyek adatbazisa termeszetesen a
szakma szamara is ertekes lehet.
Kerjük mindazokat, akik valamilyen modon szeretnek kihasznalni a
Pszichológia Online-ban rejlo lehetosegeket (konyvkiadok,
folyoiratszerkesztok, rendezvenyeket szervezok, szolgaltatok, stb.), hogy
keressenek meg bennunket az info(a)pszichologia.hu cimen.
A site-tal kapcsolatban mindenfele egyeb megjegyzest, eszrevetelt,
javaslatot orommel veszunk. Kerjuk, hogy akik ebben illetekesek, vegyek fel
site-unkat linkgyujtemenyukbe, es irjak meg sajat honlapjuk cimet, ha az
meg nem szerepelne a mi linkgyujtemenyunkben.
Udvozlettel:
Krajcsi Attila
Borthwick & Crossley: LANGUAGE AND RETARDATION
The target article below was today published in PSYCOLOQUY, a
refereed journal of Open Peer Commentary sponsored by the American
Psychological Association. Qualified professional biobehavioral,
neural or cognitive scientists are hereby invited to submit Open
Peer Commentary on it. Please email or consult the websites below
for Instructions if you are not familiar with format or acceptance
criteria for PSYCOLOQUY commentaries (all submissions are
refereed).
To submit articles and commentaries or to seek information:
EMAIL: psyc(a)pucc.princeton.edu
URL: http://www.princeton.edu/~harnad/psyc.htmlhttp://www.cogsci.soton.ac.uk/psyc
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
psyc.99.10.038.language-retardation.1.borthwick Sun Oct 17 1999
ISSN 1055-0143 (40 paragraphs, 44 references, 1 note, 762 lines)
PSYCOLOQUY is sponsored by the American Psychological Association (APA)
Copyright 1999 Chris Borthwick & Rosemary Crossley
LANGUAGE AND RETARDATION
Target Article on Language-Retardation
Chris Borthwick
Health Promotion Journal of Australia
333 Drummond St
Carlton Vic 3053
AUSTRALIA
cborthwick(a)vichealth.vic.gov.au
http://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au
Rosemary Crossley
Victorian Health Promotion Foundation
DEAL Communication Centre
538 Dandenong Road
Caulfield, Victoria 3162
AUSTRALIA
dealcc(a)vicnet.net.au
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~dealccinc/
ABSTRACT: The diagnostic link between lack of speech (in the
absence of deafness or obvious structural impairment) and mental
retardation depends on the premise that behaviour is in general an
accurate reflection of internal mental processes, and that nothing
is inhibiting the overt production of communication and "masking"
more sophisticated language. This premise is not always valid, and
the methods for determining whether it is valid may not be the ones
now practised in the field of mental retardation psychology. This
target article reviews several cases in which people with deafness,
physical handicap, and learning disabilities were reclassified out
of the category of mental retardation. The recent debate over
"facilitated communication" suggests that the burden of proof may
lie with those who hold that the actual expressive communication of
people diagnosed as mentally retarded does adequately represent
their internal language.
KEYWORDS: alternative and augmentative communication (AAC), autism,
facilitated communication, language, speech, retardation
PSYCOLOQUY CALL FOR BOOK REVIEWERS
Below is the Asbtract of "Wayfinding Behavior: Cognitive mapping and
other spatial processes" (685 lines). This book has been selected
for multiple review in PSYCOLOQUY. If you wish to submit a formal
book review please write to psyc(a)pucc.princeton.edu indicating what
expertise you would bring to bear on reviewing the book if you were
selected to review it.
(If you have never reviewed for PSYCOLOQUY or Behavioral & Brain
Sciences before, it would be helpful if you could also append a
copy of your CV to your inquiry.) If you are selected as one of the
reviewers and do not have a copy of the book, you will be sent a
copy of the book directly by the publisher (please let us know if
you have a copy already). Reviews may also be submitted without
invitation, but all reviews will be refereed. The author will reply
to all accepted reviews.
