FIS Track
Through the prism of Physical–Biological–Cognitive Sciences, Computing and Philosophy
Moderators
Marcin J. Schroeder, Professor of Mathematics, Akita International University, Akita, Japan
Gordana Dodig-Crnkovic, Professor of Computer Science, Mälardalen University and Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Objectives
The bilateral/bidirectional relations between corners of the triangle Information-Reality-Cognition have been subject of many discussions, considered from the perspective of one of the corners. Landauer’s “Information is physical” or Wheeler’s “It from bit”, QBism (Quantum Bayesianism) and Endophysics (agent-centered physics) are frequently considered clearly defined, although perhaps extreme philosophical positions generated from the perspective of physics and establishing the relationship between information and reality. However, their consequences outside of physics, with the focus in biology and cognitive science have not been explored in depth. Neither have computational and philosophical approaches followed systematically these relationships.
An example of the question of special interest for the workshop would be the influence of information science (including study of life/cognition), computing and philosophy on the development of new physics, and the other way round. Do we need new physics? The fact that for many years Nobel Prizes in Physics are given to achievements in engineering suggests the need for new thinking. Dark matter and dark energy are nothing but 96% blank space on the territory of physics. How would such new physics affect our understanding of reality and cognition?
The need for change of paradigms can be seen in many intellectual and research initiatives of recent time such as Information Physics, building on the insight that from the epistemological point of view, all our interaction with the physical world results in different types of information that processed and mutually related on higher levels of abstraction results in informational structures that build physical theories on which our understanding of the physical world is based. Morphological Computation is a new view of the connection between structures and dynamics of information processing. Integral Biomathics is searching not only for new physics, but also new mathematics suitable for the study of life and cognition, while Bioinformatics treats biological systems as info-computational objects, whereas Cognitive Computing has an ambition to implement cognitive behaviour into computational artifacts.
Target groups
Contributions in the spirit of these current initiatives, and papers proposing other innovative approaches breaking molds of traditional physics, biology, cognitive science, computing and philosophy are welcome. We are interested in the research on the intersections on those fields and particularly on the triadic relationships between information, reality and cognition in physical, biological and cognitive sciences, computing and philosophy.
Studies of information which are dominated by the continuing discussion of the question “What is information?” can benefit from the discussion of the triangular (or tetrahedron-al and higher order) relations to gain more general perspective in the choice of the conceptual framework not restricted by the inertia of traditional methods of inquiry.
Invited Speakers
Søren Brier, Professor with Special Responsibilities, Department of International Business Communication, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
Pedro C. Marijuán, Senior Researcher, Instituto Aragonés de Ciencias de la Salud, Zaragoza, Spain
John Collier, Professor, Philosophy and Ethics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
Robert K. Logan, Professor Emeritus, Physics, University of Toronto, Canada
Important Dates
Submission deadline: 27 February 2015
Notification of acceptance: 20 March 2015
