My research interests lie in the area of analytical ontology (process ontology, method of ontology), contemporary metaphysics and the history of metaphysics (Wilfrid Sellars, Carnap, Leibniz, Hegel, Whitehead), and more recently, in conflict research (value conflicts), intercultural value studies, and philosophy of social robotics. I am currently holding a chair in "Transdisciplinary Process Studies for Integrated Social Robotics" and coordinate a research project entitled "What Social Robots Can and Should Do--Towards Integrative Social Robotics" supported by the Carlsberg Foundation. I am the coordinator of the Research Unit for Robophilosophy. In 2014 I defined the field of "robophilosophy" as "philosophy of, for, and by social robotics." The Research Unit for Robophilosophy organizes the Robophilosophy Conference Series as well as research events in the research network for Transdisciplinary Studies in Social Robotics (TRANSOR) . Here is a video on introducing the motivations for robophilosophy: https://www.carlsbergfondet.dk/en/Nyheder/Nyt%20fra%20fondet/Stay%20Curious_Videoserie#addsearch=johann
The Handbook presents over 130 compact original contributions to contemporary research on part-wh... more The Handbook presents over 130 compact original contributions to contemporary research on part-whole relations. The aim of the collection is to show that mereology is much more than the study of axiomatized reasoning systems. The relationship between part and whole is one of the most basic schemata of cognitive organization that operates not only at the level of language processing and propositional thought, but also at the level of sensory input processing. In all research disciplines, part-whole relations organize all three core components of research: data domains, methods, and theories. In short, part-whole relations play a fundamental role in how we perceive and interact with nature, how we speak and think about the world and ourselves, as societies and as individuals. For this reason the study of part-whole relations, both within and across domains, begins long before the meta-mathematically motivated inquiries of logicians at the beginning of the 20th century, and goes far beyond it. To convey for the first time structured access to this fecund and diversified research landscape is the aim of this collection.
The robotics industry is growing rapidly, and to a large extent the development of this market se... more The robotics industry is growing rapidly, and to a large extent the development of this market sector is due to the area of social robotics—the production of robots that are designed to enter the space of human social interaction, both physically and semantically. Since social robots present a new type of social agent, they have been aptly classified as a disruptive technology, i.e. the sort of technology which affects the core of our current social practices and might lead to profound cultural and social change.
Due to its disruptive and innovative potential, social robotics raises not only questions about utility, ethics, and legal aspects, but calls for “robo-philosophy”—the comprehensive philosophical reflection from the perspectives of all philosophical disciplines. This book presents the proceedings of the first conference in this new area, “Robo-Philosophy 2014 – Sociable Robots and the Future of Social Relations, held in Aarhus, Denmark, in August 2014. The short papers and abstracts collected here address questions of social robotics from the perspectives of philosophy of mind, social ontology, ethics, meta-ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics, intercultural philosophy, and metaphilosophy.
Social robotics is still in its early stages, but it is precisely now that we need to reflect its possible cultural repercussions. This book is accessible to a wide readership and will be of interest to everyone involved in the development and use of social robotics applications, from social roboticists to policy makers.
Intercultural dialogue is often invoked in vague reference to a method that
can build cross-cult... more Intercultural dialogue is often invoked in vague reference to a method that
can build cross-cultural understanding and facilitate global policy-making.
The 25 chapters of this book, written by international specialists, clarify the theoretical foundations of intercultural dialogue and
demonstrate the practical significance of intercultural value inquiry, combining
the perspectives of philosophy, conflict research, religious studies, and
education.
