Call for Papers

Workshop “Synthetic Modeling of Life and Cognition: Open Questions” (SMLC 2013)

12-14th September 2013, University of Bergamo, Italy

Organizers:
Luisa Damiano (University of Bergamo)
Vincent C. Müller (Anatolia College/ACT & University of Oxford)

Website: http://www.pt-ai.org/smlc/2013

In recent decades researchers in various scientific domains have been working intensely on procedures directed to exploring life and cognition in a “synthetic” way, i.e. through modeling in artificial systems. Research on biological and cognitive processes is thus been increasingly based on implementations in “software” (simulations), “hardware” (robots) and “wetware” (chemical systems) used as scientific models of the processes in question. This scientific development is often seen as the emergence of a new general methodology, a “synthetic methodology”, slated to become a dominant force in science. This synthetic methodology poses a challenge for both science itself and the philosophy of science: to define the possibilities, the limits, and the ways of the synthetic modeling of life and cognition, and its relevance for biological, behavioral, cognitive, and social sciences.

The workshop “Synthetic Modeling of Life and Cognition: Open Questions” will tackle this challenge by creating a strongly interdisciplinary forum that can formulate and address these fundamental questions. The workshop brings together pioneers of the synthetic exploration of life and cognition from different scientific domains (computer science, synthetic biology, cognitive, developmental, social robotics…), and invites them to discuss with philosophers and other specialists studying this emerging form of scientific investigation.

Invited speakers

• Minoru Asada, Osaka University, Japan
• Angelo Cangelosi, University of Plymouth, UK
• Luciano Fadiga, University of Ferrara, Italy
• Stuart Kauffman, University of Calgary, Canada
• Pier Luigi Luisi, University of Rome Three, Italy
• Giorgio Metta, Italian Institute of Technology, Italy
• Giulio Sandini, Italian Institute of Technology, Italy
• Ricard Solé, Pompeu Fabra University, Spain

Call for Papers

The SMLC 2013 workshop adopts an “Open Questions” format. – This means that the SMLC 2013 call for papers contains a list of questions on the synthetic modeling of life and cognition formulated by members of the Program Committee and other selected specialists on the basis of their expertise and in accordance with the topics of the workshop.

Deadline: 30.06.2013

Complete Call for Papers: http://www.pt-ai.org/smlc/2013/calls

Madrid, 11th of Jan. 2013 — program.