This is a page archiving the past activities of the Helsinki Metaphysical Club and the Helsinki Peirce Research Centre.
Past programmes of the Helsinki Metaphysical Club
2015
Spring
| 24.4. | Gabriele Gava (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main): “The Role of Methodeutic and Speculative Rhetoric within Peirce’s Classification of the Sciences” (Main building, lecture room 20, 2-4 pm) |
| 26.2. | Robert B. Talisse (Vanderbilt University): “A Pragmatist Defense of Ideal Theory” (Main building, lecture room 19, 4-6 pm) |
| 10.2. | Marc Champagne (University of Helsinki): “Brandom, Peirce, and the overlooked friction of contrapiction” (Main building, lecture room 19, 4-6 pm) |
2014
Autumn
| 10.9. | Workshop: ICON
10-13 (Room 19, University Main Building) Lunch 14-16:30 (Room 20, University Main Building) Henry Bacon (Helsinki), “Icon, Cognition & Moving Pictures” 16:30-18 (Room 20) The workshop is organized by the DiaMind project and the Helsinki Metaphysical Club. |
Spring
| 25.3. | Benoit Gaultier (University of Helsinki): “Ramsey against Pragmatism on Belief, Truth, and Inquiry” (Main building, lecture room 4, 4-6 pm) |
| 30.1. | Amanda Hicks (SUNY Buffalo): “Abduction and Ampliative Inference” (Unioninkatu 38, room A219, 2nd floor, 3-5 pm) |
2013
Autumn
| 17.12. | Diagram afternoon with Ahti-Veikko Pietarinen: “DiaMind: Logical and Communicative Aspects of Iconicity” Amirouche Moktefi (Tallinn University of Technology): “Lewis Carroll’s Game of Logic” Francesco Bellucci (Tallinn University of Technology): “‘Logic as Semeiotic’. Peirce’s Philosophy of Logic” (lecture room 14, 2-5 pm) |
| 2.12. | Epistemology afternoon with Zheng Weiping (Xiamen University): “On Peirce’s Norm of Belief” Chen Jiaming (Xiamen University): “Conceptual Realism：An Interpretation of Kant’s Philosophy” (lecture room 19, 4-6 pm) |
| 27.8. | Marco Annoni (Ifom-Ieo, Italy): “Ethics and Objectivity in Healthcare: the Case of Placebo Responses” (lecture room 19) |
2012
Spring
| 10.1. | Jukka Nikulainen (University of Helsinki): “Pragmatic Intentions – Pragmatism as the Science of Intentionality” (Aud X) |
| 24.1. | Jari Palomäki (University of Tampere): “Why I Am not a Pragmatist” (Aud VI) |
| 7.2. | Marko Marila (University of Helsinki): “Arkeologisen tiedon abduktiivisuudesta” (Sali 11) |
| 21.2. | Lauri Järvilehto (Aalto University): “Characteristics of Intuitive and Non-Conscious Thought” (Aud X) |
| 6.3. | Ossi Ollinaho (Aalto University): “Institutionalization and Matter“(Aud VI) |
| 20.3. | Panu Raatikainen (University of Helsinki): “Pricen (ja Putnamin) argumentit representationalismia vastaan” (Aud X) |
| 3.4. | Tuukka Kaidesoja (University of Helsinki): “Kollektiiviset toimijat ja mekanismeilla selittämisen metodologia” (Aud X) |
| 17.4. | Alan Warde (Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies): “Eating Habits” (Aud X) |
| 8.5. | Tarja Knuuttila (University of Helsinki): Cancelled |
2011
Autumn
| 27.9. | Erkki Kilpinen (University of Helsinki): “George Herbert Mead as an Empirically Responsible Philosopher“ |
| 18.10. | Henrik Rydenfelt (University of Helsinki): “Peirce and Contemporary Pragmatism: Three Themes” (abstract) |
| 8.11. | Jukka Nikulainen (University of Helsinki): Meeting cancelled |
