19-21 June 2007
Milano, Italy
International Conference on Emergence in Science and Philosophy Milan (Italy), 19-21 June http://www.unicatt.it/convegno/emergence/ Conveners Antonella CORRADINI and Sergio GALVAN, Catholic University of Milan Tim OCONNOR, Indiana University Start: 19 June; 9:30 Speakers: Katalin Balog (Yale), Martine Nida-Rmelin (Fribourg9, Mark Bedau (Reed College), Achim Stephan (Osnabrck), Michele di Francesco (Milan), E. Jonathan Lowe (Durham), Tim O'Connor (Indiana), Mario de Caro (Rome), Carl Gillett (Illinois), Arturo Carsetti (Rome), Sergio Galvan (Milan), Barry Loewer (Rutgers), Alessandro Antonietti (Milan), Antonella Corradini (Milan) The topic of the conference is of wide philosophical interest as it regards an aspect present in many scientific disciplines. Many phenomena occur in an emergent way, that is to say in a way which is neither predictable nor explicable by the natural laws we already know. The evolution of the universe and of organisms, for example, is characterized by emergent changes, detectable in situations in which we move from order structures belonging to a certain level of complexity, to others marked by levels of higher complexity. However, these issues don't exclusively pertain to the domains of physics and biology but also include the ambits of social and economic sciences. The conference will gather together some internationally aknowledged scholars and will offer the opportunity to enquire into the epistemological and ontological foundations of the emergent phenomena. Some questions are especially intriguing: Is it plausible to maintain that such phenomena follow an order structure or are they merely expression of chaos? What consequences does the discussion on emergence bear upon the scientific and philosophical conception of the human being? Is it possible to conceive the emergence of human mind as a special feature which distinguishes us from other living organisms and from the world of things? The conference aims at outlining a unitary description able to encompass all areas of contemporary philosophical debate, from philosophy of mind to ontology, from philosophy of science to dynamics of models in social, cultural and economic behaviour.