CHF Chicago Humanities Festival

Panel

  • E-Mail
    (e.g. amandasmith@gmail.com)

    (Please separate multiple email addresses with commas.)

    (You may use or edit the message above.)

  • PRINT

  • Share

  • TEXT SIZE
Starlings

Emergence Philosophy Meets Science

 Launch Media

ABOUT 

This panel is comprised of two scientists and three philosophers from the Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Virginia, Stanford University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Chicago.  Each scholar brings his unique perspective on emergence to the conversation.

  • ABOUT Mark Hereld

    Mark Hereld is a Senior Fellow of the Computation Institute at Argonne National Laboratory and The University of Chicago.  His current interests include computational and computer science including simulation, advanced computer architectures, scientific visualization, and human-computer interface.

    Profile

  • ABOUT Paul Humphreys

    Paul Humphreys is a professor of philosophy specializing in philosophy of science, metaphysics, and epistemology at the University of Virginia.  He is the series editor of Oxford Studies in the Philosophy of Science.

    Profile

  • ABOUT Robert Laughlin

    Robert Laughlin won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1998.  He teaches physics at Stanford University.

    Profile

  • ABOUT Sandra Mitchell

    Sandra Mitchell researches epistemological and metaphysical issues in the philosophy of science as a professor of history and philosophy of science at the University of Pittsburgh.  She is the author of Biological Complexity and Integrative Pluralism (2003) Unsimple Truths: Complexity, Science and Policy (2009).

    Profile

  • ABOUT William Wimsatt

    William Wimsatt is a professor of philosophy and is a member of the Committee on Evolutionary Biology and the Committee on the Conceptual Foundations of Science at the University of Chicago.  His work centers on the philosophy of the inexact sciences, including biology, psychology, and the social sciences-the history of biology, and the study of complex systems.

    Profile
Click next to learn more...

1 of 1

Physics, it turns out, is a very moralistic discipline.       

Recorded on October 11, 2008.

The term “emergence” refers to the ways that a multiplicity of seemingly discrete, relatively simple interactions can give rise to astonishing complexity and pattern without any apparent direction or plan. It has been an important topic for science and philosophy ever since Aristotle claimed the whole is more than the sum of its parts. In this roundtable meeting of the minds, Mark Hereld, Paul Humphreys, Robert Laughlin, Sandra Mitchell, and William Wimsatt consider the various meanings and applications of such a dynamic view of the world.

Tags

Epistemology, Systems Dynamics, Complexity, Interconnetivity, Systems Theory, unintended consequences, biology

Learn More

Similar Programs

big

chf feature

Thinking Big!

Lecture

Our Renaissance

"Today, we are on the cusp of our era’s own scientific renaissance marked by accelerated advancement in neuroscience, theoretical physics, and genetics; a culture war between science and religion; and the application of science as a tool for social change and economic development." Adam Bly, editor-in-chief of Seed Magazine, considers what is provoking this cultural shift, who is leading it, and where we are going from here.

Panel

Saving the World One Molecule at a Time

Matt Shlian, designer, artist, and paper engineer, and Max Shtein, a University of Michigan materials scientist working on renewable energy technology at the molecular level, present the elegant and inspiring constructions they use to teach students about the science of energy conversion and the central role design can play in inspiring more effective, accessible solutions.

blog comments powered by Disqus
Support CHF - Donate Now

Festival Sponsors

© Copyright 2011 Chicago Humanities Festival