Contributors:
María Inés Arrizabalaga; Reinhold Bernhardt; Fred Dallmayr; Daniel
Druckman; Douglas Fry; Jesper Garsdal; Silja Graupe; Mike Hulme; Ramin
Jahanbegloo; Elsebet Jegstrup; Hans Köchler; Karyn Lai; Yoram Lubling;
Christopher Mitchell; Timothy Reagan; Raffaele Rodogno; Marc Ross;
Dorothee Schlenke; Daryush Shayegan; Augustine Shutte; Geneviève
Souillac; Zhihe Wang; Tingyang Zhao
Ontology was once understood to be the philosophical inquiry into the structure of reality: the a... more Ontology was once understood to be the philosophical inquiry into the structure of reality: the analysis and categorization of ‘what there is’. Recently, however, a field called ‘ontology’ has become part of the rapidly growing research industry in information technology. The two fields have more in common than just their name.
Theory and Applications of Ontology is a two-volume anthology that aims to further an informed discussion about the relationship between ontology in philosophy and ontology in information technology. It fills an important lacuna in cutting-edge research on ontology in both fields, supplying stage-setting overview articles on history and method, presenting directions of current research in either field, and highlighting areas of productive interdisciplinary contact.
Theory and Applications of Ontology: Computer Applications presents ontology in ways that philosophers are not likely to find elsewhere. The volume offers an overview of current research in ontology, distinguishing basic conceptual issues, domain applications, general frameworks, and mathematical formalisms. It introduces the reader to current research on frameworks and applications in information technology in ways that are sure to invite reflection and constructive responses from ontologists in philosophy.
Processes constitute the world of human experience--from nature to cognition to social reality. ... more Processes constitute the world of human experience--from nature to cognition to social reality. Yet our philosophical and scientific theories of nature and experience have traditionally prioritized concepts for static objects and structures. The essays collected here call for a review of the role of dynamic categories in the language of theories. They present old and new descriptive tools for the modeling of dynamic domains, and argue for the merits of precess-based explanations in ontology, cognitive science, semiotics, linguistics, philosophy of mind, robotics, theoretical biology, music theory, and philosophy of chemistry and physics. The collection is of interest to professional researchers in any of these fields; it establishes--for the very first time--cross-disciplinary contact among recent process-based research movements and might witness a conceptual paradigm shift in the making.
The book (in German) offers a compact and accessible introduction to the philosophy of Wilfrid S... more The book (in German) offers a compact and accessible introduction to the philosophy of Wilfrid Sellars, with special attention to links with contemporary research in the philosophy of mind. Unlike other introductions to Sellars' thought, the book works out in greater detail the process-ontological roots of Sellars' naturalism.
Der Bekanntheitsgrad von Sellars’ ›anti-Cartesischer‹, naturalistischer Philosophie steht in einem erstaunlichen Missverhältnis zu ihrer Bedeutsamkeit. Sellars kritisierte die klassische These, dass unser Wissen von der Welt auf kausal ›gegebenen‹ Vorstellungsinhalten beruhen könnte. Dieser »Mythos des Gegebenen«, ja der Begriff der mentalen Repräsentation selbst, stellt eine unzulässige Vereinfachung der Beziehung zwischen Ursachen und Inhalten dar. Die Inhaltlichkeit und Weltbezogenheit (Intentionalität) unseres Denkens leitet sich nach Sellars vielmehr aus der Inhaltlichkeit und Weltbezogenheit unseres Sprechens ab, und diese ist eine Sache der Funktion – der Funktion von phonetischen Objekten innerhalb der komplexen, selbst-modifizierenden Praxis einer Sprachgemeinschaft, die im Zuge wissenschaftlicher Forschung die kausale Interaktion mit ihrer Umwelt stets zu verbessern sucht.
Das Anliegen des Buches ist es, eine einführende Orientierung zu Sellars’ Naturalismus zu geben. Dabei werden die systematischen Grundlinien einfach und textnah nachgezeichnet und auch wenig bekannte Elemente des Ansatzes vorgestellt, wie etwa Sellars’ nominalistische Prädikationstheorie und die prozess-ontologische Konzeption der Sinneseindrücke. Das Buch ist als Einstieg zu Sellars zu lesen, aber auch als Hintergrundinformation zur aktuellen Debatte um »folk psychology« bzw. »theory theory of mind«, die ihre Sellarsschen Ursprünge weithin vergessen zu haben scheint.