Full Psycoloquy book review instructions at:
http://www.princeton.edu/~harnad/psyc.htmlhttp://www.cogsci.soton.ac.uk/psycoloquy/
Relevant excerpts:
Psycoloquy reviews are of the book not the Precis. Length should be
about 200 lines [c. 1800 words], with a short abstract (about 50
words), an indexable title, and reviewer's full name and
institutional address, email and Home Page URL. All references that
are electronically accessible should also have URLs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
psyc.99.10.036.cognitive-mapping.1.golledge Sun Oct 17 1999
ISSN 1055-0143 (32 paragraphs, 14 references, 685 lines)
PSYCOLOQUY is sponsored by the American Psychological Association (APA)
Copyright 1999 Reginald Golledge
WAYFINDING BEHAVIOR: COGNITIVE MAPPING AND OTHER SPATIAL PROCESSES.
[John Hopkins University Press, 1999 xviii, 428pp, ISBN: 0-8018-5993-X]
Precis of Golledge on Cognitive-Mapping
Reginald G. Golledge
Department of Geography
University of California Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara CA 93106-4060
U.S.A.
golledge(a)geog.ucsb.edu
ABSTRACT: This is an edited volume of essays by psychologists,
biologists, cognitive scientists, computer scientists, and
geographers on wayfinding by humans and other species. It addresses
the extent to which cognitive maps may be universal, and produces
evidence that humans, apes, some birds and some small mammals
appear to behave as if they have internal representations that
guide wayfinding processes in a map-like manner. Evidence also
shows that insects, some mammals, and perhaps some birds may not
evince such guided behavior, but rely more on spatial updating by
dead-reckoning or pilotage. The multiple disciplinary views of
wayfinding and navigation by humans and other animals gives the
volume a distinctly different content from other available books.
KEYWORDS: cognitive map; internal representation; navigation;
navigation; path integration; place cells; wayfinding.
PSYCOLOQUY CALL FOR BOOK REVIEWERS
Below is the Abstract of "The Paradox of Self-Consciousness" by Jose
Luis Bermudez (799 lines). This book has been selected for multiple
review in PSYCOLOQUY. If you wish to submit a formal book review
please write to psyc(a)pucc.princeton.edu indicating what expertise
you would bring to bear on reviewing the book if you were selected
to review it.
(If you have never reviewed for PSYCOLOQUY or Behavioral & Brain
Sciences before, it would be helpful if you could also append a
copy of your CV to your inquiry.) If you are selected as one of the
reviewers and do not have a copy of the book, you will be sent a
copy of the book directly by the publisher (please let us know if
you have a copy already). Reviews may also be submitted without
invitation, but all reviews will be refereed. The author will reply
to all accepted reviews.
Full Psycoloquy book review instructions at:
http://www.princeton.edu/~harnad/psyc.htmlhttp://www.cogsci.soton.ac.uk/psycoloquy/
Relevant excerpts:
Psycoloquy reviews are of the book not the Precis. Length should be
about 200 lines [c. 1800 words], with a short abstract (about 50
words), an indexable title, and reviewer's full name and
institutional address, email and Home Page URL. All cited
references that are electronically accessible should also have URLs
indicated.