| 29.11. | Antti Gronow (University of Helsinki): “Analyzing Culture: The Diffusion of Representations and Habits in Social Networks” |
Spring
| 25.1. | Sami Paavola (University of Helsinki) & Lauri Järvilehto (University of Jyväskylä): “The Mystery of the Method” |
| 15.2. | Frank Martela (University of Helsinki): “Ethics of Situational Growth – A Pragmatic Approach for Being Moral“ |
| 8.3. | Merja Bauters: “On Signs and Affordances” (view slides) |
| 22.3. | Hania Michalczyk (The Pontifical University of John Paul II in Cracow): “A Rhetoric without a Man? Some Thoughts on a Possible Key to Ch. S. Peirce’s Speculatice Rhetoric”” |
| 19.4. | Antti Gronow: “From Habits to Social Structures” |
2010
Autumn
| 10.8. | Robert Sinclair (Brooklyn College): “Quine’s Early Pragmatism” |
| 10.9. | Susan Haack (University of Miami): “Belief in Naturalism: An Epistemologist’s Philosophy of Mind” N.B. Meeting in Porthania P724 at 2 pm. |
| 16.9. | David Hildebrand (University of Colorado): “Dewey and Objectivity” Vironkatu 1, seminar room 446 at 2 pm. |
| 12.10. | Frank Martela (University of Helsinki): “Truth as Intersubjective Epistemological Commitment – a Pragmatic Account of Truth” N.B. New location, Main Building hall 16. |
| 2.11. | Erkki Kilpinen (University of Helsinki): “Pragmatic Theory of Action” Business meeting. |
| 16.11. | Ahti-Veikko Pietarinen (University of Helsinki): TBA. |
| 7.12. | Possible meeting. |
Spring
| 26.1. | Mats Bergman: “Peirce and Schiller on Philosophical Anthropomorphism” |
| 2.2. | Lauri Järvilehto: “Pragmatic A Priori Knowledge” |
| 16.2. | Pentti Määttänen: “Arvot ja tosiasiat pragmatismissa” |
| 23.2. | Avril Styrman: “Armstrong’s Universals Mapped within Peirce’s Triads (Firstness, Secondness, Thirdness)” |
| 2.3. | Jussi Saarinen: “Kant ja skeptisismi” |
| 23.3. | Sami Pihlström: “On the European Roots and Fruits of American Pragmatism” |
| 6.4. | Jukka Nikulainen: “F.C.S. Schillerin pragmatistisesta formaalin logiikan kritiikistä” |
| 20.4. | Timo Eskola: “Semiosiksen ja semantiikan mallien jännite: huomioita Derridan ongelmallisesta Peirce-luennasta” |
| 4.5. | Pärttyli Rinne: “Charles Peircen rakkauden filosofia: totuuden rakkaus ja evolutiivinen rakkaus“ |
2009
Spring
| 17.2. | Erkki Kilpinen: “Pragmatism as a Philosophy of Action“ |
| 10.3. | Tuomas Ylä-Anttila: “Yhteiskunnallisten liikkeiden teorian pragmatistinen kritiikki“ |
| 27.3. | Vitaly Kiryushchenko (St. Petersburg State School of Economics): “Peirce’s Semiotics and Russian Formalism: the Story of Oedipus Rex” N.B. This Friday session takes place at the Department of Philosophy (Siltavuorenpenger 20 A), seminar room 222 on the second floor at 4 pm. |
| 31.3. | Mats Bergman: “Improving Our Habits: Peirce and Meliorism“ |
| 21.4. | Pentti Määttänen: “Pragmatismi vaihtoehtona klassiselle filosofialle” Alustus pohjautuu dos. Määttäsen tuoreeseen kirjaan Toiminta ja kokemus (Gaudeamus, 2009). |
| 12.5. | Lauri Järvilehto: “Meaning and Action: The Significance of Activity and Anticipation in Intensional Semantics” “ |
| 26.5. | Mikko Kahri: “Toiminta ja konteksti vauvan liikerytmissä ja Charles Goodwinin ajattelussa“ |
Autumn
The autumn sessions take place at Vironkatu 1, seminar room 346, on Tuesdays at 6 pm.
