PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE SEMINAR, December

Department of History and Philosophy of Science Eotvos University Budapest, Pazmany P. setany 1/A PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE SEMINAR (http://hps.elte.hu/seminar) ________________________________________________ Program, December 3 December4:00 PM 6th floor 6.54 (Language: English) G u n t h e r F l e c k Psychology Service of the Austrian Armed Forces, Vienna Philosophy of Science and Social Studies of Science, University of Vienna Reality Testing and Knowledge Production: A Psychological View of the Realism-Antirealism Controversy There are two basic positions in regard to knowledge about the world and reality which can be traced as far back as the times of the philosophers of ancient Greece. On the one hand, there is the position of those who believe that there exists a way of knowing allowing an objective access to the structures of the world and reality beyond observation. On the other hand, there is the position of those who argue that no such way of ontological knowing exists. The former is known as (scientific) realism, the latter as antirealism. Both positions provide a lot of good reasons for their stance and against the contrary one. From a philosophical point of view the disputation seems to be held on a pure rational level. However, empirical evidence shows that in (scientific) reasoning emotional factors are always involved and that pure rationalism is nothing but a big myth. Starting with a psychological analysis of human reality testing ability as an important adaptation principle in every day life, an attempt is made to identify the implicit emotional factors underlying scientific reasoning and co-determining the preferences for epistemological positions. 10 December4:00 PM 6th floor 6.54 (Language: Hungarian) J u d i t B a r t h o l y Department of Meteorology, Eotvos University, Budapest FOKOZODO EMBERI JELENLET A FOLDON, EGHAJLATVALTOZAS, MEGUJULO ENERGIAFORRASOK (Extending human presence on the earth, changes of climate, renewable energy) Ha az emberiseg energiafelhasznalasanak mennyisegi valtozasait nezzuk, szembetunik, hogy nemcsak a Fold lakoinak szama no robbanasszeruen, hanem az egy fore juto felhasznalt energia mennyisege is nagy utemben emelkedik. A sok kibocsatott szennyezoanyag kovetkezteben valtozik a foldi legkor osszetetele, valtoznak az uveghazhatas komponensei. Kerdes: kepesek vagyunk-e a foldi eghajlatot befolyasolni, megvaltoztatni, vagy bizhatunk a Fold "onregeneralo" kepessegeben? Elindult-e a globalis melegedes folyamata? Tortent-e valtozas az extremumok gyakorisagaban (termeszeti katasztrofak, arvizek, foldcsuszamlasok, aszalyok, stb.)? Vannak-e nyertesei egy esetleges klimavaltozasnak? A hagyomanyos energiakeszletek csokkenesevel szukseges-e atternunk a "kifogyhatatlanul" rendelkezesre allo un. megujulo energiaforrasok felhasznalasara? Adhatok-e korrekt valaszok a fenti kerdesekre mai tudasunk alapjan? 17 December4:00 PM 6th floor 6.54 (Language: Hungarian) P e t e r É r d i Department of Biophysics, Research Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest A fegyverkezesi versenyek, haboruk, forradalmak es a kollektiv biztonsag dinamikaja (Dynamics of armaments race, wars, revolutions and collective security) Az eloadas azt illusztralja, hogy a nemlinearis dinamika modszerei segitseget adnakbonyolult tarsadalmi folyamatok mechanizmusainak megertesehez. 1. HARCDINAMIKAI MODELLEK 2. FEGYVERKEZES es KOLLEKTÍV BIZTONSAG 3. FORRADALMAK MINT JARVANYOK Az eloadas anyaga fokent innen szarmazik: Joshua M. Epstein: Nonlinear Dynamics, Mathematical Biology, and Social Science SFI Studies in the Sciences of Complexity, 1997 ___________________ The organizer of the seminar: László E. Szabó -- Laszlo E. Szabo Department of Theoretical Physics Department of History and Philosophy of Science Eotvos University, Budapest H-1518 Budapest, Pf. 32, Hungary Phone/Fax: (36-1)372-2924 Home: (36-1) 200-7318 Mobil/SMS: (36) 20-366-1172 http://hps.elte.hu/~leszabo