AUTHOR'S RATIONALE FOR SOLICITING MULTIPLE BOOK REVIEW:
The book offers a novel approach to the study of self-consciousness,
integrating philosophical argument with detailed study of empirical
work from a range of disciplines. It provides a framework for
linking together distinct areas of cognitive science which are
rarely discussed together and discusses some fundamental problems
in the foundations of psychology (such as the nature of concepts
and the possibility of thought without language). I am continuing
to work on some of the central themes of the book and would greatly
benefit from feedback from the biobehavioral and cognitive science
community.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
psycoloquy.99.10.035.self-consciousness.1.bermudez Sun Oct 17 1999
ISSN 1055-0143 (47 paragraphs, 30 references, 799 lines)
PSYCOLOQUY is sponsored by the American Psychological Association (APA)
Copyright 1999 Jose Luis Bermudez
THE PARADOX OF SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS (REPRESENTATION AND MIND)
Precis of Bermudez on Self-Consciousness
[MIT/Bradford, 1998 xiv, 236 pp. ISBN: 0-262-02441-1]
Jose Luis Bermudez
Department of Philosophy
University of Stirling
Stirling FK9 4LA
Scotland
CREA Ecole Polytechnique
1 Rue Descartes
75005 Paris France
jose.bermudez(a)stir.ac.uk
ABSTRACT: This book addresses two fundamental questions in the
philosophy and psychology of self-consciousness: (1) Can we provide
a noncircular account of full-fledged self-conscious thought and
language in terms of more fundamental capacities? (2) Can we
explain how full-fledged self-conscious thought and language can
arise in the normal course of human development? I argue that a
paradox (the paradox of self-consciousness) arises from the
apparent strict interdependence between self-conscious thought and
linguistic self-reference. Responding to the paradox, I draw on
recent work in empirical psychology and philosophy to cut the tie
between self-conscious thought and linguistic self-reference. The
book studies primitive forms of nonconceptual self-consciousness
manifested in visual perception, somatic proprioception, spatial
reasoning and interpersonal psychological interactions.
KEYWORDS: cognitive maps; concepts; content; ecological self;
navigation; proprioception; self-consciousness; self-reference;
visual perception;
(1) THE COGNITIVE PREREQUISITES FOR LANGUAGE (Burling)
http://www.cogsci.soton.ac.uk/psyc-bin/newpsy?10.032
(2) LANGUAGE EVOLUTION AND THE COMPLEXITY CRITERION (Bichakjian)
http://www.cogsci.soton.ac.uk/psyc-bin/newpsy?10.033
The two target articles whose abstracts follow below were published
today in PSYCOLOQUY, a refereed journal of Open Peer Commentary
sponsored by the American Psychological Association. Qualified
professional biobehavioral, neural or cognitive scientists are
hereby invited to submit Open Peer Commentary on either or both
articles. Please email or consult the journal's websites below for
Instructions if you are not familiar with format or acceptance
criteria for PSYCOLOQUY commentaries (all submissions are
refereed).
To submit articles and commentaries or to seek information:
EMAIL: psyc(a)pucc.princeton.edu
URL: http://www.princeton.edu/~harnad/psyc.htmlhttp://www.cogsci.soton.ac.uk/psyc
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) THE COGNITIVE PREREQUISITES FOR LANGUAGE
Target Article on Language-Prerequisites
Robbins Burling
Department of Anthropology
1020 LSA Building
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA
rburling(a)umich.edu
ABSTRACT: The first use of words by our early ancestors probably
depended on four cognitive capacities: A rich conceptual
understanding of the world around us; the ability to use and
understand motivated signs, both icons and indices; the ability to
imitate; the ability to infer the referential intentions of others.
The latter three capacities are rare or absent in nonprimate
mammals, but incipient in apes and well developed in modern humans.
Before early humans could have begun to use words these capacities
would have needed further development than is found in modern apes.
It is not clear why selection favoured these skills more strongly
in our ancestors than in the ancestors of apes.
KEYWORDS: cognition; evolution; iconicity; imitation; language;
names; theory-of-mind; words.
Access full text at:
http://www.cogsci.soton.ac.uk/psyc-bin/newpsy?10.032
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(2) LANGUAGE EVOLUTION AND THE COMPLEXITY CRITERION
Target Article on Language-Complexity
Bernard H. Bichakjian
Department of French
University of Nijmegen,
The Netherlands
Bichakjian(a)let.kun.nl
http://welcome.to/bichakjian
ABSTRACT: Though it is increasingly accepted in the behavioral
sciences, the evolutionary approach is still meeting resistance in
linguistics. Linguists generally cling to the idea that alternative
linguistic features are simply gratuitous variants of one another,
while the advocates of innate grammars, who make room for evolution
as a biological process, exclude the evolution of languages. The
rationale given is that today's languages are all complex systems.
