Abstract
It is shown that the method of operationaldefinition of theoretical terms applied inphysics may well support constructivist ideasin cognitive sciences when extended toobservational terms. This leads to unexpectedresults for the notion of reality, inductionand for the problem why mathematics is sosuccessful in physics.A theory of cognitive operators is proposedwhich are implemented somewhere in our brainand which transform certain states of oursensory apparatus into what we call perceptionsin the same sense as measurement devicestransform the interaction with the object intomeasurement results. Then, perceivedregularities, as well as the laws of nature wewould derive from them can be seen asinvariants of the cognitive operators concernedand are by this human specific constructsrather than ontologically independent elements.(e.g., the law of energy conservation can bederived from the homogeneity of time and bythis depends on our mental time metricgenerator). So, reality in so far it isrepresented by the laws of nature has no longeran independent ontological status. This isopposed to Campbell's `natural selectionepistemology'. From this it is shown that thereholds an incompleteness theorem for physicallaws similar to Gödels incompletenesstheorem for mathematical axioms, i.e., there isno definitive or object `theory of everything'.This constructivist approaches to cognitionwill allow a coherent and consistent model ofboth cognitive and organic evolution. Whereasthe classical view sees the two evolutionrather dichotomously (for ex.: most scientistssee cognitive evolution converging towards adefinitive world picture, whereas organicevolution obviously has no specific focus (the`pride of creation').
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Barrow, J.D.: 1990, Theories of Everything. Oxford University Press.
Campbell, D.T.: 1973, Evolutionary Epistemology. In P. Schilp (ed.), The Philosophy of Karl Popper, Part I. La Salle: Open Court, 413–463.
Chalmers, A.F.: 1982, What is This Thing Called Science? Buckingham: Open University Press.
Davies, P.C.W.: 1990a, Why is the Physical World So Comprehensible? In W. H. Zurek (ed.), Complexity, Entropy and the Physics of Information, Santa Fe Institute studies in the Sciences of Complexity, Vol VIII. Addison Wesley, 61–70.
Davies, P.C.W.: 1990b, Why is the Universe Knowable? In Ronald E. Mickens (ed.), Mathematic and Science. World Scientific Press, 14–33.
Diettrich O.: 1994a, Heisenberg and Gödel in the Light of Constructivist Evolutionary Epistemology. Ludus Vitalis 2(2): 119–130.
Diettrich, O.: 1989, Kognitive, Organische und Gesellschaftliche Evolution. Berlin Hamburg: Parey.
Diettrich, O.: 1994b, Is There a Theory of Everything? Bulletin of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications 80: 166–170.
Diettrich, O.: 1997, Sprache als Theorie. Papiere zur Linguistik 56(1): 77–106.
Diettrich. O.: 1993, Cognitive and Communicative Development in Reality free Representation. Cognitiva 5(2): 219–243.
Einstein, A. and M. Bosso: 1972, Correspondance 1903-1955. Paris.
Feynman, R.P.: 1965, The Character of Physical Law. BBC Publication.
Glasersfeld, E. von: 1995, Radical Constructivism. London: The Palmer Press.
Goodman, N.: 1984, Weisen der Welterzeugung. Frankfurt/M. Suhrkamp. English original: Goodman, N.: 1978, Ways of Worldmaking. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company.
Hawking, S.W.: 1979, Is the End in Sight for Theoretical Physics? Inaugural Lecture for the Lucasian Chair. University of Cambridge.
Hofstadter, D.R.: 1979, Gödel, Escher, Bach. London: The Harvester Press Ltd.
Hösle, V.: 1988, Tragweite und Grenzen der evolutionären Erkenntnistheorie. Zeitschrift für Allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie XIX: 343–377.
Lorenz, K.: 1983, Kants Lehre vom Apriorischen im Lichte der gegenwärtigen Biologie. In K. Lorenz and F. M. Wuketits, (eds.), Die Evolution des Denkens. München: Piper. Original published as: Lorenz, K.: 1941, Kant's Lehre vom Apriorischen im Lichte gegenwärtiger Biologie. Blätter für Deutsche Philosophie 15: 94-125. English translation: Lorenz, K.: 1982, Kant's Doctrine of the A Priori in the Light of Contemporary Biology. In Plotkin, H. (ed), Learning, Development, and Culture. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Lorenz, K.R.: 1966, Ñber tierisches und menschliches Verhalten. Gesammelte Abhandlungen. München. Piper. F. M. (eds.): 1983, Die Evolution des Denkens. München: Piper.
