Philosophy of Science Colloquium, Douwe Draaisma

Department of HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE Eotvos University, Budapest ---------------------------------------------------------------- Pazmany P. setany 1/A Budapest, Hungary Phone/Fax: (36-1) 372 2924 The web site of the seminar: http://hps.elte.hu/seminar Philosophy of Science Colloquium Room 6.54 (6th floor) Monday 4:00 PM _________________________________________ 28 October 4:00 PM 6th floor 6.54 (Language of presentation: English) Douwe Draaisma <http://www.ppsw.rug.nl/~teng/draaisma.html> Heymans Institute, Univerity of Groningen The tracks of thought: metaphors of memory There has always been an intimate link between human memory and the means invented to record knowledge independently of that memory. From Plato's wax tablet to holography and computers, artificial memories have supported, relieved and occasionally replaced natural memory. Over the centuries these artificial memories have also shaped our views of remembering and forgetting, providing the terms and concepts with which we have reflected on our own memory. After a general introduction on the theme of metaphor and memory, I will demonstrate my analysis by the case of 'panoramic memory', the experience sometimes reported by persons in sudden mortal danger of seeing a rapid sequence of visual scenes from their childhood 'flash before their eyes like a movie'. A brief history of metaphorical descriptions of this sensation from the period before the invention of film will make clear just how metaphors may lay down the tracks of our thoughts. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Douwe Draaisma's book, METAFORAMASINA <http://www.typotex.hu/p_0027.html>, has been recently published in Hungarian translation. _________________________________________________________ The 60-minute lecture is followed by a 10-minute break. Then we held a 30-60-minute discussion. The organizer of the seminar: László E. Szabó <http://hps.elte.hu/~leszabo> (email: leszabo(a)hps.elte.hu ) -- L a s z l o E. S z a b o Theoretical Physics Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Department of History and Philosophy of Science Eotvos University, Budapest H-1518 Budapest, Pf. 32, Hungary Phone/Fax: (36-1)372-2924 Mobil/SMS: (36) 20-366-1172 http://hps.elte.hu/~leszabo