The depiction model presents a major advance in our theoretical conceptualization of how humans e... more The depiction model presents a major advance in our theoretical conceptualization of how humans experience and understand social robots. But the scope of the model is, I suggest, more limited: It pertains to one possible phase in a more comprehensive cognitive-practical dynamics of sense-making (“sociomorphing”) as conceptualized in the OASIS framework. According to the OASIS framework, some basic social actions can be realized by robots, while others may be depicted in the way described by the model.
A fundamental fact about human minds is that they are never truly alone: all minds are steeped in... more A fundamental fact about human minds is that they are never truly alone: all minds are steeped in situated interaction. That social interaction matters is recognized by any experimentalist who seeks to exclude its influence by studying individuals in isolation. On this view, interaction complicates cognition. Here, we explore the more radical stance that interaction co‐constitutes cognition: that we benefit from looking beyond single minds toward cognition as a process involving interacting minds. All around the cognitive sciences, there are approaches that put interaction center stage. Their diverse and pluralistic origins may obscure the fact that collectively, they harbor insights and methods that can respecify foundational assumptions and fuel novel interdisciplinary work. What might the cognitive sciences gain from stronger interactional foundations? This represents, we believe, one of the key questions for the future. Writing as a transdisciplinary collective assembled from ac...
The study of human-robot interaction (HRI) currently lacks (i) clear understanding of the envisag... more The study of human-robot interaction (HRI) currently lacks (i) clear understanding of the envisaged scope and format of the pluridisciplinary approach required by the domain, (ii) established set of methods and standards, and (iii) a joint terminological framework, or at least a set of analytical concepts and associated tests. This chapter aims to contribute to these three tasks. We begin with the observation that there is a need to define both the interdisciplinary scope of HRI research and its pluridisciplinary format, two tasks that are at the center of the new procedural paradigm of “Integrative Social Robotics”. These methodological reflections are further illustrated with a newly developed questionnaire, the AMPH. The AMPH contains a higher proportion of items tapping anthropomorphism towards artefacts than extant questionnaires. The analysis of AMPH (N = 339) pointed to a two-factor solution: anthropomorphism towards artefacts and anthropomorphism towards natural objects. These findings were further explored through triangulation with qualitative data. In the last section of the paper we discuss how the AMPH can be used to trace the distinction between humanizing and socializing (anthropomorphing and sociomorphing), and how qualitative and quantitative methods should be used in unison in HRI research to achieve more fine-grained analyses of relevant experiences. We argue, based on philosophical concept analysis and phenomenology, that the notion of anthropomorphization is far from clear and we must distinguish tendencies to humanize from tendencies to socialize, which comes in various subvarieties. In conclusion we consider whether our results suggest that HRI should aim for the high degree of pluridisciplinary integration associated with an “interdiscipline” or even a “transdiscipline.”
The Handbook presents over 130 compact original contributions to contemporary research on part-wh... more The Handbook presents over 130 compact original contributions to contemporary research on part-whole relations. The aim of the collection is to show that mereology is much more than the study of axiomatized reasoning systems. The relationship between part and whole is one of the most basic schemata of cognitive organization that operates not only at the level of language processing and propositional thought, but also at the level of sensory input processing. In all research disciplines, part-whole relations organize all three core components of research: data domains, methods, and theories. In short, part-whole relations play a fundamental role in how we perceive and interact with nature, how we speak and think about the world and ourselves, as societies and as individuals. For this reason the study of part-whole relations, both within and across domains, begins long before the meta-mathematically motivated inquiries of logicians at the beginning of the 20th century, and goes far beyond it. To convey for the first time structured access to this fecund and diversified research landscape is the aim of this collection.
