Experimental Epistemology Research Articles

«Среди великих философов нет атеистов…»: рассуждения об опыте, знании и вере в письмах Н.О. Лосского Г.В. Флоровскому (1947–1955 гг.). Письма Н.О. Лосского Г.В. Флоровскому (1947–1955). Публикация, археографическая работа и примечания Е.В. Сердюковой

In 1946, Nikolai Onufrievich Lossky moved from France to his younger son Andrey who lived in the United States, where Lossky taught at the St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary for several years. His correspondence with G.V. Florovsky continued, and, as before, they are connected by their friendship, teaching activities, and, most importantly, their scientific and philosophical interests. “Is it true that Russian philosophy is not scientific?” This question became crucial for N.O. Lossky during the “overseas” period of his life and work (1947–1955). His letters sent to G.V. Florovsky from New Haven, New York, and Los Angeles testify to his interest in the concrete metaphysical foundations of holistic (intuitive) worldview, within which faith and knowledge find their indispensable places. Lossky discusses in his letters Florovsky’s upcoming move to America and the organization of teaching philosophical disciplines at the St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Furthermore, he draws Florovsky’s attention to how scientists of that time (A. Eddington, B. Bavinck, D. Jeans, M. Planck, P. Leconte du Nouy, and others) try to answer the question of the relationship between natural sciences (physics, biology, etc.) and the transcendental foundations of religious experience. In addition to this, Lossky is interested in Étienne Gilson’s “History of Medieval Philosophy” (which describes specific intellectual attempts to “reconcile” faith and knowledge) and the epistemological experience of Russian Freemasonry presented in G.V. Vernadsky’s book. And, of course, a special place in Lossky’s letters is devoted to the preparation of the book “History of Russian Philosophy” for publication in New York as part of the works series of the St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary.

How sound is experiences in deaf/Deaf practice? On sound emancipatory strategies

The paper aims to answer how deaf/Deaf practice inferred the sound. The author analyses the Reddit discussion on deaf experiences with sound. Using Steven Feld’s concept of acoustemology, which is one’s sonic way of knowing and being in the world, the author discusses the meaning of sound in the deaf/Deaf epistemological experience. The sound is a pharmacon. For the deaf/Deaf, the sound brings both positive and negative, expected and unexpected. Ernesto Laclau’s term of emancipation is used to explain how d/Deaf sound practices entail this ambiguity. The author describes four sound emancipatory strategies: expect unexpected, sound management, fabrication of sound, and semiosis. The deafness condition breaks down the perfect ideas of sound and silence, placing us in the sound continuum. Sound is perceivable, but the significance it brings is sometimes debatable. Sound emancipatory strategies enable d/Deaf people to tell their own story of experiencing sound, take control over the sound and show their expertise on it, free their hearing process, and break speech hegemony.

HOMO LOQUENS IN V. DOMONTOVYCH’S METALINGUAL REFLECTION

The article is devoted to the manifestation of the peculiarities of the metalanguage in V. Domontovich’s (V.P. Petrov’s) novels “Doctor Seraficus” and “The Girl with a Bear”. The researcher has made observations on communicative situations, the components of which appear as objects of the narrators’ metalanguage reflection. The author of the article has summarized the problems of metalanguage comments and concluded that all modes of language existence (language, speech, communication) which in belles-lettres texts primarily acquire an aesthetic dimension have become the focus of the research. The author has emphasized that reflection on the characters’ speech activity is aimed at revealing their essential characteristics and performs a cognitive function, filling the gaps in the author’s and reader’s background knowledge. The researcher has suggested that metalanguage commentaries and the concept of language in general are predetermined by ontological and epistemological experience of the author who reflects on language on the verge of the scientifically objective and the figurative-associative, organically combining ontological and epistemological experience (philological, philosophical, anthropological) with his artistic comprehension of reality.

