Institute of Philosophy

Workshop

Reflective Equilibrium in Logic and Philosophy of Science

Thursday, 2017/11/16, 10:15


How can verdicts about the logical validity of inferences be justified? How can we argue for logical theories? To answer these questions, Nelson Goodman suggested the method of reflective equilibrium in 1955. The main idea is that both our commitments to the validity of inferences as well as our logical theories are justified if they agree with each other, and that this agreement results from a process of mutually adjusting commitments and theories that try to systematize them. This idea was later discussed and further developed in different fields, most notably ethics, but also in theories of rationality, general epistemology, and philosophy of science. The aim of the workshop is to discuss and reassess the method of reflective equilibrium in light of recent developments and applications in logic and philosophy of science.

Event organizer: SGSLPS and the Philosophy of Science Program at the University of Bern
Speaker: Claus Beisbart, University of Bern; Jaroslav Peregrin, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague; Stewart Shapiro, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; Vladimir Svoboda; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague
Date: 2017/11/16
Time: 10:15 - 17:45
Locality: B-102
UniS
Schanzeneckstrasse 1
3012 Bern
Characteristics: open to the public
free of charge