The robotics industry is growing rapidly, and to a large extent the development of this market se... more The robotics industry is growing rapidly, and to a large extent the development of this market sector is due to the area of social robotics—the production of robots that are designed to enter the space of human social interaction, both physically and semantically. Since social robots present a new type of social agent, they have been aptly classified as a disruptive technology, i.e. the sort of technology which affects the core of our current social practices and might lead to profound cultural and social change.
Due to its disruptive and innovative potential, social robotics raises not only questions about utility, ethics, and legal aspects, but calls for “robo-philosophy”—the comprehensive philosophical reflection from the perspectives of all philosophical disciplines. This book presents the proceedings of the first conference in this new area, “Robo-Philosophy 2014 – Sociable Robots and the Future of Social Relations, held in Aarhus, Denmark, in August 2014. The short papers and abstracts collected here address questions of social robotics from the perspectives of philosophy of mind, social ontology, ethics, meta-ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics, intercultural philosophy, and metaphilosophy.
Social robotics is still in its early stages, but it is precisely now that we need to reflect its possible cultural repercussions. This book is accessible to a wide readership and will be of interest to everyone involved in the development and use of social robotics applications, from social roboticists to policy makers.
Intercultural dialogue is often invoked in vague reference to a method that
can build cross-cult... more Intercultural dialogue is often invoked in vague reference to a method that
can build cross-cultural understanding and facilitate global policy-making.
The 25 chapters of this book, written by international specialists, clarify the theoretical foundations of intercultural dialogue and
demonstrate the practical significance of intercultural value inquiry, combining
the perspectives of philosophy, conflict research, religious studies, and
education.
Contributors:
María Inés Arrizabalaga; Reinhold Bernhardt; Fred Dallmayr; Daniel
Druckman; Douglas Fry; Jesper Garsdal; Silja Graupe; Mike Hulme; Ramin
Jahanbegloo; Elsebet Jegstrup; Hans Köchler; Karyn Lai; Yoram Lubling;
Christopher Mitchell; Timothy Reagan; Raffaele Rodogno; Marc Ross;
Dorothee Schlenke; Daryush Shayegan; Augustine Shutte; Geneviève
Souillac; Zhihe Wang; Tingyang Zhao
Ontology was once understood to be the philosophical inquiry into the structure of reality: the a... more Ontology was once understood to be the philosophical inquiry into the structure of reality: the analysis and categorization of ‘what there is’. Recently, however, a field called ‘ontology’ has become part of the rapidly growing research industry in information technology. The two fields have more in common than just their name.
Theory and Applications of Ontology is a two-volume anthology that aims to further an informed discussion about the relationship between ontology in philosophy and ontology in information technology. It fills an important lacuna in cutting-edge research on ontology in both fields, supplying stage-setting overview articles on history and method, presenting directions of current research in either field, and highlighting areas of productive interdisciplinary contact.
Theory and Applications of Ontology: Computer Applications presents ontology in ways that philosophers are not likely to find elsewhere. The volume offers an overview of current research in ontology, distinguishing basic conceptual issues, domain applications, general frameworks, and mathematical formalisms. It introduces the reader to current research on frameworks and applications in information technology in ways that are sure to invite reflection and constructive responses from ontologists in philosophy.
Processes constitute the world of human experience--from nature to cognition to social reality. ... more Processes constitute the world of human experience--from nature to cognition to social reality. Yet our philosophical and scientific theories of nature and experience have traditionally prioritized concepts for static objects and structures. The essays collected here call for a review of the role of dynamic categories in the language of theories. They present old and new descriptive tools for the modeling of dynamic domains, and argue for the merits of precess-based explanations in ontology, cognitive science, semiotics, linguistics, philosophy of mind, robotics, theoretical biology, music theory, and philosophy of chemistry and physics. The collection is of interest to professional researchers in any of these fields; it establishes--for the very first time--cross-disciplinary contact among recent process-based research movements and might witness a conceptual paradigm shift in the making.