This argument is based on the failure to distinguish between
complexities of form and function. The proper analysis reveals
instead that linguistic features have consistently decreased their
material complexity, while increasing their functionality. A
systematic historical survey will show instead that languages have
evolved and linguistic features have developed along a Darwinian
line.
KEYWORDS: complexity, Indo-European, language evolution,
lateralization, neoteny, word order.
Access full text at:
http://www.cogsci.soton.ac.uk/psyc-bin/newpsy?10.033
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
To submit articles and commentaries or to seek information:
EMAIL: psyc(a)pucc.princeton.edu
URL: http://www.princeton.edu/~harnad/psyc.htmlhttp://www.cogsci.soton.ac.uk/psyc
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 21:34:20 +0200
From: Daniel Ruhe <annimab(a)www.phil.gu.se>
To: annimab(a)www.phil.gu.se
Subject: ANNIMAB-1 conference - Erratum
ANNIMAB-1 conference - Erratum:
The previous message about the ANNIMAB-1 conference (Artificial Neural
Networks in Medicine and Biology; Goteborg, Sweden, May 13-16, 2000)
contained outdated information in the section CALL FOR PAPERS. The first
part of this section should read as follows:
-----
Papers for oral or poster presentation should be written in English and
submitted either in four printed copies, or electronically in postscript or
pdf format. Papers must be received by November 1st, 1999, to be included
in the reviewing process. Detailed author's instructions are available at
the conference website,
http://www.phil.gu.se/ann/annimab2.html
Send the paper to:
ANNIMAB-S
Dept. of Philosophy
Goteborg University
Box 200
SE-405 30 Goteborg
Sweden
E-mail: annimab(a)www.phil.gu.se
-----
Sorry if this has caused you any inconvenience!
Daniel Ruhe
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 22:41:50 +0200
From: Daniel Ruhe <annimab(a)www.phil.gu.se>
To: ANNIMAB Society <annimab(a)www.phil.gu.se>
Subject: Third Announcement and Final Call for Papers
Below you can find the most recent information about a new conference of
interest for researchers in medicine, biology, statistics, AI, artificial
neural networks and cognitive science. (Our apologies if you receive more
than one copy of this message!) For more information about the conference
see:
http://www.phil.gu.se/annimab.html
Third Announcement and Final Call for Papers:
ANNIMAB-1
an international conference on
Artificial Neural Networks In Medicine And Biology
Goteborg, Sweden, May 13-16, 2000
CONTENTS
Conference Description
Keynote Speakers
Call for Papers
Program Committee
Schedule of Events
Registration
Accommodation
The Organisers
CONFERENCE DESCRIPTION
Artificial neural network (ANN) techniques are currently being used for many
data analysis and modelling tasks in clinical medicine as well as in
theoretical biology, and the possible applications of ANNs in these fields
are countless. The ANNIMAB-1 conference will summarise the state of the art,
analyse the relations between ANN techniques and other available methods,
and point to possible future biological and medical uses of ANNs. It will
have three main themes:
1) Medical applications of artificial neural networks: for better diagnoses
and outcome predictions from clinical and laboratory data, in the analysis
of ECG and EEG signals, in medical image analysis, for the handling of
medical databases, etc.
2) Uses of ANNs in biology outside clinical medicine: for example, in models
of ecology and evolution, for data analysis in molecular biology, in
simulations of cell signalling mechanisms, and (of course) in models of
animal and human nervous systems and their capabilities.
