[HPS_EST] IVC Talk: Luana Poliseli (IVC Fellow) on "The Left Vienna Circle, Democratization of Knowledge and the Epistemic Functions of Aesthetics", July 3, 4.45 pm

Dear all, our next speaker in the Philosophy of Science Colloquium organized by the Institute Vienna Circle is Luana Poliseli (IVC Fellow), who will give a talk on July 3, 4.45-6.15 pm. All are welcome! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philosophy of Science Colloquium TALK: Luana Poliseli (IVC Fellow) THE LEFT VIENNA CIRCLE, DEMOCRATIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE EPISTEMIC FUNCTIONS OF AESTHETICS Philosophy of Science Colloquium The Institute Vienna Circle holds a Philosophy of Science Colloquium with talks by our present fellows. Date: 03/07/2025 Time: 16h45 Venue: New Institute Building (NIG), Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Wien, HS 3A Abstract: Aesthetics is traditionally associated with the appreciation of beauty. In science, beauty is traditionally and largely related to the success of a theory or an experiment (McAllister 1996). However, recent debates on the aesthetics of science have indicated that the scientists' aesthetics arsenal is far more diverse and epistemically advantageous than traditionally conceived (see Ivanova & French 2020; Ivanova & Murphy 2023). I undertake these debates to argue against the traditional oversimplification as it does not represent the complexity of aesthetic values and experiences used in contemporary science to explain and understand the world. By expanding the philosophical account of aesthetics in science, this project challenges reductive views of science as purely logical or objective. I second the Left Vienna Circle on the ambiguities and lack of homogeneity in knowledge, and the recognition of the limited resources of human cognitive capacities. Acknowledging the plurality and vagueness of our cognitive endeavours make us conscious of the limitations, gaps and ambiguities existent in scientific practices. As such, I will emphasize that scientific knowledge is not only shaped by empirical and theoretical considerations but also by the sensuous, affective, and interpretive dimensions of aesthetic experiences. Ultimately, by unboxing unorthodox methods underlying scientific decisions, I reposition aesthetics as central to reflections of scientific practice and knowledge production, enabling philosophers to reconceptualize the epistemic functions of aesthetics as a means of enriching scientific resources. If science, as a social and cultural phenomenon, seeks to make sense of a world that is chaotic, political, diffuse, emotional, ephemeral and transient, then it must begin to embrace and engage with non-traditional methods and values that reflect this diversity. By doing so, it can foster the creation of spaces for development and dissemination that are more democratic and inclusive.