Dr. Christophe Heintz, Assistant Professor of cognitive science at the Central European University, in Budapest:
Inference to convincing explanation
I will use the argumentative theory of reasoning to clarify why and how some inferences are guided by the goal of explaining. Lipton (2005) nicely shows that some important aspects of scientific reasoning can be accounted for in terms of inference to the best explanation. However, he characterises inferences to the best explanation through their semantic and epistemological properties rather than by specifying their psychological underpinning. I will show that the argumentative theory of reasoning provides a means to understand which psychological processes philosophers of science have referred to when talking about inference to the best explanation. This will lead me to claim that inferences to the best explanation are in fact inferences to convincing explanation. With this psychological characterisation of inferences to convincing explanation, one is better able to specify the semantic and epistemic properties of a key inference at work in scientific reasoning.
Dr. Konrad Talmont-Kaminski, Assistant Professor Marie Curie-Sklodowska University, Department of Philosophy and Sociology
Explaining the magic/religion distinction using a dual inheritance model
The dual inheritance model of religion seeks to explain it as based upon cognitive byproducts that have been co-opted for prosocial functions. This approach invites comparison with other supernatural beliefs/practices that arise due to the same cognitive mechanisms but which have not been similarly co-opted. The example of this kind that I will compare religion to in my talk will be provided by superstitions and will explore the possibility of theorising the traditional magic/religion distinction on an evolutionary basis. Using a modified version of the new principle for distinguishing magic and religion proposed by Pyysiäinen to identify the respective kinds of beliefs and practices, I will argue that the dual inheritance model of religion is capable of explaining a number of the traditionally proposed differences between them while simultaneously bringing out their shared cognitive basis.