3) Theoretical aspects: recent developments in ANN techniques, ANNs in
relation to AI and to traditional statistical procedures, possible roles of
ANNs in the medical decision process, etc. Hybrid systems and integrative
approaches, such as those involving Bayesian belief nets, will receive
special attention.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Pierre Baldi, California Institute of Technology Gail Carpenter, Department
of Cognitive and Neural Systems, Boston University Georg Dorffner,
Department of Medical Cybernetics and Artifical Intelligence, University of
Vienna Richard Dybowski, Intensive Care Unit (Division of Medicine), King's
College, London Wayne Getz, Division of Insect Biology, Department of
Environmental Sciences, Policy & Management, University of California,
Berkeley Teuvo Kohonen, Neural Networks Research Centre, Helsinki University
of Technology Anders Lansner, Department of Numerical Analysis and Computing
Science (NADA), Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm Paulo Lisboa,
School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences, Liverpool John Moores
University
CALL FOR PAPERS
Papers for oral or poster presentation should be written in English and
submitted in four printed copies. Papers must be received by November 1st,
1999, to be included in the reviewing process. The maximum length of papers,
including tables and pictures, is 6 pages, using one column of 12 pt single
spaced text. Detailed author's instructions will be available at our website
by October 1st.
Attach a letter including the surface and e-mail addresses of the
corresponding author, a number of keywords describing the content of the
paper, preferred session (see Schedule of Events below), and preference for
oral or poster presentation.
Before submitting, please check any final submission instructions at our
website, http://www.phil.gu.se/annimab.html
Send the paper to:
ANNIMAB-S
Dept. of Philosophy
Goteborg University
Box 200
SE-405 30 Goteborg
Sweden
Authors will be notified of acceptance/rejection by January 15th, 2000.
Final papers must then be delivered in electronic form before February 15th,
2000, to ensure publication in time. At least one of the authors has to be
registered for the conference at that date. Detailed guidelines for the
final submission will be given in connection with the note of acceptance.
All accepted contributions will be printed in the proceedings, which will be
availableat the conference.
SCHEDULE FOR SUBMISSIONS
Deadline for full paper submissions: November 1, 1999
Notification of acceptance for publication: January 15, 2000
Deadline for final manuscript submissions: February 15, 2000
PROGRAM COMMITTEE
Dr. Rod Adams, Faculty of Information Sciences, University of Hertfordshire
Prof. Charles W. Anderson, Dept. of Computer Science, Colorado State
University Prof. Soren Brunak, Center for Biological Sequence Analysis,
Dept. of Biotechnology, The Technical University of Denmark Dr. Bo Cartling,
Department of Theoretical Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
Prof. Rich Caruana, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University,
Pittsburgh
Dr. Richard Dybowski, Medical Informatics Laboratory, Department of
Medicine, St Thomas' Hospital, London Prof. Peter Erdi Department of
Biophysics, KFKI Research Institute, Budapest Prof. Laurene V. Fausett,
Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of South Carolina Aiken
Prof. Bernard Fertil, INSERM U494 Imagerie Médicale Quantitative, Paris
Prof. Wulfram Gerstner, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne Dr.
Roy Goodacre, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Wales Prof.
Stephen Grossberg, Department of Cognitive and Neural Systems, Boston
University
Prof. Torgny Groth, BMSA, University Hospital, Uppsala Prof. Juha Karhunen,
Laboratory of Computer and Information Science, Helsinki University of
Technology Prof. Samuel Kaski, Neural Networks Research Centre, Helsinki
University of Technology
Prof. Hans Knutsson, Computer Vision Laboratory, Department of Electrical
Engineering, Linkoping University
Prof. Paulo Lisboa, School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Liverpool
John Moores University Prof. Giovanni Magenes, Dipartimento di Informatica
eSistemistica, University of Pavia Dr. Rainer Malaka, European Media
Laboratory, Heidelberg Dr. Hanspeter A. Mallot, Max-Planck-Institut fur
biologische Kybernetik, Tübingen Prof. Pietro G. Morasso, Dipartimento di
Informatica, Sistemistica e Telematica (DIST), Universitŕ di Genova Dr. Ian
Nabney, Neural Computing Research Group, Aston University, Birmingham Dr.
