Convenors: PD Dr. Andrea Bender, PD Dr. Sieghard Beller (both Freiburg)

How do we ask why? And why do we do it so differently? The conference is the kick-off meeting of an interdisciplinary research group at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research of Bielefeld University (ZiF) which attempts to develop an integrated perspective on causal cognition across cultures, domains, and disciplines, thereby also reintegrating anthropology into the cognitive sciences.

Causal cognition research has in the past been split into distinct disciplines, creating only fragmented pictures of this fascinating phenomenon. Cultural variation in causal explanations and in the attempts to look for them rarely comes into the focus of research. The conference brings together experts from different fields of the cognitive sciences to explore the interplay of culture and causal cognition.

The first day of the conference is devoted to disciplinary “Perspectives on Causal Cognition”, including philosophy, psychology, anthropology, and linguistics. On the second day, we will explore the potential for “Crossing Disciplinary Boundaries” and also focus on the role of cultural expertise in general and anthropology in particular in the cognitive sciences. A key note speech on “The Cultural Nature of Causal Cognition” will integrate the epistemological and heuristic challenges of studying causal cognition with special attention to cultural diversity.

The conference will be held in English.

It takes place at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research, Bielefeld University, Wellenberg 1, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany, October 13-14, 2011.

For the program, please visit our website:
http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/(en)/ZIF/AG/2011/10-12-Beller.html