Kurt Gödel, philosopher: From Logic to Cosmology

Université Aix-Marseille CEPERC (AMU, CNRS) IHPST (Paris 1/CNRS/ENS) SND (Paris 4/CNRS)

Gödel’s writings published during his lifetime show his dual interest in scientific questions and in fundamental philosophical questions. The posthumous publication of certain manuscripts and talks enables one better to understand this double interest in science and in philosophy. On the one hand, Gödel developed most of his scientific results in order to solve or clarify certain philosophical questions. On the other hand, his scientific work in the foundations of mathematics and in cosmology enriched his philosophical thought on, for example, the a priori classification of philosophical systems, and on the relations between the notions of concept and object. Hence, not only did Gödel, as is well known, believe that philosophy might become an exact theory,  provided that one does for metaphysics what Newton did for physics; he should moreover be aligned with Descartes, Leibniz, and other early modern philosophers who believed that science and philosophy are inseparable.

The conference will explore several features of Gödel’s philosophy that emerge from the unpublished manuscripts Max-Phil, which have been partly transcribed by the research group directed by Gabriella Crocco at CEPERC (Université Aix-Marseille). The presentation of the complete transcriptions of Max-Phil IX-XV will be accompanied by an exploration of Gödel’s philosophy of logic, mathematics, and physics by international specialists and young Gödel scholars.

The official language of the Conference is English.

The conference is supported by the Centre d’Epistémologie et d’Ergologie Comparative (CEPER UMR 7304) de l’Université Aix-Marseille, by the Institut d’Histoire et de Philosophie des Sciences et des Techniques (IHPST UMR 8590) de l’Université Paris1 Panthéon Sorbonne, and the Institute Sciences, Normes, Décision (SND FRE 3593) de l’Université Paris 4 Pierre et Marie Curie. Organizers: Gabriella Crocco (CEPERC, Université Aix-Marseille), Pierre Kerszberg (IHPST, Université Paris 1 / CNRS), Mark Van Atten (SND, Université Paris 4 / CNRS), Eric Audureau (CEPERC, Université Aix-Marseille / CNRS), Paola Cantù, (CEPERC, Université Aix-Marseille / CNRS), Eva-Maria Engelen (CEPERC, Université Aix-Marseille / Universität Konstanz, Germany).

Scientific committee: John Dawson (Pennsylvania State University, USA), Akihiro Kanamori (Boston University, USA), Eberhard Knobloch (Technische Universität Berlin, Germany), Göran Sundholm (Universiteit Leiden, Netherlands), Richard Tieszen (California State University, San José, USA), Gabriella Crocco (CEPERC, Université Aix-Marseille), Pierre Kerszberg (IHPST, Université Paris 1 /CNRS), Mark Van Atten (SND, Université Paris 4 / CNRS), Eric Audureau (CEPERC, Université Aix-Marseille / CNRS), Paola Cantù (CEPERC, Université Aix-Marseille /CNRS), Eva-Maria Engelen (CEPERC, Université Aix-Marseille / Universität Konstanz, Germany). For further information please contact: goedelphilosopher2013 (at) gmail (dot) com

Students who want to attend the conference may apply for a travel grant amounting to a maximum of 300 Euro per person.

To apply, send an e-mail to [email protected] no later than May 30th, containing :

• your CV (in particular your research topic, advisor, list of publications, etc.)
• 1-page statement about why you wish to attend the conferenceThe subject line of your message should include the expression: Travel Grant Application.

The winners will be notified by e-mail by the June 10th. We are looking forward to your applications.

Thursday July 11, 2013

9h-9h30 Registration & Reception

9h30-10h15 Word of Welcome by the Organizers and Presentation of the Conference

10h15-11h30 Gabriella CROCCO (Aix-Marseille Université, France)
Gödel’s Philosophical Manuscripts and the ANR Project 

11h30-12h00 Coffee Break

12h00-12h45 Oran MAGAL (McGill University, Canada)
Intensional vs. Extensional Formal Theories and Gödel’s ‘Theory of Concepts’

13h00-15h00 Lunch

15h15h-16h30 John DAWSON (Pennsylvania State University, USA)
What Have We Learned from the Gödel Nachlaß and What More May It Have to Offer?

16h30-17h15 Amélie MERTENS (Aix-Marseille Université, France)
Gödel’s Distinction between Subjectivity and Objectivity of Concepts from the Analysis of One Particular Remark of the Max-Phil Manuscripts

17h15-17h45 Coffee Break

17h45-18h30 Montgomery LINK (Suffolk University, USA)
An Aspect of Gödel’s Basic Philosophical Outlook

Friday July 12, 2013

9h00-10h15 Massimo MUGNAI (Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy)
Leibniz and Gödel 

10h15-11h00 Paul WEINGARTNER and Silvia HARING (Salzburg University, Austria)
On the Compatibility of Evil and Freedom

11h00-11h30 Coffee Break

11h30-12h15 Julien BERNARD (Aix-Marseille Université, France)
How Did Gödel Interpret the Problems of Modern Microscopical Physics Through His Monadology?

12h15-13h00 Srećko KOVAČ (Institute of Philosophy, Zagreb, Croatia)
Causality as a Central Concept of Goedel’s Philosophy

13h15-15h15 Lunch

15h30-16h45 Eberhard KNOBLOCH (Technische Universität, Berlin, Germany)
Leibniz’s Conception of a General Characteristic Art or Combinatorial Art: Leibnizean Examples

16h45-17h15 Coffee Break 

17h15-18h30 Göran SUNDHOLM (Leyden University, The Netherlands)
Kurt Gödel, Ontological Descriptivist

Saturday July 13, 2013

9h00-10h15 Akihiro KANAMORI (Boston University, USA)
Set Theory and Philosophy

10h15-11h00 Claudio TERNULLO (Kurt Gödel Research Center, Vienna, Austria) 
Gödel’s Cantorianism

11h00-11h30 Coffee Break

11h30-12h15 Jan VON PLATO (Helsinki University, Finland)
Gödel and the Main Problem of Foundations

12h30-14h30 Lunch

14h45-15h30 Nuno JERÓNIMO (Lisbon University, Portugal / Paris I University, France)
The Influence of Mathematics upon Philosophy: Gödel and Rota

15h30-16h45 Richard TIESZEN (California University, USA)
Monads and Mathematics: Gödel, Leibniz and Husserl

Organizing Committee: Eric Audureau, Paola Cantù, Gabriella Crocco, Eva-Maria Engelen, Pierre Kerszberg, Mark Van Atten.
Partenariat: Université Aix-Marseille, CEPERC Centre d’EPistémologie et d’ERgologie Comparatives (AMU, CNRS), IHPST Institut d’Histoire et de Philosophie des Sciences et des Techniques (Paris 1/CNRS/ENS), SND Sciences, Normes, Décision Paris 4/CNRS).

Mail Address: [email protected]

Registration Required: Deadline June 30, 2013.
Student Grants: Application Deadline May 30, 2013.

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