Mattias Ohlsson, Department of Theoretical Physics, Lund University Dr.
Steve Phelps, Smithsonian Tropical, Gamboa, Panama Prof. Tomaso Poggio,
Brain Sciences Department and Artificial Intelligence Lab, MIT
Prof. John G Taylor, Department of Mathematics, King's College, London
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Saturday, May 13
10.00-17.00 Registration Desk Open
12.00 Welcome Address and Opening Lecture: Introduction to ANN in biology
and medicine. Helge Malmgren (Goteborg University)
13.00 Lunch
14.00 Overview and Update: Medical applications of ANNs. Richard Dybowski
(King's College, London)
15.30 Overview and Update: Biological applications of ANNs. Pierre Baldi
(California Institute of Technology)
17.00 Keynote Speech: Teuvo Kohonen (Helsinki University of Technology)
19.00 Welcome Party
Sunday, May 14
8.30-9.30 Registration Desk Open
9.00-12.30 AM Session. Keynote Speech: Georg Dorffner (University of Vienna)
Oral Sessions: a) Medical image and signal analysis b) Biomolecular
applications
13.00 Lunch
14.00-15.00 Registration desk open
15.00-18.30 PM Session. Keynote Speech: Anders Lansner (Royal Institute of
Technology, Stockholm). Oral Session: Computational neuroscience
19.00 Poster Session with Buffet Dinner
Monday, May 15
8.30-9.30 Registration Desk Open
9.00-12.30 AM Session. Keynote Speech: Gail Carpenter (Boston University).
Oral Session: Learning methods
13.00 Lunch
14.00-17.30 PM Session. Keynote Speech: Wayne Getz (University of
California, Berkeley). Oral Sessions: a) Clinical diagnosis and medical
decision support b) Biological systems modelling and analysis
18.00 Boat trip to Marstrand with Conference Dinner
Tuesday, May 16
9.00-12.00 AM Session. Keynote Speech: Pierre Baldi (California Institute of
Technology). Oral Session: Hybrid algorithms
12.15 - 13.00 Summing up: Paulo Lisboa (Liverpool John Moores University)
13.00 Lunch, Closing Remarks
SOCIAL PROGRAM
The socialprogram includes a welcome party on Saturday, a buffet dinner in
connection with the poster session on Sunday, and finally on Monday, a trip
with the steamer Bohuslan to the old coastal town of Marstrand where a
conference dinner is served. (Informal dress is appropriate for all these
occasions.)
REGISTRATION
The size of the conference will be limited to 225 participants. Registration
may be done in advance or, if places are available, on-site.
The regular registration fee is SEK 3250 (before March 15, 2000) or SEK 3750
(after March 15). For student discounts and prices for accompanying persons,
please go to our website.
The registration fee includes access to all lectures and demonstrations, the
welcome party (Saturday), buffet dinner (Sunday), boat trip and dinner
(Monday), lunches and coffee, refreshments and snacks during breaks, a 4-day
public transportation ticket, and the conference proceedings.
For accompanying persons there is a subsidised package including lunches,
Sunday buffet dinner, and the public transportation pass. Extra tickets can
also be reserved for the boat trip with dinner (Monday).
To get the registration form, please go to the following address:
http://www.phil.gu.se/ann/registration.htm
ACCOMMODATION
The conference takes place at Quality Hotel 11, which is beautifully
situated at the northern bank of Gota River in Goteborg. Conference
participants can stay at Quality Hotel 11 at a special price. We also
recommend the hotel Novotel at the south bank of the river, with fast ferry
transfer to the conference. For other lodging alternatives, please go to our
website.
