PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE COLLOQUIUM, Lilia Gurova

Department of History and Philosophy of Science Eotvos University Budapest, Pazmany P. setany 1/A PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE COLLOQUIUM (http://hps.elte.hu/seminar) ________________________________________________ 29 April 4:00 PM 6th floor 6.54 (Language: English) Concepts: where the critics of the classical view went wrong Lilia Gurova Department of Philosophy of Science, Institute of Philosophical Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia Department of Cognitive Science and Psychology, New Bulgarian University, Sofia In the 1970s, a set of experimental findings convinced cognitive science community that the view whose main claim is that concepts are represented by lists of defining features (the so-called classical view) is to be recognized as inadequate and replaced by a more sound theory. Some of the critics of the classical view have even claimed that this view has failed not only as a psychological theory but also as a methodological prescription in natural sciences (especially in biology). Taken seriously, their claim implies that the search for well-defined concepts in science is generally misleading. Most scientists, however, would hardly agree with such a verdict. Is the criticism against the classical view so unproblematic as it is seen to be today? The aim of this presentation is to denounce some broadly accepted myths concerning the so-called classical view and its alleged main flaws. ___________________ 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