PHI 531 Fri 5-7, Park 141 Casati/Smith

Geo-Spatial Ontology
Ontology of Space: A Methodological Introduction

In this course we shall examine some of the foundational problems of geography (granularity, projection in maps and in language, the nature of geographic entities, the interface between language and geospatial cognition). We shall contrast in content and methodology the different approaches to the structure of the geographic world (philosophy, artificial intelligence, psychology, linguistics, politics and international law). We shall explore the issue of whether there is a single spatial reality described by these different disciplines. If this is assumed to be the case, we shall investigate to what extent it is a requirement that the spatial and ontological notions used in one discipline are compatible with those employed by another, and to what extent this is the case. 

This is an advanced research seminar and students are required to produce substantial contributions to a set of research questions which will be defined at the beginning of the seminar. Some of these questions will relate to on-going research projects of NCGIA Buffalo.

Schedule

The seminar will meet at the following times:

Aug 31 Introduction to Geospatial Ontology Readings: Varzi and Thomasson

Sep 14/15 Situated Cognition: An Informal Workshop with Jerome Dokic (University of Rouen and Institut Nicod) Readings: TBS

The workshop will take place in Park 141 at 5-7pm on Friday and from 10-4pm on Saturday

Sep 28 Geo-Ontological Puzzles Reading: Collins

Oct 12 Categories (Preparation for the workshop on Oct 27/28) Discussion of work on geographic categories and on the question whether geography is a science (is 'geographic' a natural kind?) Readings: Papers by Mark and BSmith from Smith's website. Papers by Keil, Medin, JD Smith to be distributed in class on Sep. 28

Oct 26-27 Categories Workshop with Frank Keil (Yale), Doug Medin (Northwestern) and J. David Smith (Buffalo)

Schedule Friday October 26 in Park 141

Lunch

1pm General Introduction to the meeting

1.30-3pm D Mark/B Smith

3.30-6.30pm Frank Keil

Saturday October 27 Venue to be announced

9-12am Doug Medin

1.30-3 JD Smith

3.30-5 Plenary Session

5 Closing Session with refreshments

Nov 2 Fiat objects, gerrymandering, political geography Readings; Smith, Smith and Zaibert, Casati

 

Nov 30 Foundations of Formal Geography: Vagueness and Mereotopology Readings: Galton, Bennett

 

The primary aim of the course is to encourage students to engage in independent high-level research. Students will be encouraged to work in small teams that will meet outside the seminar, and part of each Friday session will be set aside for the presentation of the results of such work.

              

Grading will be on the basis of participation in class discussions (20%), quality of research reports delivered in class (30%), and a research paper (50%). The latter may be a single- or multi-authored paper, which should be of publishable quality.

Readings:

Papers from a forthcoming issue of Topoi are available here : http://www.columbia.edu/~av72/topoi/

Achille Varzi: Mountains, Boundaries, Tunnels, and Quebec

Barry Smith: Fiat Objects

Amie Thomasson: Geographic Objects and the Science of Geography

Brandon Bennett: What Is a Forest? On the Vagueness of Certain Geographic Concepts

Roberto Casati: On Gerrymandering

John Collins: Circumnavigating the World--A Puzzle

Barry Smith and Leo Zaibert: The Metaphysics of Real Estate

Antony Galton: On Some Approaches to the Representation of Spatial and Temporal Phenomena