Epistemology of Postmodern Cartographic Research and Engineering of Scientific Knowledge Building

The new technologies revolution has driven an epistemological rupture between modern and postmodern cartographic research. It has fertilized a new engineering of construction postmodern cartographic knowledge based on a fivefold epistemological foundation: naturalist (descriptive epistemology), normative (prescriptive epistemology), operational (experimental epistemology), critical (radical epistemology) and activist (epistemology activist). In practice, postmodern cartographic research is implemented from the paradigm of epistemological syncretism with four postures: constructivist (qualitative variable), post-positivist (quantitative variable), systemist (quantitative and qualitative variables) and interventionist (quantitative and/or qualitative variable). The epistemological positioning here consists in adopting one of these postures and implementing its specific methodological approach. The present study thus attempts to level the deficit of epistemological framing of postmodern cartographic research, which innovates with criticality, radicality and activist-commitment, while perpetuating axiological neutrality and methodological rigor. These innovations thus seal the break with the neutrality or knurling of university activism in the modern era. In other words, cartographic postmodernism opens a new era of academic activism for radical change.

Концептуальные формы познания и интенциональность типологической рефлексии

Purpose of the study is substantiate the relationship between conceptual forms of cognition and the intentionality of typological reflection as the basis of the subject-semantic sphere of personality. The novelty of the work lies in the identification of the epistemological component of the typological potential of the individual's reflection, which is aimed at improving the epistemological experience of practical activity. In the aspect of intellectual synthesis, the objectivity of reflection as a typological-cognitive factor of meaning-forming characteristic has been proved. As a result of the study, the communicative-pragmatic essence of epistemological experience is concretized as the basis of the epistemological construct of the unity of conceptual forms of cognition and typological reflection in the structure of the activity of the subject of sociality.

Dismantling the Western Canon in Media Studies

Abstract Although there have been extensive discussions on decolonizing the field of media and communication(s), not much attention has been paid to the way that curricula reproduce colonialism, imperialism, and racism in the classroom. In this article, I draw on my experiences as an African graduate student in an American classroom to highlight the ways that systemic racism is replicated, reproduced and frames pedagogy. I argue that although many communication(s) scholars purport to theorize from a radical perspective, these politics are not represented in their pedagogy which means that students from marginalized communities are often erased in discussions on theory, research methods and even pedagogy. Not only are the epistemological experiences and realities of marginalized students erased, but the canon is further legitimized leading to the training of scholars and teachers who go on to (in)advertently uphold racism, White supremacy, colonialism, and imperialism in their research, teaching and service.

Начала кибернетики второго порядка

The article discusses the emergence of second-order cybernetics based on work in experimental epistemology and the study of the nervous system, as well as the emergence of a new understanding of the cognitive process. Studies have shown that it is necessary to include a scientist-observer in the descrip­tion of a system, since his or her specific characteristics and subjective world­view can influence the result of observation. The authors give examples of neurophysiological experiments that served as the basis for the conclusion that knowledge is a biological phenomenon, that each individual constructs his own “reality”, which is consistent with the world of sensory experience, but is not identical to it. There are two ways of understanding cybernetics of higher orders. The first approach emphasizes that higher orders of cybernetics can be based on the introduction of additional dimensions (for example, second-order cybernetics relies on neurophysiology, third-order cybernetics takes into ac­count data from sociology and political science, fourth-order cybernetics uses data related to the environment and social responsibility). The second ap­proach is based on the opinion that there is no need for cybernetics of higher orders beyond second order cybernetics, since the observer himself can deter­mine any system of interest to him (for example, a group within an organiza­tion, a society or the environment) and create any number of additional de­scriptions (H. von Förster). The authors of the article come to the conclusion that second-order cybernetics offers a higher conceptual level, drawing atten­tion to the scientist (observer). Second order cybernetics leads to second order science. It points to a suitable epistemology for an information society. The in­clusion of the scientist (observer) in observations changes the epistemological foundation of science.