The book (in German) offers a compact and accessible introduction to the philosophy of Wilfrid S... more The book (in German) offers a compact and accessible introduction to the philosophy of Wilfrid Sellars, with special attention to links with contemporary research in the philosophy of mind. Unlike other introductions to Sellars' thought, the book works out in greater detail the process-ontological roots of Sellars' naturalism.
Der Bekanntheitsgrad von Sellars’ ›anti-Cartesischer‹, naturalistischer Philosophie steht in einem erstaunlichen Missverhältnis zu ihrer Bedeutsamkeit. Sellars kritisierte die klassische These, dass unser Wissen von der Welt auf kausal ›gegebenen‹ Vorstellungsinhalten beruhen könnte. Dieser »Mythos des Gegebenen«, ja der Begriff der mentalen Repräsentation selbst, stellt eine unzulässige Vereinfachung der Beziehung zwischen Ursachen und Inhalten dar. Die Inhaltlichkeit und Weltbezogenheit (Intentionalität) unseres Denkens leitet sich nach Sellars vielmehr aus der Inhaltlichkeit und Weltbezogenheit unseres Sprechens ab, und diese ist eine Sache der Funktion – der Funktion von phonetischen Objekten innerhalb der komplexen, selbst-modifizierenden Praxis einer Sprachgemeinschaft, die im Zuge wissenschaftlicher Forschung die kausale Interaktion mit ihrer Umwelt stets zu verbessern sucht.
Das Anliegen des Buches ist es, eine einführende Orientierung zu Sellars’ Naturalismus zu geben. Dabei werden die systematischen Grundlinien einfach und textnah nachgezeichnet und auch wenig bekannte Elemente des Ansatzes vorgestellt, wie etwa Sellars’ nominalistische Prädikationstheorie und die prozess-ontologische Konzeption der Sinneseindrücke. Das Buch ist als Einstieg zu Sellars zu lesen, aber auch als Hintergrundinformation zur aktuellen Debatte um »folk psychology« bzw. »theory theory of mind«, die ihre Sellarsschen Ursprünge weithin vergessen zu haben scheint.
The depiction model presents a major advance in our theoretical conceptualization of how humans e... more The depiction model presents a major advance in our theoretical conceptualization of how humans experience and understand social robots. But the scope of the model is, I suggest, more limited: It pertains to one possible phase in a more comprehensive cognitive-practical dynamics of sense-making (“sociomorphing”) as conceptualized in the OASIS framework. According to the OASIS framework, some basic social actions can be realized by robots, while others may be depicted in the way described by the model.
A fundamental fact about human minds is that they are never truly alone: all minds are steeped in... more A fundamental fact about human minds is that they are never truly alone: all minds are steeped in situated interaction. That social interaction matters is recognized by any experimentalist who seeks to exclude its influence by studying individuals in isolation. On this view, interaction complicates cognition. Here, we explore the more radical stance that interaction co‐constitutes cognition: that we benefit from looking beyond single minds toward cognition as a process involving interacting minds. All around the cognitive sciences, there are approaches that put interaction center stage. Their diverse and pluralistic origins may obscure the fact that collectively, they harbor insights and methods that can respecify foundational assumptions and fuel novel interdisciplinary work. What might the cognitive sciences gain from stronger interactional foundations? This represents, we believe, one of the key questions for the future. Writing as a transdisciplinary collective assembled from ac...
The study of human-robot interaction (HRI) currently lacks (i) clear understanding of the envisag... more The study of human-robot interaction (HRI) currently lacks (i) clear understanding of the envisaged scope and format of the pluridisciplinary approach required by the domain, (ii) established set of methods and standards, and (iii) a joint terminological framework, or at least a set of analytical concepts and associated tests. This chapter aims to contribute to these three tasks. We begin with the observation that there is a need to define both the interdisciplinary scope of HRI research and its pluridisciplinary format, two tasks that are at the center of the new procedural paradigm of “Integrative Social Robotics”. These methodological reflections are further illustrated with a newly developed questionnaire, the AMPH. The AMPH contains a higher proportion of items tapping anthropomorphism towards artefacts than extant questionnaires. The analysis of AMPH (N = 339) pointed to a two-factor solution: anthropomorphism towards artefacts and anthropomorphism towards natural objects. These findings were further explored through triangulation with qualitative data. In the last section of the paper we discuss how the AMPH can be used to trace the distinction between humanizing and socializing (anthropomorphing and sociomorphing), and how qualitative and quantitative methods should be used in unison in HRI research to achieve more fine-grained analyses of relevant experiences. We argue, based on philosophical concept analysis and phenomenology, that the notion of anthropomorphization is far from clear and we must distinguish tendencies to humanize from tendencies to socialize, which comes in various subvarieties. In conclusion we consider whether our results suggest that HRI should aim for the high degree of pluridisciplinary integration associated with an “interdiscipline” or even a “transdiscipline.”
In this research note, we offer a comment on the “A Primer for Conducting Experiments in Human-ro... more In this research note, we offer a comment on the “A Primer for Conducting Experiments in Human-robot Interaction,” by G. Hoffman and X. Zhao, suggesting that due to the complexity of human social reality quantitative methods should be integrated into a mixed method approach.
Background: The surge in the development of social robots gives rise to an increased need for sys... more Background: The surge in the development of social robots gives rise to an increased need for systematic methods of assessing attitudes towards robots. Aim: This study presents the development of a questionnaire for assessing attitudinal stance towards social robots: the ASOR. Methods: The 37-item ASOR questionnaire was developed by a task-force with members from different disciplines. It was founded on theoretical considerations of how social robots could influence five different aspects of relatedness. Results: Three hundred thirty-nine people responded to the survey. Factor analysis of the ASOR yielded a three-factor solution consisting of a total of 25 items: “ascription of mental capacities”, “ascription of socio-practical capacities”, and “ascription of socio-moral status”. This data was further triangulated with data from interviews (n = 10). Conclusion: the ASOR allows for assessment of three distinct facets of ascription of capacities to social robots and offers a new type ...
To appear in: Braidotti, R. / Hlavajova, M. (2016) Posthuman Glossary.
"Robophilosophy" is a ne... more To appear in: Braidotti, R. / Hlavajova, M. (2016) Posthuman Glossary.
"Robophilosophy" is a new field of philosophical research that has the Robophilosophy Conference Series (www.robophilosophy.org) as its main discussion forum. In this short lexicon entry I define the meaning of the term.
The present volume is the first comprehensive reference work for research on part-whole relations... more The present volume is the first comprehensive reference work for research on part-whole relations. The Handbook of Mereology offers a wide scope, inclusive presentation of contemporary research on part-whole relations that draws out systematic, historical, and interdisciplinary trajectories, shows the subject’s fertility, and inspires future explorations. In particular, we want to impress that mereology is much more than the study of axiomatised systems. The relationship between part and whole is a basic schema of cognitive organisation that operates not only at the level of language and propositional thought, but also at the level of sensory input processing, especially visual and auditory. In the natural, social, and human sciences, as well as in the Humanities, part-whole relations organize all three: data domains, methods, and theories. In short, part-whole relations play a fundamental role in how we perceive and interact with nature, how we speak and think about the world and ourselves, as societies and as individuals.
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Due to its disruptive and innovative potential, social robotics raises not only questions about utility, ethics, and legal aspects, but calls for “robo-philosophy”—the comprehensive philosophical reflection from the perspectives of all philosophical disciplines. This book presents the proceedings of the first conference in this new area, “Robo-Philosophy 2014 – Sociable Robots and the Future of Social Relations, held in Aarhus, Denmark, in August 2014. The short papers and abstracts collected here address questions of social robotics from the perspectives of philosophy of mind, social ontology, ethics, meta-ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics, intercultural philosophy, and metaphilosophy.
Social robotics is still in its early stages, but it is precisely now that we need to reflect its possible cultural repercussions. This book is accessible to a wide readership and will be of interest to everyone involved in the development and use of social robotics applications, from social roboticists to policy makers.
can build cross-cultural understanding and facilitate global policy-making.
The 25 chapters of this book, written by international specialists, clarify the theoretical foundations of intercultural dialogue and
demonstrate the practical significance of intercultural value inquiry, combining
the perspectives of philosophy, conflict research, religious studies, and
education.
Contributors:
María Inés Arrizabalaga; Reinhold Bernhardt; Fred Dallmayr; Daniel
Druckman; Douglas Fry; Jesper Garsdal; Silja Graupe; Mike Hulme; Ramin
Jahanbegloo; Elsebet Jegstrup; Hans Köchler; Karyn Lai; Yoram Lubling;
Christopher Mitchell; Timothy Reagan; Raffaele Rodogno; Marc Ross;
Dorothee Schlenke; Daryush Shayegan; Augustine Shutte; Geneviève
Souillac; Zhihe Wang; Tingyang Zhao
Theory and Applications of Ontology is a two-volume anthology that aims to further an informed discussion about the relationship between ontology in philosophy and ontology in information technology. It fills an important lacuna in cutting-edge research on ontology in both fields, supplying stage-setting overview articles on history and method, presenting directions of current research in either field, and highlighting areas of productive interdisciplinary contact.
Theory and Applications of Ontology: Computer Applications presents ontology in ways that philosophers are not likely to find elsewhere. The volume offers an overview of current research in ontology, distinguishing basic conceptual issues, domain applications, general frameworks, and mathematical formalisms. It introduces the reader to current research on frameworks and applications in information technology in ways that are sure to invite reflection and constructive responses from ontologists in philosophy.
Der Bekanntheitsgrad von Sellars’ ›anti-Cartesischer‹, naturalistischer Philosophie steht in einem erstaunlichen Missverhältnis zu ihrer Bedeutsamkeit. Sellars kritisierte die klassische These, dass unser Wissen von der Welt auf kausal ›gegebenen‹ Vorstellungsinhalten beruhen könnte. Dieser »Mythos des Gegebenen«, ja der Begriff der mentalen Repräsentation selbst, stellt eine unzulässige Vereinfachung der Beziehung zwischen Ursachen und Inhalten dar. Die Inhaltlichkeit und Weltbezogenheit (Intentionalität) unseres Denkens leitet sich nach Sellars vielmehr aus der Inhaltlichkeit und Weltbezogenheit unseres Sprechens ab, und diese ist eine Sache der Funktion – der Funktion von phonetischen Objekten innerhalb der komplexen, selbst-modifizierenden Praxis einer Sprachgemeinschaft, die im Zuge wissenschaftlicher Forschung die kausale Interaktion mit ihrer Umwelt stets zu verbessern sucht.
Das Anliegen des Buches ist es, eine einführende Orientierung zu Sellars’ Naturalismus zu geben. Dabei werden die systematischen Grundlinien einfach und textnah nachgezeichnet und auch wenig bekannte Elemente des Ansatzes vorgestellt, wie etwa Sellars’ nominalistische Prädikationstheorie und die prozess-ontologische Konzeption der Sinneseindrücke. Das Buch ist als Einstieg zu Sellars zu lesen, aber auch als Hintergrundinformation zur aktuellen Debatte um »folk psychology« bzw. »theory theory of mind«, die ihre Sellarsschen Ursprünge weithin vergessen zu haben scheint.
Due to its disruptive and innovative potential, social robotics raises not only questions about utility, ethics, and legal aspects, but calls for “robo-philosophy”—the comprehensive philosophical reflection from the perspectives of all philosophical disciplines. This book presents the proceedings of the first conference in this new area, “Robo-Philosophy 2014 – Sociable Robots and the Future of Social Relations, held in Aarhus, Denmark, in August 2014. The short papers and abstracts collected here address questions of social robotics from the perspectives of philosophy of mind, social ontology, ethics, meta-ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics, intercultural philosophy, and metaphilosophy.
Social robotics is still in its early stages, but it is precisely now that we need to reflect its possible cultural repercussions. This book is accessible to a wide readership and will be of interest to everyone involved in the development and use of social robotics applications, from social roboticists to policy makers.
can build cross-cultural understanding and facilitate global policy-making.
The 25 chapters of this book, written by international specialists, clarify the theoretical foundations of intercultural dialogue and
demonstrate the practical significance of intercultural value inquiry, combining
the perspectives of philosophy, conflict research, religious studies, and
education.
Contributors:
María Inés Arrizabalaga; Reinhold Bernhardt; Fred Dallmayr; Daniel
Druckman; Douglas Fry; Jesper Garsdal; Silja Graupe; Mike Hulme; Ramin
Jahanbegloo; Elsebet Jegstrup; Hans Köchler; Karyn Lai; Yoram Lubling;
Christopher Mitchell; Timothy Reagan; Raffaele Rodogno; Marc Ross;
Dorothee Schlenke; Daryush Shayegan; Augustine Shutte; Geneviève
Souillac; Zhihe Wang; Tingyang Zhao
Theory and Applications of Ontology is a two-volume anthology that aims to further an informed discussion about the relationship between ontology in philosophy and ontology in information technology. It fills an important lacuna in cutting-edge research on ontology in both fields, supplying stage-setting overview articles on history and method, presenting directions of current research in either field, and highlighting areas of productive interdisciplinary contact.
Theory and Applications of Ontology: Computer Applications presents ontology in ways that philosophers are not likely to find elsewhere. The volume offers an overview of current research in ontology, distinguishing basic conceptual issues, domain applications, general frameworks, and mathematical formalisms. It introduces the reader to current research on frameworks and applications in information technology in ways that are sure to invite reflection and constructive responses from ontologists in philosophy.
Der Bekanntheitsgrad von Sellars’ ›anti-Cartesischer‹, naturalistischer Philosophie steht in einem erstaunlichen Missverhältnis zu ihrer Bedeutsamkeit. Sellars kritisierte die klassische These, dass unser Wissen von der Welt auf kausal ›gegebenen‹ Vorstellungsinhalten beruhen könnte. Dieser »Mythos des Gegebenen«, ja der Begriff der mentalen Repräsentation selbst, stellt eine unzulässige Vereinfachung der Beziehung zwischen Ursachen und Inhalten dar. Die Inhaltlichkeit und Weltbezogenheit (Intentionalität) unseres Denkens leitet sich nach Sellars vielmehr aus der Inhaltlichkeit und Weltbezogenheit unseres Sprechens ab, und diese ist eine Sache der Funktion – der Funktion von phonetischen Objekten innerhalb der komplexen, selbst-modifizierenden Praxis einer Sprachgemeinschaft, die im Zuge wissenschaftlicher Forschung die kausale Interaktion mit ihrer Umwelt stets zu verbessern sucht.
Das Anliegen des Buches ist es, eine einführende Orientierung zu Sellars’ Naturalismus zu geben. Dabei werden die systematischen Grundlinien einfach und textnah nachgezeichnet und auch wenig bekannte Elemente des Ansatzes vorgestellt, wie etwa Sellars’ nominalistische Prädikationstheorie und die prozess-ontologische Konzeption der Sinneseindrücke. Das Buch ist als Einstieg zu Sellars zu lesen, aber auch als Hintergrundinformation zur aktuellen Debatte um »folk psychology« bzw. »theory theory of mind«, die ihre Sellarsschen Ursprünge weithin vergessen zu haben scheint.
"Robophilosophy" is a new field of philosophical research that has the Robophilosophy Conference Series (www.robophilosophy.org) as its main discussion forum. In this short lexicon entry I define the meaning of the term.