Climbing Ladders, Building Bridges: Mathematical Philosophy at Work

How can the application of mathematical methods be utilized to gain new insights into age-old philosophical questions? On Tuesday, September 2, join experts for a discussion at the German Center for Research and Innovation (GCRI) in New York on math, science, and philosophy and the relationship between them.

NEW YORK (August 26, 2014) – What is the proper method of philosophy? In what ways does it differ from scientific reasoning? And, how should we conceptually model bridges between different scientific theories? Many philosophers believe that philosophy is an armchair activity and that the exact methods of the natural and social sciences cannot guide philosophical research. Scientific philosophy, on the other hand, maintains that philosophical theses and arguments should be just as clear and precise as scientific ones: philosophers ought to build theories and models just as much as scientists do. On Tuesday, September 2, 2014, join renowned philosophy experts for an open discussion at the German Center for Research and Innovation in New York on tracing decision-making in scientific and mathematical communities.

Prof. Stephan Hartmann, Chair of Philosophy of Science at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München and Co-Director of the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy (MCMP), will speak at the event. He will provide an introduction to the methodology used at the MCMP, which is devoted to the applications of logical and mathematical methods to all types of philosophical problems ranging from epistemology and philosophy of science to metaphysics, the philosophy of language, ethics, and political philosophy. The MCMP is integrated into LMU's Faculty of Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, and Study of Religion, which is the largest philosophy department in Germany. Prof. Hartmann will further illustrate what scientific philosophy is all about by providing prominent examples from the natural sciences. He will also discuss in what ways the philosophical method differs from the scientific method and how methods from the natural and social sciences possibly guide philosophical research.

From 2007 to 2012, Prof. Hartmann worked at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, where he was Chair in Epistemology and Philosophy of Science. Before moving to Tilburg, he was Professor of Philosophy at the London School of Economics and Director of LSE’s Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science. Prof. Hartmann’s primary research and teaching areas are philosophy of science, philosophy of physics, formal epistemology, and social epistemology. His publications include the book Bayesian Epistemology (Oxford University Press, 2003). Prof. Hartmann’s current research interests include formal social epistemology, inter-theoretic relations, and (imprecise) probabilities in quantum mechanics.

He will be joined by Prof. Branden Fitelson, Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University and Visiting Professor of Philosophy at the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Prof. Fitelson will provide a commentary on Prof. Hartmann’s presentation regarding how deep, conceptual, philosophical questions about and within science can be addressed with the tools of mathematical or scientific philosophy.

Before teaching at Rutgers and LMU, Prof. Fitelson held teaching positions at UC Berkeley, San Jose State, and Stanford University. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before embarking on a career in philosophy, Prof. Fitelson studied math and physics at UW-Madison and worked as a research scientist for a NASA contractor. His research interests include theories of confirmation, accuracy, and coherence as well as topics in probability theory and Bayesian reasoning. Forthcoming publications include “Individual Coherence and Group Coherence” (in Essays in Collective Epistemology).

This event will take place on Tuesday, September 2, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the German Center for Research and Innovation (871 United Nations Plaza, First Avenue, btw. 48th & 49th Streets). To RSVP by August 28, please visit: http://form.jotformpro.com/form/42186340802954

Unable to attend? Follow @gcri_ny and the hashtag #philosophy for live tweets. A video recording will be available on www.germaninnovation.org shortly after the event.

This event is co-sponsored by the German Center for Research and Innovation (GCRI) and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München.

The German Center for Research and Innovation provides information and support for the realization of cooperative and collaborative projects between North America and Germany. With the goal of enhancing communication on the critical challenges of the 21st century, GCRI hosts a wide range of events from lectures and exhibitions to workshops and science dinners. Opened in February 2010, GCRI was created as a cornerstone of the German government’s initiative to internationalize science and research and is one of five centers worldwide.

Media Contact:
Jennifer Audet
Communications Officer
German Center for Research and Innovation
871 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
(212) 339 8680, ext. 302

This release was published on openPR.