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397Symmetry-breaking dynamics in developmentPhenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 16 (4): 585-596. 2017.Recognition of the plasticity of development — from gene expression to neuroplasticity — is increasingly undermining the traditional distinction between structure and function, or anatomy and behavior. At the same time, dynamic systems theory — a set of tools and concepts drawn from the physical sciences — has emerged as a way of describing what Maurice Merleau-Ponty calls the “dynamic anatomy” of the living organism. This article surveys and synthesizes dynamic systems models of development fro…Read more
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1035Sense-Making and Symmetry-Breaking: Merleau-Ponty, Cognitive Science, and Dynamic Systems TheorySymposium: Canadian Journal of Continental Philosophy/Revue canadienne de philosophie continentale 17 (2): 247-273. 2013.From his earliest work forward, phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty attempted to develop a new ontology of nature that would avoid the antinomies of realism and idealism by showing that nature has its own intrinsic sense which is prior to reflection. The key to this new ontology was the concept of form, which he appropriated from Gestalt psychology. However, Merleau-Ponty struggled to give a positive characterization of the phenomenon of form which would clarify its ontological status. Evan Th…Read more
Montreal, QC, Canada
Areas of Interest
Philosophy of Biology |
Philosophy of Cognitive Science |
Continental Philosophy |