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Gottlob Frege Lectures in Theoretical Philosophy 2011, Tartu (Estonia)

Gottlob Frege Lectures in Theoretical Philosophy 2011
David Papineau - Varieties of Naturalism
http://daniel.cohnitz.de/index.php?frege

Tartu's "Gottlob Frege Lectures in Theoretical Philosophy" will in 2011 be 
delivered by David Papineau (King's College, London). The title of this 
year's lecture series is "Varieties of Naturalism". Professor Papieneau is 
an internationally renowned philosopher, well known for his work on 
various topics, including metaphysics, philosophy of science, and the 
philosophy of mind and psychology. We are happy to have him in Tartu for a 
three day workshop, June 29-July 1. Everyone interested is invited to 
participate.

Participants are responsible for making their own travel and accommodation 
arrangements. For registration and further information please email: 
cohnitz@ut.ee and visit our website 
http://daniel.cohnitz.de/index.php?frege.

The Lecturer

David Papineau was educated in Trinidad, England, and South Africa. He has 
a BSc in mathematics from the University of Natal and a BA and PhD in 
philosophy from the Cambridge University. He has lectured at Reading 
University, Macquarie University, Birkbeck College London, and Cambridge 
University, and since 1990 has been a Professor at King's College London. 
His books include For Science in the Social Sciences (1978), Theory and 
Meaning (1979), Reality and Representation (1987), Philosophical 
Naturalism (1993), Introducing Consciousness (2000), Thinking about 
Consciousness (2002) and The Roots of Reason (2003). He was President of 
the British Society for the Philosophy of Science from 1993 to 1995 and 
Editor of the British Journal for the Philosophy of Science from 1993 to 
1998. In 1999-2000 he was a Leverhulme Research Fellow and in 2007 a Mind 
Fellow. He was President of the Mind Association in 2009-10.

The Topic

Over the past fifty years philosophy has increasingly taken a naturalist 
turn. However, many different philosophical positions have enrolled under 
the banner of naturalism, not all of them compatible with each other.

One strand in naturalism is methodological, asserting that the 
investigative methods of philosophy are continuous with those of the 
natural sciences. Methodological naturalists of this kind deny that 
philosophy depends on conceptual analysis or any other special method of 
investigation. This raises questions about existing philosophical practice 
and its frequent appeal to 'intuitions'. A further issue raised by this 
species of naturalism is whether the same methodological principles apply 
in all branches of philosophy, including ethics and philosophy of mind.

A distinct strand in naturalism is concerned with ontological issues. 
Ontological naturalists assert that there is nothing in reality beyond the 
kind of entities studied by science. For many contemporary naturalists, 
this involves a commitment to materialism or physicalism. However, 
materialism comes in many different strengths, and so it is a matter of 
debate what this commitment amounts to. There are also questions about the 
implications of materialism for such realms as morality, mathematics and 
mind.

These lectures will explore the different varieties of naturalism and 
assess their strengths and weaknesses.

For further information, please visit our website at 
http://daniel.cohnitz.de/index.php?frege

The Gottlob Frege Lectures in Theoretical Philosophy are named in honour 
of the German mathematician and philosopher Friedrich Ludwig Gottlob 
Frege. We have chosen Frege as the patron for our lecture series as he is 
widely recognised for his clarity and unpretentious, no-nonsense style of 
dealing with philosophical problems. So are the lecturers we are honoured 
to host in Tartu.