Community-based learning in higher education: A portal for knowledge production in the time of COVID-19

At the onset of COVID-19 in 2020, the world-renowned writer and political activist, Arundhati Roy, signalled that the pandemic is "a portal, a gateway between one world and the next . . . [and] we can choose to walk through it." Roy's views highlight how we can imagine our world anew through reflection in the time of COVID-19. In this article, we examine the epistemological experiences of students enrolled in a course in community-based learning (CBL) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and consider how CBL during COVID-19 serves as a portal for understanding knowledge that is produced at the nexus between the university and the community. We deemed the Community of Inquiry framework to be a suitable theoretical lens based on its appreciation of the nexus between social (community), teaching (classroom), and cognitive (critical thinking) elements in an online educational experience. Our findings indicate that COVID-19 provides an opportunity for CBL to serve as a portal for understanding how the students' epistemological experiences during the pandemic influenced knowledge production. This is beneficial since university education most often places at the periphery knowledge that students from the surrounding communities bring to the classroom. It is our contention that students bring epistemic value to the university that is not affirmed during the knowledge production process. We conclude that CBL can indeed serve as the gateway for knowledge production between universities and communities during and beyond COVID-19.

Community-based learning in higher education: A portal for knowledge production in the time of COVID-19

This article examines the curriculum for community-based learning in the context of community engagement in higher education. Using Bourdieu and Argyris and Schon as a theoretical framework, it draws on the findings of a qualitative study that sought to critically explore the epistemological experiences of third-year students undertaking a course in community-based learning at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The findings revealed that non-traditional students bring epistemic value to university spaces that must be recognised and affirmed in generating new knowledge in the time of COVID-19. This is particularly critical in an institution like the University of KwaZulu-Natal that has a growing number of non-traditional students from previously disadvantaged communities. Both the institution and students have to embrace competing ways of knowing as producers of transformative knowledge.

Thinking of a primitive individual: a socio-philosophical analysis

The purpose of the study is to determine the conditions and mechanisms for the formation of primitive thinking, initially devoid of strict subordination to the means of subsistence for large-scale goals. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the identification of a set of legal regulators within the processes of primitive thinking. As a result, the author identified a transition from the fragmentary epistemological experience of an individual to a logical system, which is reflected in the mechanisms of regulating life in a primitive society. Turning to the works of sociologists, philosophers and culturologists of the XXth century, it is important to highlight metaphor and symbolism as turning vectors of the functioning of primitive thinking.

Mapping teachers’ personal epistemologies – Phenomenographical approach

Although a considerable amount of research proved a causal relation between teachers’ conceptions of knowledge and the quality of their educational practice, personal epistemology still remains an under-investigated area in teacher professional development, both at the pre-service and in-service stage of career. The article presents the phenomenographic approach to investigating teachers' epistemological beliefs. Phenomenography offers unique tools to grasp the subjective dimension of human experience, especially valuable in trying to understand how teachers perceive and conceptualize their epistemological experiences grounded in everyday educational practice. The aim of the study was to reconstruct teachers’ conceptions of mind and knowing. The following research questions were formulated: How do in-service teachers understand their own mind and knowledge? What conceptions of mind do they use to explain their process of acquiring new knowledge? How are these conceptions of mind, knowledge and knowing interrelated? Several conceptions of mind were elicited and described following the rules of phenomenographic analysis. In conclusions, the consequences of neglecting personal epistemology in teachers’ education and professional development were discussed, furthermore methodological implications for future research were outlined.

Multiply Marginalized: Indigenous Deaf Students’ Experiences in Higher Education

While there is a body of literature about the experiences of Indigenous college students, there is a complete lack of research on Indigenous Deaf college students (enrolled in either traditionally Deaf colleges, predominantly hearing colleges, or a combination of both). The question remains, what college experiences are Indigenous Deaf students having? This signed (American Sign Language) academic video-article examines the lived experience of ten Indigenous Deaf college students. In this study, these students’ experiences are viewed through the Indigenous Deaf Methodologies framework coined by the author. The Indigenous Deaf Methodologies framework uses linguistic anthropology, Indigenous Methodologies (from hearing Indigenous researchers), and Deaf Epistemology (from white Deaf studies). This study focuses on the using of American Sign Language, tribal signed language, visual technologies, and the unique epistemological experiences of Indigenous Deaf students during their college years. This video-article explains the challenges such students face within colleges during a period spanning the 1970s to the today. The author provides recommendations for future programming and accessibility for the next generations of Indigenous Deaf college students.

