Monday, April 27, 2015

Art, Aesthetics, and Evolution

We are delighted to announce the publication of 11.2 of the ASEBL Journal. This is a very special issue that includes a paper by Anthony Lock entitled, “Evolutionary Aesthetics, the Interrelationship Between Viewer and Artist, and New Zealandism.” Lock, who teaches at Ling Tung University, Taichung, Taiwan, is a philosopher of science and art, with particular interest in the relationship between science and art, consilience, and the evolutionary origins of art. He holds degrees in mathematics and a first in philosophy, and was the last Honors research student of Denis Dutton, author of The Art Instinct, founder of Arts & Letters Daily, and editor of Philosophy and Literature.

As important, the issue includes commentaries on Lock’s paper from some prominent scholars in the fields of anthropology and cognitive science. 

You can find the paper and comments at the St. Francis College website, which houses ASEBL, here

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Science and Literature Conference

Just received this announcement from Dustin Hellberg. Of interest to ASEBL readers and followers.


INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON SCIENCE AND LITERATURE
DIVISION of HISTORY of SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY
INTERNATIONAL UNION for the HISTORY and PHILOSOPHY of SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY
INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL ON SCIENCE AND LITERATURE
Following the successful 1st International Conference on Science and Literature, that took place in Athens last year, the International Commission on Science and Literature is happy to announce the  Summer School on Science and Literature, which will be held in the Greek island of Andros, from the 22nd to the 26th of June 2015.

The Summer School will be of especial interest to graduate students and early-career researchers working on literature, the sciences and the history of science. It will offer the opportunity for an in-depth presentation and discussion of themes relevant to Science and Literature at large. Each day, a lecture will be given on a specific point of intersection between science and literature. Participants will then work in small groups and prepare their own views on the subject, and discuss how it pertains to their own research. Participants will also have the opportunity to present short papers on their research or on subjects they want to discuss and receive feedback on. Finally, a round table will be organized discussing the future of Science and Literature as an academic field and its possible application in scientific and literary education.  The language of the Summer School will be English but there will be an opportunity for presentations in French, German and Greek if there is a relevant interest.

Dr. John Holmes, Chair of the British Society for Literature and Science, Prof. Manuela Rossini, President of the Society for Literature, Science and the Arts (Europe), Prof. Paola Spinozzi, University of Ferrara, Prof. Constantin Canavas, Hamburg Technical University have already confirmed their participation as invited speakers.

Andros island is a picturesque island on the Aegean Sea, about two hours from Attica (Rafina harbor), with several ferries during the day. There is a also a convenient connection between Athens airport and Rafina harbor.

For an overview of Andros island visit http://www.andros.gr/ind_en.htm
The venue of the summer school will be Pighi Sariza Hotel (http://www.pighisarizahotel.gr/index_en.html), with several nice beaches a short distance from the hotel. Participants will have also the chance to participate in several cultural events including visits to the famous Goulandri Museum of Modern Art and the Kaireios Library in Chora, the capital of Andros. The cost of the accommodation will be around 50 euros per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner included). There will also be a registration fee of 140 Euros. Support for a number of young scholars will be provided by a DHST/IUHPST grant.

Those who are interested to participate are invited to send an email to gvlahakis@yahoo.com and/or konstantinos.tampakis@gmail.com by May 20, 2015.