Séminaire général

Nous aurons le plaisir d'écouter : Joseph Berkovitz (Université de Toronto)

Titre:  “On the logical and psychological conceptions of scientific reasoning and knowledge.”

Abstract: Einstein allegedly said that the intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. Yet, intuitive thinking is often treated with suspicion and considered unreliable, requiring a high degree of caution. We consider two main opposing conceptions of scientific reasoning with respect to intuitive thinking. 
One conception is embedded in the common epistemic frameworks in the literature. It focuses on propositional knowledge and conscious inferential reasoning, and conceives evidential relations as ideally logical. The ideal of this ‘logical’ conception is to develop a universal framework of principles that would rationally govern scientific reasoning. In this framework, intuitive thinking and emotions have no role to play in defining the nature of rational inductive reasoning or its justification: they are confined to the ‘context of discovery’ of theories/models. 
The other conception of scientific reasoning is less familiar and often misinterpreted. It takes scientific reasoning to be contextual, pertaining to local practice, and intuitive thinking and emotions play a fundamental and irreplaceable role in all contexts of scientific endeavours. In the epistemic framework associated with this conception, intuitive thinking, which is non-inferential and largely unconscious, and emotions take centre stage, and evidential relations are conceived as psychological/sociological rather than logical.