The workshop “Creativity and Ontology” will be held on 23–24 October in
the Erika-Weinzierl-Saal.
Workshop description:
The workshop explores how creativity across various domains (e.g.,
thinking, art, science, etc.) raises ontological questions or even
suggests specific ontologies. On one hand, contemporary cognitive
sciences have made efforts to demonstrate that creativity—despite its
apparent opposition to algorithmic, process-driven thinking—can be
reconciled with traditional metaphysical realism and the correspondence
theory of truth. On the other hand, the phenomenon of creativity has
been a significant factor in challenging the notion of an a priori,
pre-determined world structure—a paradigm often referred to as
"classical ontology" and commonly traced back to Ancient Greek
philosophy, such as Plato’s theory of Ideas.
A number of influential thinkers have pointed to the need for a new
ontology that accounts for creativity, including Thomas Kuhn, Friedrich
Nietzsche, Nelson Goodman, Martin Heidegger, Henri Bergson, and Gilles
Deleuze, to name just a few. This workshop provides a platform to
discuss the role of creativity in various philosophical and scientific
domains and to examine whether the ontologies assumed in these fields
require revision in light of creativity—or whether they already offer a
sufficient framework to accommodate it. It also challenges the widely
held contemporary assumption that classical, "ancient" ontologies are
inherently opposed to the creativity-driven demands of modern critiques
of metaphysical realism.
Program and flyer attached.
Best wishes,
Erik Kuravsky
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