New Directions in Analogical Reasoning

Schedule (Pacific Standard Time):  
8.45: Introduction

9.00: Tarja Knuuttila & Andrea Loettgers – "Templates, Analogies, and Transdisciplinary Model Transfer"  

9.45: Francesco Nappo – "Material Similarity and the Problem of Manipulation" 

15m Break

10.45: Lindsey Engle Richland & Hongyang Zhao – "Developing a Relational Mindset for Analogical Reasoning"

11.30: Paul Bartha – "Hypothetical Analogies" 

Hour Lunch Break  

13.30: Peter P Tan – "Constructive and Cognitive Uses of Analogy in Modeling"

14.15: Susan G. Sterrett – "Mach on Analogy Between Systems of Concepts"

15.00: Closing Remarks

Description:  

Analogical reasoning is a vital epistemic tool in both everyday and scientific life. Of particular importance in science is analogical inference--a type of inference that identifies similarities between a source and target domain and uses those similarities to motivate the conclusion that some further feature of the source domain can be generalized to the target domain. Analogical inferences are used in scientific discovery, experiment design, theory choice, and model construction. Prominent accounts in philosophy and cognitive science have uncovered important aspects of the use of analogical inference in science. This workshop explores various refinements aiming at better integrating philosophical and psychological approaches to analogical inference.

Knuttila & Loettgers emphasize the use of analogy in model transfer, and how this use of analogy can result in a whole range of concepts and methods being transferred from the source to target. Sterrett also examines how analogies can occur between systems of concepts, drawing on examples from Mach. Nappo focuses on the similarity mapping between source and target domain and defends Hesse's (1966) material condition—namely, that the similarities in an analogical argument must already be recognized as genuine before and independently of the argument—from a challenge by Bartha (2010). Bartha brings to light the significance in scientific practice of analogies where the source or target domains are not real systems but imaginary ones. Richland & Zhao note that the representation of the source and target domains varies depending on context. Through novel experimental evidence, they introduce the importance of relational noticing in forming these representations. Tan argues that there is a distinct kind of usage of analogy in scientific modeling in which analogies serve a constructive function and guide the construction process of a model without contributing to a model's cognitive content.

This workshop will be held remotely remotely over Zoom from 8:45am to 3pm PST on November 5th, 2024. It is open to all to attend. To register, please email Jessica Lauman-Lairson ([email protected]) or Ben Genta ([email protected]).