| 10.9. | Ahti-Veikko Pietarinen: “Toinen Metafyysinen klubi 1879-1885” N.B. Thursday meeting. |
| 22.9. | Mikko Martela: “Pragmatism as an Attitude“ |
| 20.10. | Jukka Nikulainen: “Peirce ja F.C.S. Schillerin humanismi“ |
| 3.11. | Antti Gronow: “Pragmatism and Social Theory” |
| 1.12. | Sami Pihlström: “The Jamesian Pragmatic Method in the Philosophy of Religion” |
| 15.12. | Henrik Rydenfelt: “Jamesin episteeminen vedonlyönti ja Peircen kritiikki” |
2008
| 30 May 2008 | Discussion: “Peirce, James and Their Philosophical Correspondence” (with Prof. Douglas Anderson, 13.00 pm, sr 222) |
| 2-4 June 2008 | The First Nordic Pragmatism Conference: Pragmatism in Science, Religion, and Politics (Organized by The Nordic Pragmatism Network and the Philosophical Society of Finland at Tieteiden talo, Helsinki) |
2007
| 6.2. | Henrik Rydenfelt, “Peirce’s Correspondence – Some Editorial Challenges” |
| 11- 13.6. |
Applying Peirce Conference |
| 21.9. | Prof. Helmut Pape: “Searching For Traces. Indexical Signs, Experience and the Generality of Peirce’s Theory of Indices” (14.00 pm, Department of Philosophy) |
2006
| 19.5 | Prof. Vincent Colapietro, “Testing Our ‘Intuitions’: Pragmatist Deconstruction of Our Cartesian Inheritance” |
| 5.9 | Prof. Peter H. Hare: “The Thickening of Holistic Pragmatism from “Two Dogmas” to the Present: A Narrative Sketch” |
Earlier Programmes
SPRING 1997
| 16.1 | Sami Paavola, “Abduktio – joitain perustavia ideoita” |
| 26.2 | Kimmo Pentikäinen, “Impression, Attention and Sign-Process” |
| 19.3 | Erkki Kilpinen, “From Instrumental to Normative Rationality. The Dynamics in Peirce´s Conception of Action” |
| 26.3 | Sami Pihlström, “Peirce vs. James: Susan Haack on Old and New Pragmatism” |
| 9.4 | Mats Bergman, “The Self as a Sign. Charles Sanders Peirce’s Early Conception of the Human Subject” |
| 23.4 | Mirja Kela, “Alustavia huomioita oppimisesta abstrahointina” |
| 7.5 | Sami Paavola, “Kolme tapaa käsitellä abduktiota” |
| 21.5 | Kimmo Pentikäinen, “Ontology of Things” |
AUTUMN 1997
| 1.10 | Leila Haaparanta, “Peircen merkkiteorian filosofinen tausta” |
| 5.11 | Sami Paavola “C.S.Peircen relevanssi yhteiskuntatieteille – dualismeista dynamiikkaan” |
| 3.12 | Erkki Kilpinen “Pragmatismin lyhyt historia” |
SPRING 1998
| 28.1 | Kimmo Pentikäinen, “Truth and Falsity” |
| 4.3 | Mats Bergman, Communication and Context” |
| 1.4 | Pentti Määttänen, Peirce ja Husserl fenomenologiasta” |
AUTUMN 1998-SPRING 2000
| – | Close reading and discussion of the Essential Peirce collections. |
AUTUMN 1998
| 13.10 | Sami Paavola, “C.S. Peirce diagrammaattisuudesta” |
AUTUMN 1999
| 14.12 | Mats Bergman, “Peirce’s Communicative Definition of the Sign” |
SPRING 2000
| 4.4 | Risto Heiskala, “Merkityksen merkitys: Saussure, Peirce ja fenomenologinen sosiologia” |
| 9.5 | Erkki Kilpinen, “A Neglected Classic Vindicated. The Place of George Herbert Mead in the General Tradition of Semiotics” |
AUTUMN 2000
| 19.10 | Mats Bergman, “Goal-Directed Processes and Interpretative Purposes: On the Dynamics of Semiosis” |
| 2.11 | John Deely, “The Beginning of Postmodern Times, or: Charles Sanders Peirce and the Recovery of the Signum“ |
| 23.11 | Tarja Knuuttila, “Visiting and Revisiting the Encyclopedia” |
| 14.12 | Leija Palin, “The Inner Conflict of Tradition” |
SPRING 2001
| 30.1 | Planning. |