Educar para um novo conceito de cidadania

Este artigo procura estabelecer os fundamentos filosóficos e epistemológicos que permitam suportar a educação para a cidadania, tendo em vista um novo conceito de cidadania que responda às necessidades da sociedade contemporânea. Neste âmbito, o artigo confronta autores clássicos com o intuito de indagar acerca dos limites e da natureza do conhecimento e da ação humana. A obra destes autores será relacionada com o trabalho de investigadores recentes, na área da epistemologia experimental e da psicologia. Isto permitirá tirar as conclusões desejadas, não perdendo de vista as caraterísticas e os desafios da sociedade contemporânea.

Perspectivism and the epistemology of experimentation

My aim in this paper is to propose a way to study the role of perspectives in both the production and justification of experimental knowledge claims. My starting point for this will be Anjan Chakravartty’s claim that Ronald Giere’s perspectival account of the role of instruments in the production of such claims entails relativism in the form of irreducibly incompatible truths. This led Michela Massimi to argue that perspectivism, insofar as it wants to form a realist position, is only concerned with the justification of such claims: whether they are produced reliably is, on her view, a perspective-independent fact of the matter. Following a suggestion by Giere on how scientists handle incompatible experimental results, I will then argue that Massimi’s perspectivism can be extended to also cover the production of such claims, without falling into relativism. I will elaborate this suggestion by means of Uljana Feest’s work on how scientists handle incompatible experimental results. I will argue that, if we reconceptualize perspectives as embodied and situated ways of going about in experimentation that can be made explicit through interpretation, we can obtain a fruitful understanding of the role of perspectives in both the production and justification of experimental knowledge. While this role is primarily exploratory, it can still allow for a substantial form of realism.

Beyond Perrault's experiments: repeatability, didactics and complexity

Abstract. The naturalistic and philosophical studies conducted in the second half of the 17th century were crucial both for the birth of modern hydrological science and modern epistemology. Thanks to quantitative observations and to the new experiment-based scientific approach, the Sun was about to be fully recognized as the engine of the hydrological cycle. In this context of great vitality and rapid cultural changes, Pierre Perrault published his classical opus De l'origine des fontaines (On the origin of springs) in 1674. The opus presents a discussion on the origin of springs and contains the report of a set of experiments of water flow through a soil column, which may be considered the first of modern hydrology. In assessing the importance of Perrault's opus, we will discuss his epistemological relevance by looking at the novelty of his approach, at the repeatability of the experiments, at the intriguing didactic aspects for the modern teaching of hydrology and at his attitude in facing the complexity of hydrological processes. Perrault places himself in the context of a novel experimental epistemology. On the basis of our analyses he seems to be aware that the processes involved in the hydrological cycle and in soil hydrology are hardly reproducible by means of a controlled laboratory model. This circumstance put the modern scientific approach to a severe test at its very beginning. It is suggested that some of Perrault's epistemological and methodological reflections are precursors of the modern epistemology of complexity. Thus even if Perrault's conclusions followed an ancient opinion, his work is not only seminal for hydrology, but also helps to enlighten some features of the scientific revolution of the 17th century.

Hawking radiation and analogue experiments: A Bayesian analysis

We present a Bayesian analysis of the epistemology of analogue experiments with particular reference to Hawking radiation. First, we prove that such experiments can be confirmatory in Bayesian terms based upon appeal to ‘universality arguments’. Second, we provide a formal model for the scaling behaviour of the confirmation measure for multiple distinct realisations of the analogue system and isolate a generic saturation feature. Finally, we demonstrate that different potential analogue realisations could provide different levels of confirmation. Our results provide a basis both to formalise the epistemic value of analogue experiments that have been conducted and to advise scientists as to the respective epistemic value of future analogue experiments.

