June 25, 2019: Hiphis Seminar: E. Sander, The Analog Imperative

Tuesday, June 25, 2019, from 5:30 p.m. to7:30 p.m.,UM IAE, Robert Reix Lecture Hall (Triolet Campus, Building 29), free admission
Please note: due to construction, the walk from the tram station is longer than usual.

The Analog Imperative

Abstract:
  The desire to distinguish human beings from their counterparts in the animal kingdom has long prevented us from conceiving of the reasoning of educated adults as anything other than conforming to logic. Drawing on the book “Analogy: The Heart of Thought” (Hofstadter & Sander, 2013), this lecture rehabilitates analogy by demonstrating its cognitive necessity and creative richness. It argues that analogy—which allows us to treat the unknown as if it were known—is the primary engine of thought. The aim is to show that, far from being an isolated phenomenon, it pervades and shapes cognition from top to bottom—from the most mundane and unconscious acts to the most creative scientific discoveries—including what guides how each of us interacts with our environment, interprets a situation, reasons in daily life, makes decisions, and acquires new knowledge.

Emmanuel Sander
Professor of Psychology at the University of Geneva (IDEA team) and at Paris 8 University (CRAC team, EA 349Paragraphe)