| 20.2 | Organized debate: “Pragmatismi: menneisyyden haamu vai tulevaisuuden suunnannäyttäjä? Pragmatistisen perinteen merkitys akateemisessa filosofiassa ja sen ulkopuolella.” Speakers: Sami Pihlström and Erkki Kilpinen. |
| 26.3 | Prof. Eero Tarasti, “Josiah Royce, the American Classic between Hegel and Peirce”. |
| 10.4 | Prof. Ilkka Niiniluoto, “On Abduction”. |
| 24.4 | Boris Vidovic, “Mapping, Blending and Metaphor”. |
| 8.5 | Sami Paavola, “Abduction as a Logic of Discovery – The Importance of Strategies”. |
| 15.5 | Prof. Vilmos Voigt, “János Apáczai Cseren unkarilainen ensyklopedia vuodelta 1653 ja ensimmäiset semioottiset järjestelmät”. |
SPRING 2002
| 24.1 | Prof. Dinda L. Gorlée, “Peircean Semiotranslation: Dedicated to Thomas A. Sebeok”. |
| 5.2 | Doc. Ivan Mladenov, “Charles Peirce’s Categories: The Ground and The Silent Effects”. |
| 19.2 | Ahti Pietarinen, “Peirce’s Game-Theoretic Ideas in Logic” (paper in pdf-format). |
| 5.3 | Sami Pihlström, “Pragmatism and the Concept of Emergence”. (See C. N. El-Hani & S. Pihlström “Emergence Theories and Pragmatic Realism”.) |
| 19.3 | Sami Paavola, “Peircean Categories and a New Epistemology for Learning”. (See S. Paavola, L. Lipponen, & K. Hakkarainen: “Epistemological Foundations for CSCL: A Comparison of Three Models of Innovative Knowledge Communities”) |
| 9.4 | Arto Siitonen, “Bolzano’s Heuristics”. |
| 23.4 | Mats Bergman, “The Role of Vagueness in Peirce’s Theory of Signs”. |
| 21.5 | Markku Kankkunen, “Concept mapping and Peirce’s semiotic paradigm meet in the classroom environment”. |
SPRING 2003
| 24.1 | Perspectives on the Philosophy of Charles S. Peirce A one-day seminar on Peirce’s philosophy at the Department of Philosophy of the University of HelsinkiProgramme:Erkki Kilpinen: “Peirce on Human Intelligence and Reason”Ahti-Veikko Pietarinen: “Moving Pictures of Thought”Tommi Vehkavaara: “Peirce’s Classification of Sciences – A Tool for Understanding Peirce” Mats Bergman: “Representationism and Presentationism” Jaap van Brakel: “What about Natural Laws and Natural Kinds If Chance Is a Factor in the Universe?” Sami Pihlström: “Peirce, Contemporary Pragmatism, and the Realism-Idealism Controversy” Ilkka Niiniluoto: “Peirce on Abduction” Sami Paavola: “Abduction through Grammar, Critic, and Methodeutic” |
SPRING 2004
| 5.2. | “Pragmatismi filosofiassa ja yhteiskuntatieteissä” -kirjahankkeen (toim. Erkki Kilpinen, Osmo Kivinen & Sami Pihlström) tiimoilta kaikille avoin alustus- ja keskustelutilaisuus.Ohjelma:Sami Pihlström “Johdanto – Pragmatismi filosofisena perinteenä”Erkki Kilpinen “Pragmatismin näkökulman kokonaisvaltaisuudesta”Sami Paavola & Kai Hakkarainen “Pragmatisistinen välittyneisyys tietoteorian ja oppimisen mallien perustana” |
| 18.5. | Prof. Nathan Houser (Indiana University, Indianapolis), “Deciding Peirce’s Place in the History of Analytical Philosophy” |
AUTUMN 2004
| 17.9. | Prof. Osmo Kivinen: “Näkökulmia rortylaiseen neopragmatismiin” |
| 3.12. | Semiotiikan päivät 2004: Peircen semiotiikka/Metafyysinen klubi (pj. Tarja Knuuttila)
Ohjelma: Sami Paavola: “Peircen semeiotistinen pragmatismi hajautuneen kognition perustana” Ahti-Veikko Pietarinen: “Peircen semiotiikan ja nykytieteen yhteyksistä” Mats Bergman: “Peircen loogiset koneet” |
AUTUMN 2005
| 13.8. | Symposium ‘Cognition, Signs, Diagrams: Peircean Perspectives’ (chair: Ahti-Veikko Pietarinen) at the ESPP European Society for Philosophy and Psychology Conference, 11-14 August, 2005, Lund, Sweden.
