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What does the end of materialism mean for political science? |294|
by Alex Tsakiris | Nov 17 | Consciousness Science
Dr. Alexander Wendt examines the implications of consciousness science on the social sciences.
photo by: David Ohmer
I was introduced to the power of interdisciplinary thinking when I found myself way over my head in a graduate course in cognitive psychology. I had gone back to school at the University of Arizona to pursue a PhD in this new, cool thing called “Artificial Intelligence.” Once there, I met a wonderful classmate from Norway with a similar interest. Oystein was a lot smarter than me and a much better programmer, so I was willing to follow his lead when he suggested we take a graduate course in cognitive psychology. After a week I was lost and ready to throw in the towel, but everything changed when Oystein brilliantly turned the discussion toward the latest advances in computer architecture and the possible implications for cognitive psychology. As it turned out, the professor and his graduate students were very aware that their models were largely based on computer models, so they were eager to find out how advances in computer science might effect them. The course was a breeze from then on.
The lesson stayed with me, it’s okay to borrow models from other fields, but it’s a good idea to reassess how you’ve applied them when those interdisciplinary models change. Today on Skeptiko we look at a paradigm busting interdisciplinary approach to the social sciences by way of Dr. Alexander Wendt from the Ohio State University and his new book, Quantum Mind and the Social Sciences:
by Alex Tsakiris | Nov 17 | Consciousness Science
Dr. Alexander Wendt examines the implications of consciousness science on the social sciences.
photo by: David Ohmer
I was introduced to the power of interdisciplinary thinking when I found myself way over my head in a graduate course in cognitive psychology. I had gone back to school at the University of Arizona to pursue a PhD in this new, cool thing called “Artificial Intelligence.” Once there, I met a wonderful classmate from Norway with a similar interest. Oystein was a lot smarter than me and a much better programmer, so I was willing to follow his lead when he suggested we take a graduate course in cognitive psychology. After a week I was lost and ready to throw in the towel, but everything changed when Oystein brilliantly turned the discussion toward the latest advances in computer architecture and the possible implications for cognitive psychology. As it turned out, the professor and his graduate students were very aware that their models were largely based on computer models, so they were eager to find out how advances in computer science might effect them. The course was a breeze from then on.
The lesson stayed with me, it’s okay to borrow models from other fields, but it’s a good idea to reassess how you’ve applied them when those interdisciplinary models change. Today on Skeptiko we look at a paradigm busting interdisciplinary approach to the social sciences by way of Dr. Alexander Wendt from the Ohio State University and his new book, Quantum Mind and the Social Sciences: