CFA: "The Epistemology of Understanding" Workshop

[ISHPSS]

From: Alexander Belak <alexand...@WEB.DE>

Call For Abstracts

Workshop: The Epistemology of Understanding

Where? University of Zurich, Switzerland

When? October 17-18, 2022

Description:

We invite authors to submit an abstract of no more than 500 words (excluding references) in English by September 7, 2022 for the upcoming Workshop "The Epistemology of Understanding". The workshop aims at bringing together a variety of experts in the field to discuss a wide range of issues pertaining to the notion of understanding, for example: What is grasping? Is understanding factive? Is understanding a species of knowledge? Or what role does justification play in understanding? (You can find a more detailed workshop description attached to this mail)

 

The workshop is organized by the members of the research project "Evidence: Knowledge and Understanding" (for more information, see here) led by Prof. Dr. Anne Meylan (Zurich) and Prof. Dr. Christoph Kelp (Glasgow), and will take place (in person) on October 17-18, 2022 at the University of Zurich (Switzerland). 

Confirmed Speakers are:

• Stephen Grimm
• Federica Malfatti
• Kareem Khalifa
• Soazig Le Bihan
• Miloud Belkoniene
• Alexander Belak & Dominik Gerstorfer

Accepted authors will give a 45-minute talk followed by a 45-minute Q&A. Abstracts prepared for blind-review should be submitted by email to: alexand...@philos.uzh.ch

Authors will be notified of the organizers' decision by September 18, 2022. 

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Workshop Description: The Epistemology of Understanding

October 17-18, 2022; University of Zurich

 

There has been, since the beginning of the century, a revival of interest in philosophy for questions pertaining to our ability to secure an understanding of reality. Understanding is viewed by most philosophers as a particularly valuable cognitive standing – perhaps even more valuable than knowledge – and it is therefore not surprising that this topic has become central in the current philosophical theorizing. 

This two-day workshop will bring together a variety of internationally recognized experts on understanding and will provide a great opportunity to discuss and clarify the nature of this cognitive standing. While the current debate concerning understanding extends beyond the boundary of epistemology, the workshop will focus on issues raised in the current epistemological debate. For instance, scientists frequently gain understanding by means of models and idealizations that are strictly speaking false and it therefore seems that our understanding of reality can depend on falsehoods. But how can falsehoods be epistemically beneficial? And how precisely is our understanding of phenomena related to facts?

Interdisciplinary exchanges will be encouraged during the planned workshop to promote a more thorough analysis of understanding across philosophical fields. Indeed, some central questions concerning the nature of understanding require investigations at the intersection between different disciplines. Insights from the philosophy of science may for instance help to settle the question of how falsehoods can be epistemically beneficial by shedding light on the nature and the role models and idealizations play in science. 

Finally, the planned workshop also aims at fostering exchanges between experts from all over the world which will lay the foundations for important research networks and for joint progress in the philosophical treatment of the notion of understanding.