Programme: Ahti-Veikko Pietarinen: “Modelling mental spaces upon Peirce’s logical diagrams” Sami Paavola: “Peirce’s semeiotic pragmatism as a philosophical basis for distributed cognition” Mats Bergman: “Logical Machines and Living Minds” |
| 2.12. | Semiotiikan päivät 2005: Peirce ja pragmaattinen semiotiikka (pj. Erkki Kilpinen).
Ohjelma: Pentti Määttänen: “Secondness ja konventionaalisuuden rajat” Tarja Knuuttila: “Resistanssin käsite tieteen- ja teknologiantutkimuksessa” Mats Bergman: “Ei totuutta ilman vastustusta: Tutkimuksen dynamiikka C. S. Peircen mukaan” Sami Paavola: “Keksimisprosessien abduktiivinen käsitteellistäminen ja todellisuuden vastarinta” |
Peirce Research at the University of Helsinki
The Helsinki Peirce Research Centre is the home of Peirce studies at the University of Helsinki. Current activities include several research projects, and the guest lectures and seminars of the Helsinki Metaphysical Club. Members of the Centre also maintain the Commens Peirce portal and dictionary.
“Speculative rhetoric has attracted considerable philosophical attention in recent years, especially among Finnish philosophers and Peirce scholars, centering about the University of Helsinki. These have noted that there are extensive affiliations between Peirce’s discussions of the communicational and dialogical aspects of semeiotic, on the one hand, and the many and varied “game-theoretical” approaches to logic that have been for some time of interest to Finnish philosophers (as well as many others), on the other hand. Various proposals for game-theoretic semantical approaches to logic have been developed and applied to Peirce’s logic, as well as being used to understand Peircean points.”
- Robert Burch: “Charles Sanders Peirce”, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Research Projects
Ongoing projects
The Scientific and Philosophical Correspondence of C. S. Peirce
Peirce’s Pragmatist Philosophy and Its Applications
Pragmatic Theories of Meaning
Communications in the 21st Century: The Relevance of C. S. Peirce
Scientific and Philosophical Correspondence of C. S. Peirce
The aim of this project is the study and publication of Peirce’s philosophical and scientific correspondence, as well as the development of technical tools specifically suited for editing Peirce’s manuscripts. The project has been funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation (2004-2005) and Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation (2007-2008).
Peirce’s Pragmatist Philosophy and Its Applications
The objective of the project is to study Peirce’s pragmatism and his logical and semiotic innovations with an emphasis on their application in different branches of science. An international conference Applying Peirce in 11-13 June 2007 has been organized. The project was funded by the University of Helsinki Excellence in Research Funds (2006-2008).
Pragmatic Theories of Meaning
The objective of this project is to study Peirce’s pragmatism and several pragmatic theories of meaning. It was completed in 2005.
Communications in the 21st Century: The Relevance of C. S. Peirce
The project was funded by the Academy of Finland (2004-2005).
Members
Prof. Ahti-Veikko Pietarinen, Ph.D.
Principal investigator
Homepage
Dr. Mats Bergman, Ph.D.
Dr. Sami Paavola, Ph.D.
Dr. Henrik Rydenfelt, PhD.