Cybernetics and the Russian Intellectual Tradition

Understanding the differences between scientific approaches to cybernetics is difficult because of the very different histories and intellectual traditions in Russia and the West, i.e. the U.S. and Europe. This paper, firstly, describes the peculiarities of the Russian style of scientific thinking, considering as an example Alexander Bogdanov’s theory (tectology) in context of the Russian intellectual tradition. Secondly, the paper compares Vladimir E. Lepskiy’s and Stuart A. Umpleby’s theories of cybernetics looking at them through the prism of Russian and American intellectual traditions. Western cybernetics of the second order includes biological and social versions. It arose from “experimental epistemology.” The goal was to understand the processes of cognition on the basis of neurophysiological experiments, as a result of which cyberneticians came to the conclusion that the observer cannot be excluded from science. Biological cybernetics is concerned with how the brain creates descriptions of the world. Little attention is paid to the world since it already is included in the perceptions of the observer. Social cybernetics is concerned with how people act in the world. Theories or descriptions are thought to be less important than appropriate actions. The Russian interpretation of second-order cybernetics develops its social version. The paper concludes that the differences described demonstrate the great potential for ideas from Russian and Western scientists to enrich further development of cybernetics and science in East and West.

Professional Didactics (dp): a perspective of application to the work of the Mathematics teacher

After almost thirty years of tradition with several studies and researches developed in France and strongly impacted in Brazil, the branch of the didactics of mathematics (DM) study offers a sui generis perspective of analysis and treatment of various problems and phenomena arising from teaching and learning in mathematics. On the other hand, naturally, due to its strong aspect of experimental epistemology, certain theoretical elements and structures were rediscussed and certain limits were identified. In this scenario, the present work approaches a perspective of application of the professional didactics (DP), also of the French territory, in the decade of 1990, given the role of the teacher. Thus, (PD) provides theoretical treatment for the discussion and understanding of the learning phenomenon of the mathematics teacher, in his own workplace, aiming at the model of regulation and progressive improvement of his professional abilities.

Do different experimental tasks affect psychophysical measurements of motion perception in autism-spectrum disorder? An analysis.

There is a rapid increase in the number of individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA). Research on motion perception in HFA has shown deficits in processing motion information at the higher visual cortical areas (V5/middle temporal). Several hypotheses have been put forth to explain these deficits as being due to enhanced processing of small details at the expense of the global picture or as a global integration abnormality. However, there is a lot of variability in the results obtained from experiments designed to study motion in adults with autism. These could be due to the inherent diagnostic differences within even the same range of the autism spectrum and/or due to comparison of different experimental paradigms whose processing by the same visual neural areas could be different. In this review, we discuss the various results on motion processing in HFA, as well as the theories of motion perception in autism.

Plural Embodiment(s) of Mind. Genealogy and Guidelines for a Radically Embodied Approach to Mind and Consciousness.

This article focuses on a scientific approach to the study of cognition that Warren McCulloch introduced in the era of cybernetics as “experimental epistemology.” In line with recent attempts to highlight its contribution to cognitive science and AI, our article intends to draw attention to its unexplored influence on contemporary embodied approaches to the investigation of mind and consciousness. To this end, we will survey a series of models of cognitive systems genealogically related to the McCulloch-Pitts networks-based modeling approach, i.e., von Foerster’s model of the biological computer, the Maturana-Varela model of the autopoietic system, and Varela’s model of emergent selves. Based on examination of the relevant aspects of these models, we will argue that they offered the McCulloch-Pitts “cybernetic of networks” a coherent methodological and theoretical line of development, complementary to the well-known computationalist one. As we will show, this alternative evolutionary line empowered the biological orientation of McCulloch’s experimental epistemology, laying foundations for contemporary “radically embodied” approaches to mind and consciousness – in particular the Thompson-Varela approach. We will identify the heritage of this tradition of inquiry for future research in cognitive science and AI by proposing guidelines that synthetize how its methodological and theoretical insights suggest taking into account the role(s) played by the biological body in cognitive processes – consciousness included.