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!
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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.
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