[PhilPhys] CFA: The Semantics of Theories (MCMP/LMU Munich, 23-25 June 2016)

[Erik Curiel]

THE SEMANTICS OF THEORIES
MCMP, LMU Munich
23-25 June 2016
http://www.semanticsoftheories2016.philosophie.uni-muenchen.de/


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Since 1970, no major international conference has been dedicated to
the problem of the semantics of theories, even though the problem is
of central and fundamental importance in all branches and topics of
philosophy of science. The time, therefore, is ripe for such a major
conference, bringing together leading proponents and critics of all
major schools of thought on the problem. Such a gathering will spur
new, innovative approaches to the problem, as well as connecting and
invigorating work on existing approaches. It will also provide young
researchers with a comprehensive introduction to the state of the art
of this central field of research, and established researchers with a
comprehensive overview.

The conference aims to explore the issues and problems attending the
attempts to understand the semantics of scientific theories. Specific
questions we want the conference to address include (but are not
limited to):

1. What is it to formulate an account of the semantics of scientific
theories?

2. What are the relative virtues and demerits of formal, technical
versus informal, heuristic approaches to the problem?

3. What are the relative virtues and demerits of the most influential
contemporary schools of thought (syntactic or received view, semantic
view, structuralism, inferentialism, inter alia)?

4. How can one distinguish the pragmatics from the semantics, and what
role does or ought each of them play?

5. Should there be a single, unified account of the semantics of
theories for all branches of science, or do theories in different
sciences (physics, biology, the social sciences, et al.) require
different semantics?

6. What roles do representation and the general idea of a model play
in semantics?

7. What input, if any, should the psychological and neurocognitive
sciences have in a proper understanding of semantics?

8. What is the relation, if any, between the semantics of scientific
theories and the semantics of mathematical theories?

9. How does or should a proper understanding of the semantics bear on
related philosophical problems concerning scientific theories,
including: their structure; their relation to experiment and
observation; the status of theoretical terms and the
realism-versus-instrumentalism debate; the distinction between factual
and conceptual truths; issues of confirmation, reduction and
emergence, incommensurability, concept-formation; etc.?


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CALL FOR ABSTRACTS:

We invite the submission of paper abstracts for the conference.
Abstracts should include a title, a brief abstract (up to 100 words),
and a full abstract (up to 1000 words), blinded for peer review. They
should be PDF files, submitted to the conference's EasyChair account
(https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=tsot2016). We will select 8
submissions for presentation at the conference.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: 10 Jan. 2016
DATE OF NOTIFICATION: 07 Feb. 2016

We plan to publish the proceedings of the conference as a dedicated
book. Several major publishing houses (Springer, Cambridge University
Press, Oxford University Press) are being now approached to try to
secure a contract for its publication, with the joint organizers (Erik
Curiel and Sebastian Lutz) as co-editors.

We are committed to fostering diversity and equality in our programs.
Submissions from underrepresented groups are particularly welcome. The
conference will be organized and run under the MCMP's code of conduct
(http://www.mcmp.philosophie.uni-muenchen.de/events/event-policy/index.html).


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INVITED SPEAKERS:

* Holger Andreas (British Columbia)
* Adam Caulton (Cambridge, MCMP/LMU Munich)
* Hans Halvorson (Princeton)
* Elaine Landry (UC Davis)
* Reinhard Muskens (Tilburg)
* Christopher Pincock (Ohio State)
* Laura Ruetsche (Michigan, pending final confirmation)
* Emma Ruttkamp-Bloem (Pretoria)
* Gerhard Schurz (Dusseldorf)
* Mauricio Suarez (Madrid)


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REGISTRATION:

Please send registration requests by 1 June 2016 to the co-organizer
Sebastian Lutz (sebastian.lutz at lrz.uni-muenchen.de). The email should
have the subject: "register" and contain your name and affiliation as
you would like it to appear on your conference name-tag. Also please
indicate whether you plan to attend the conference dinner (24 June,
2016). The fees for the conference and dinner are as follows.

Senior researchers with permanent positions (associate and full
professors, etc.): conference fee and dinner EUR 50 (combined)

Junior researchers (assistant professors, post-docs, etc.): conference
fee and dinner EUR 30 (combined)

Students (masters, doctoral, etc.): conference fee and dinner EUR 15
(combined)



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PROGRAM COMMITTEE:

Holger Andreas (British Columbia/MCMP), Seamus Bradley (MCMP/LMU
Munich), Adam Caulton (Cambridge, MCMP/LMU Munich), Hans Halvorson
(Princeton), Johannes Korbmacher (MCMP/LMU Munich), Elaine Landry (UC
Davis), Kristina Liefke (MCMP/LMU Munich), Margaret Morrisson
(Toronto), Reinhard Muskens (Tilburg), Francesca Pero (Madrid),
Christopher Pincock (Ohio State), Laura Ruetsche (Michigan), Emma
Ruttkamp-Bloem (Pretoria), Gerhard Schurz (Dusseldorf), Mauricio
Suarez (Madrid)


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Please direct any inquiry to the co-organizers: Erik Curiel
(erik.curiel at lmu.de) and Sebastian Lutz
(sebastian.lutz at lrz.uni-muenchen.de)


-- 
Erik Curiel

Postdoctoral Fellow
Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy
Lehrstuhl für Wissenschaftstheorie
Fakultät für Philosophie, Wissenschaftstheorie und Religionswissenschaft
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität
Ludwigstraße 31
80539 München, Deutschland

http://strangebeautiful.com