THE ORGANISERS
The ANNIMAB-1 conference is arranged by the ANNIMAB Society (ANNIMAB-S),
which is based at Goteborg University (GU) and is associated with several
other groups working with biological or medical applications of neural
networks. For further information about the conference and the Society,
write to:
ANNIMAB-S
Dept. of Philosophy
Goteborg University
Box 200
SE-405 30 Goteborg
Sweden
Phone: (+46) 31 773 5573
Fax: (+46) 31 773 5159
E-mail: annimab(a)www.phil.gu.se
http://www.phil.gu.se/annimab.html
Rejected message: sent to koglist(a)cogpsyphy.hu by EVOLANG(a)INFRES.ENST.FR follows.
Reason for rejection: sender not subscribed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
( Apologies for multiple copies )
CALL FOR PAPERS [deadline: November 8, 1999]
===============
=================================================
conference: T H E E V O L U T I O N O F L A N G U A G E
=================================================
Paris April 3-6, 2000
Ecole Nationale Superieure des Telecommunications
Paris - France
http://www.infres.enst.fr/confs/evolang/
ORGANISED BY: Professor Jean Aitchison (Oxford University),
Dr. Jean-Louis Dessalles (ENST Paris), Professor Jim Hurford
(Department of Linguistics, University of Edinburgh),
Dr. Chris Knight (Department of Sociology, University of
East London), Professor Luc Steels (Sony CSL and Vrije
Universiteit Brussel).
LOCAL ORGANISATION: Jean-Louis Dessalles (ENST Paris), Laleh Ghadakpour (CREA),
Frederic Kaplan (Sony CSL), Luc Steels (Sony CSL and Vrije Universiteit
Brussel), Francois Yvon (ENST Paris).
This will be the third conference in a series concerned with the
evolutionary emergence of speech. From a wide range of disciplines,
we seek to attract researchers willing to integrate their
perspectives with those of modern Darwinism.
The aim is to bring together linguists, computer scientists,
anthropologists, palaeontologists, ethologists, geneticists,
neuroscientists, and other scientists who are concerned with
the question of the origin and evolution of language.
CONFIRMED INVITED SPEAKERS:
---------------------------
Frans B. M. de Waal (Emory University), Bernd Heine (Universitat zu Koln),
Ray Jackendoff (Brandeis University), Paul A. Mellars (University of
Cambridge), Sue Savage-Rumbaugh (Georgia State University), Herbert Terrace
(Columbia University), Michael Tomasello (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary
Anthropology).
PROGRAMME COMMITTEE:
--------------------
Jean Aitchison (Worcester College), Robert C. Berwick (M.I.T.),
Derek Bickerton (Univ. Hawai), Ted Briscoe (University of Cambridge
Computer Laboratory), Rene Carre (ENST), Bernard Comrie (Max Planck Institute
for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig), Jean-Louis Dessalles (ENST Paris),
Jean-Marie Hombert (MSH Rhone-Alpes), James R. Hurford (University of
Edinburgh), Michel Imbert (Universite de Toulouse), Judy Kegl
(University of
Southern Maine), Simon Kirby (University of Edinburgh), Chris Knight
(University of East London), Andre Langaney (Musee de l'Homme),
Frederick J. Newmeyer (University of Washington), Michael Studdert-Kennedy
(Haskins Laboratories), Luc Steels (Sony CSL & Vrije Universiteit Brussel),
Bernard Victorri (Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris).
Sponsored by
- Ecole Nationale Supirieure des Tilicommunications
- Sony Computer Science Laboratory Paris
- Fondation Louis Leprince-Ringuet
- Groupe des Ecoles de Tilicommunications
- CNRS
- France Telecom CNET
Some of the issues that will be discussed are:
origin of language
----------------
. origin of phonetic abilities
. origin of syntax
. origin of symbolic representation semantic abilities
. evolutionary significance of language, compatibility with natural selection
. language and the origin of culture
. chronology of the spread of mankind, and its relationship to language
. the continuity/discontinuity of the language faculty with nonhuman
communication systems.
dynamics of language evolution
----------------------------
. evolution of phonetic systems
. evolution of the lexicon
. evolution of grammar structures
Submission Instructions
=======================
Prospective authors are invited to submit extended abstracts or short papers
(from 1 to 4 pages, max. 2000 words).