Research assistants
Jukka Nikulainen
Technical editor
Tommi Palosaari
Research assistant
Lauri Snellman
Research assistant
Events organised by the centre
Forthcoming events
| See the meetings of the Helsinki Metaphysical Club and events arranged by the Nordic Pragmatism Network. |
2014
| 10 September | Workshop: ICON
10-13 (Room 19, University Main Building) Lunch 14-16:30 (Room 20, University Main Building) Henry Bacon (Helsinki), “Icon, Cognition & Moving Pictures” 16:30-18 (Room 20) The workshop is organized by the DiaMind project and the Helsinki Metaphysical Club. |
| 20-23 April |
Conference: Applying Peirce 2. |
2010
| 11-13 June | Workshop: Peirce the Mathematician. |
2009
| 19-20 May | Symposium: Peirce and Early Analytic Philosophy. |
2008
| 4 June | James Campbell (The University of Toledo): “The Roots of Diversity in Pragmatic Thought” (16.00 pm, Research Seminar at the Department of Philosophy, sr 222) |
| 2-4 June | The First Nordic Pragmatism Conference: Pragmatism in Science, Religion, and Politics (Organized by the Nordic Pragmatism Network and the Philosophical Society of Finland at Tieteiden talo, Helsinki) |
| 30 May | Discussion: “Peirce, James and Their Philosophical Correspondence” (Helsinki Metaphysical Club, 13.00 pm, sr 222) |
| 29 May | Douglas Anderson (Southern Illinois University at Carbondale): “Living a Tradition: Pragmatists’ Bequest” (16.00 pm, Research Seminar at the Department of Philosophy, sr 222) |
2007
| 20 Nov | Henrik Rydenfelt: “William James on Self-Verifying Beliefs” (16.00 pm, Research Seminar at the Department of Philosophy) |
| 21 Sep | Helmut Pape: “Searching For Traces. Indexical Signs, Experience and the Generality of Peirce’s Theory of Indices” (14.00 pm, Helsinki Metaphysical Club) |
| 20 Sep | Helmut Pape: “Thinking and Acting. The logical background of Peirce’s pragmatism” (16.00 pm, Research Seminar at the Department of Philosophy) |
| 11-13 June | Conference: Applying Peirce |
| 6 Feb | Henrik Rydenfelt: “Philosophical Correspondence – Some Editorial Challenges” (Helsinki Metaphysical Club) |
2006
| 2 Dec | Semiotiikan päivät 2006: Peirce Symposium Mats Bergman, Erkki Kilpinen, Sami Paavola, Ahti-Veikko Pietarinen |
| 5 Sep | Peter H. Hare: “The Thickening of Holistic Pragmatism from “Two Dogmas” to the Present: A Narrative Sketch” (Helsinki Metaphysical Club) |
| 19 May | Vincent Colapietro: “Testing Our ‘Intuitions’: Pragmatist Deconstruction of Our Cartesian Inheritance” (Helsinki Metaphysical Club) |
2005
| 2 Dec | Semiotiikan päivät 2005: Peirce ja pragmaattinen semiotiikka (pj. Erkki Kilpinen).
Ohjelma: Pentti Määttänen: “Secondness ja konventionaalisuuden rajat” Tarja Knuuttila: “Resistanssin käsite tieteen- ja teknologiantutkimuksessa” Mats Bergman: “Ei totuutta ilman vastustusta: Tutkimuksen dynamiikka C. S. Peircen mukaan” Sami Paavola: “Keksimisprosessien abduktiivinen käsitteellistäminen ja todellisuuden vastarinta” |
| 13 Aug | Symposium ‘Cognition, Signs, Diagrams: Peircean Perspectives’ (chair: Ahti-Veikko Pietarinen) at the ESPP European Society for Philosophy and Psychology Conference, 11-14 August, 2005, Lund, Sweden.
Programme: Ahti-Veikko Pietarinen: “Modelling mental spaces upon Peirce’s logical diagrams” Sami Paavola: “Peirce’s semeiotic pragmatism as a philosophical basis for distributed cognition” Mats Bergman: “Logical Machines and Living Minds” |
Earlier events
Please see the programmes of the Helsinki Metaphysical Club.