Lorenzen, P. and O. Schwemmer: 1975, Konstruktive Logik, Ethik und Wissenschaftstheorie. Frankfurt.
Lucas, J.R.: 1961, Minds, Machines and Gödel. Philosophy 36: 120–124.
Nagel, E. and J. Newman: 1958, Gödel's Proof. London: Routledge.
Oeser, E.: 1984, The Evolution of Scientific Method. In F.M. Wuketits (ed.), Concepts and Approaches in Evolutionary Epistemology. Dordrecht: D. Reidel.
Oeser, E.: 1988, Das Abenteuer der kollektiven Vernunft. Berlin, Hamburg: Parey.
Penrose, R.: 1989, The Emperor's New Mind. Oxford University Press.
Piaget, J.: 1967, Biologie und Erkenntnis. Frankfurt: S. Fischer. English translation: Piaget, J.: 1971, Biology and Knowledge. An Essay on the Relations between Organic Regulations and Cognitive Processes. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. French original: Piaget, J.: 1967, Biologie et connaisance: Essai sur les relations entre les régulation organiques et les processus cognitifs. Paris: Editions Gallimard.
Piaget, J.: 1970, Genetic Epistemology. New York: Columbia University Press.
Piaget, J.: 1974, Die Bildung des Zeitbegriffes beim Kinde. Frankfurt/M.: Suhrkamp Taschenbuch Wissenschaft (STW) 77. French original: Piaget, J.: 1955, La Génèse du Temps chez l'Enfant. Presses Universitaires de France.
Popper, K.R.: 1982, Logik der Forschung. Tübingen: J.C.B. Mohr. Originally published: Popper, K. R.: 1934, Logik der Forschung. Vienna: Julius Springer Verlag. English translation: Popper, K. R.: 1959, The Logic of Scientific Discovery. London: Hutchinson.
Popper, K.R.: 1973, Objektive Erkenntnis. Hamburg: Hoffman und Campe. English original: Popper, K.R.: 1972, Objective Knowledge. The Clarendon Press: Oxford.
Prigogine, I.: 1979, Vom Sein zumWerden. München, Zürich: Piper. English translation: Prigogine, I.: 1980, From Being to Becoming - Time and Complexity in Physical Sciences. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman.
Riedl, R.: 1980, Biologie der Erkenntnis. Berlin, Hamburg: Parey. English translation: Riedl, R.: 1984, Biology of Knowledge. The Evolutionary Basis of Reason. London:Wiley.
Schneider, H.J.: 1992, Phantasie und Kalkül: über die Polarität von Handlung und Struktur in der Sprache. Frankfurt/M: Suhrkamp.
Searle, J.R.: 1971, Sprechakte. Frankfurt/M.: Suhrkamp. English original: Searle, J.R.: 1969, Speech Acts. An Essay in the Philosophy of Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Solomonoff, R.: 1964, A Formal Theory of Inductive Inference. Information and Control 7: 224–254.
Spencer, H.: 1872, Principles of Psychology. Vol. 2, 2nd ed., Sect. 332, p. 195.
Stegmüller, W.: 1969, Metaphysik, Skepsis, Wissenschaft. 2. verb. Aufl. Berlin: Springer.
Uexküll, J. von: 1921, Umwelt und Innenleben der Tiere. Berlin: Springer.
Vollmer, G.: 1975, Evolutionäre Erkenntnistheorie. Stuttgart: S. Hirzel.
Waddington, C.H.: 1959, Evolutionary Systems-Animal and Human. Nature 182: 1634–1638.
Weizsäcker, C.F. von: 1985, Aufbau der Physik. München: Hanser.
Wigner, E.: 1960, The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences. Comm. Pure Appl. Math. 13: 1.
Wuketits, F.: 1984, Evolutionary Epistemology. In F. Wuketits (ed.), Concepts and Approaches in Evolutionary Epistemology. Dordrecht: D. Reidel Publishing Company.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Diettrich, O. A Physical Approach to the Construction of Cognition and to Cognitive Evolution. Foundations of Science 6, 273–341 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011610921631
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011610921631