Network of Thought Reading Group

Schedule Resources

Time and Place:

"If, in short, there is a community of computers living in my head, there had also better be somebody who is in charge; and, by God, it had better be me." -J. Fodor

Contact Victor:
networkofthought@victorgom.es
Twitter
Substack
Contact Bodhi:
bodhiswatabiswas@gmail.com
Twitter First and Third Wednesday each month 11:00 EST (16:00 GMT/20:30 IST) @ zoom

For Zoom PW or Discord invite: Email Victor or Bodhi!

Some have responded to the replication crisis by arguing that there is instead a theory crisis in psychology. Because of this, there is a focus on particular effects and phenomena rather than developing frameworks which generalize and extend beyond the particular experiments they are tested within. The goal of this reading group is to focus on theoretical frameworks within cognitive science, though of course experiments will often be a part of the discussion as a focus on theory does not require a total disregard for experimentation. The focus, at least in the start, will largely be issues surrounding language, as the coordiantors are versed in psycholinguistics. But, we hope that as time goes on, other members can suggest and help lead sessions on theoretical topics that may not have anything to do with language at all (though we are sure whether anything cognitive is fully seperable from anything else will be a consistent part of discussion). Our first meetings will focus on the Language of Thought hypothesis, most (in)famously associated with Jerry Fodor, as it has been experiencing a bit of a revival, and it touches on many other interesting issues surrounding cognitive architecture, modularity, and learning. The sessions will be discussion-oriented, with the hope being that we develop a shared understanding of the relevance of these theoretical frameworks to conducting experiments today. All who are curious are welcome, and any who are confused are encouraged to reach out to ask questions on the discord. There is a firm "there is no such thing as a stupid question" policy,Although please don't feel discouraged if one of us (...Victor) asks for clarification! He's weird about that for some reason, just consider it a love language or whatever. so do not hesitate to ask!

The only expectation is that you do the readings. You're still welcome to participate if you haven't done the readings as long as you are mindful.

Schedule

Remember, if you ever find yourself struggling with any of the readings or concepts, reach out! Either directly to the coordinators or to the entire group over discord.

Additional resources