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CSLI Calendar Addition/Correction, 4 February 1998
CSLI CALENDAR ADDITION
Due to the predicted storm and the good possibility people will not be
able to make it to campus the CSLI Coglunch for Thursday, 5 February
1998 is POSTPONED till 26 February 1998.
12 noon CSLI CogLunch
Cordura Hall, Room 100
Agency, Will and Practical Reason: In Search of a Middle
Way
Michael Bratman
Stanford, Philosophy
POSTPONED till 26 February
In addition I overlooked some events
SEMANTICS WORKSHOP
on Thursday, 5 February 1998, 1:00pm
Margaret Jacks Hall 460:150D
"The Pragmatics of Refutation in Spanish"
Scott Schwenter
Department of Linguistics, Stanford University
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LOGIC LUNCH
on Friday, 6 February 1998, 12 noon
Math Corner 380:383N
[http://math.stanford.edu/upcoming/upcoming.html]
The Conjunction Fallacy
Frank Veltman
Univ. of Amsterdam, visiting Stanford
Psychological experiments have repeatedly shown that in judging the
likelihood of uncertain events people do not follow the principles of
probability theory. A notorious example is given by the so called
conjunction fallacy as described in "Judgment Under Uncertainty:
Heuristics and Biases" (edited by D. Kahneman, P. Slovic, and
A. Tversky, Cambridge University Press, 1982). In this talk I will
argue that this fallacy is not really a fallacy when it is analysed in
the light of a dynamic theory of default reasoning. The question that
immediately rises is whether the fact that this theory conforms better
to the way people actually think provides a reason to prefer it to
probability theory.
-----------
And the Steven Pinker talk, "Words and Rules", will be in Annenberg
Auditorium not in Margaret Jacks Hall. This should be an interesting
talk of general interest.
SYMBOLIC SYSTEMS DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES
on Thursday, 12 February 1998, 4:15pm
Annenberg Auditorium
[http://www.stanford.edu/dept/symbol/forum.html]
Words and Rules
Steve Pinker
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Language works by two principles: the arbitrary sound-meaning pairing
underlying words, and the discrete combinatorial system underlying
grammar. These principles implicate distinct systems: associative
memory and symbol-manipulating rules. I present supporting evidence
from three disciplines (cognitive psychology, linguistics,
neuroscience), based on a preparation where the two systems compete:
irregular (`break-broke') and regular (`walk-walked') inflection.