Submitted papers will be refereed and selected for oral presentation
(25/30 min) on the basis of quality and relevance to the Conference topics.
Accepted abstracts and papers will be included in the Conference Proceedings
and will be made accessible through the web. Copies of the proceedings
will be available at the Conference. Authors of accepted contributions
will be asked to submit full length papers for a volume to be published
after
the Conference by an international publisher.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The deadline for submission is November 8th, 1999.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Authors are strongly encouraged to submit their papers electronically
(MS Word preferred, but most formats will be recognised).
Please email your submission to evolang(a)infres.enst.fr
Don't forget to include the submission form (see below) in your message.
If you are planning to submit a paper or abstract, or if you simply
plan to attend the Conference, please send a mail to
evolang(a)infres.enst.fr
You will be kept informed through e-mail of further useful information.
If you cannot send your submission through email, please send four
copies
(and the submission form) to:
J-L Dessalles
ENST / Dep. InfRes
46 rue Barrault
F-75013 Paris - France
Submission Form
===============
[ The first author should fill in the submission form and e-mail
it to evolang(a)infres.enst.fr ]
Last NAME :
First Name :
Laboratory :
Organization/Affiliation :
Street Address :
City :
Postal code:
State/Province :
Country :
E-mail address for correspondence :
Fax :
Paper title :
===========================================================================
Conference web site: http://www.infres.enst.fr/confs/evolang/
Call for papers: http://www.infres.enst.fr/confs/evolang/cfp.html
EMAIL: evolang(a)infres.enst.fr
ELTE TTK Tudomanytortenet es Tudomanyfilozofia Tanszek
Budapest, Pazmany P. setany 1/A
TUDOMANYFILOZOFIA SZEMINARIUM
(http://hps.elte.hu/~leszabo/szeminar/folap.htm)
________________________________________________
1999. oktober 18. (hetfo)
12:30
6. em. 654.
K a t a l i n B a l o g
Yale University
CONCEIVABILITY, POSSIBILITY AND THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM
I want to take on the question of what a class of arguments, usually
called the Conceivability Arguments, have to say about the mind-body
problem. These arguments have two different versions. In one version,
considerations of conceivability are taken to support the claim that
phenomenal consciousness is not identical, realized by, or supervenient
on, physical properties (for example, Kripke 1972, 140-162, Nagel 1974,
Robinson 1993, White 1986, Jackson 1998, and Chalmers 1996). According
to the other version, there is an explanatory gap between phenomenal and
physical levels of description, that does not exist with respect to
other higher level descriptions, and that may have metaphysical
ramifications. (This argument is formulated by Joseph Levine 1998,
although he is himself hesitant to accept the conclusion.) My claim is
that these arguments do not succeed in establishing their conclusions.
That is because, and I take this to be the primary lesson of the
Conceivability Arguments, what they reveal does not have to do with
phenomenal consciousness itself, it rather has to do with the nature of
phenomenal concepts.
In the paper, I will focus on the most elaborate and sophisticated
version of the Conceivability Argument for dualism. I first provide a
general exposition of the structure of Conceivability Arguments, then I
proceed to describe in greater detail Frank Jackson's and David
Chalmers' new Conceivability Argument. Finally I construct a reductio
that at the same time reveals where the arguments went wrong.
--
Laszlo E. Szabo
Department of Theoretical Physics
Department of History and Philosophy of Science
Eotvos University, Budapest
H-1518 Budapest, Pf. 32.
Phone: (36-1)2090-555/6671
Fax: (36-1)372-2509
Home: (36-1)200-7318
http://hps.elte.hu/~leszabo
