030089 Imagination, Intuition, and Thought Experiments: A Route to Knowledge? (Werning)

Event Timeslots (1)

Thursday
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Join us for an engaging and thought-provoking seminar exploring the fascinating topics of imagination, intuition and thought experiments. This seminar is specifically designed for philosophy and cognitive science students seeking to understand the epistemological significance of imagination and intuition, and their role in thought experiments. The seminar will commence by discussing some contributions in contemporary epistemology of imagination. Do we learn from imagination? What kind of knowledge can we achieve through imagination? Is it justified and how? These are only a few of the central questions we are going to investigate. Building upon these epistemological foundations, we will then shift our focus to the notion of intuition. We will critically examine its problematic nature and delve into a central “epistemological tool”: thought experiment. We will finally examine the roles and interplay of imagination and intuition within some of the most famous (philosophical) thought experiments. By the end of this seminar, participants will have gained a comprehensive understanding of the nature and epistemic powers of imagination and intuition. They will have the tools to critically evaluate and contribute to ongoing debates surrounding the epistemology of imagination, intuition and thought experiments. Students will also have the opportunity to link up with our DFG research group “Constructing Scenarios of the Past”. Aside from active participation, participants will be expected to give a presentation in English. Assistance regarding the English language will be provided. Teaching will be assisted by Sofia Pedrini.