.EPISTEMOLOGY AND INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES 

EPISTEMOLOGIA E INTERDISCIPLINARIDAD

* PUBLICACIONES:

A. LIBROS (1986) I Curso sobre la ciencia actual: una aproximación interdisciplinar, Teruel, Universidad de Verano de Teruel, 118 págs. (Ed.)   (1989) II Curso sobre la ciencia actual: naturaleza - sociedad - ciencia, Teruel, Universidad de Verano de Teruel, 104 págs. (Ed.)   (1990) Azar, caos e indeterminismo, Zaragoza, Prensas Universitarias, 202 págs. (co-Ed.)   (1993) Conocimiento, ciencia y realidad, Zaragoza, Mira Editores/ SIUZ, págs. 1-226 (Ed..)   (1998) Evolucionismo y Racionalismo. Actas, Zaragoza, Institución Fernando el Católico, 408 págs. (co-Ed.) (2001) Avances en evolución y paleoantropología, Zaragoza, SIUZ / MIRA, 201 págs. (co-Ed)

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B. OTRAS PUBLICACIONES sobre Epistemología e interdisciplinaridad

(2005) “Estética y Trabajo Social. El protagonismo de lo sensible”, en Cuadernos de Trabajo Social (univ. Complutense), vol. 18, págs. 99-120.

(2001) "Narraciones evolutivas: ciencia, ética y estética. O de todo en todas las cosas", en E.Molina, H.J. Birx y A. Carreras (eds): Avances en evolución y paleoantropología, Zaragoza, SIUZ / MIRA  págs.107-27

The article focuses on numerous theories on hominization, which have little or large variations and even contradictions. Each interpretation involves a different vision of the world.
This fact highlights the ethical and political dimension of science, the values that it carries and its social implications.
Admitting these values does not necessarily lead to relativism, subjectivism or sociologism, if at the same time we defend the idea that the different theories have different informative values.
An integrating episthemology will allow us to consider all of the dimensions of science. Among these aspects the article details the esthetic dimension.

El artículo constata múltiples teorías sobre la hominización con pequeñas y grandes variaciones, y aun contradicciones. Cada interpretación conlleva una visión del mundo diferente.
Ello resalta la dimensión ético-política de la ciencia, los valores que vehicula y sus implicaciones sociales. Admitirlo no conduce necesariamente al relativismo, al subjetivismo o al sociologismo, si defendemos al mismo tiempo que diferentes teorías contienen un valor informativo diferente.
Una epistemología integradora permitirá considerar todas las dimensiones de la ciencia en su complejidad, aunque se atienda a una sola en un momento determinado. Entre ellas, el artículo destaca y explora la dimensión estética de la ciencia.

(1998) “Ideología y darvinismos sociales”, en MOLINA,E., CARRERAS, A. y PUERTAS,J.: Evolucionismo y racionalismo  (supra), págs. 119-129

(1996) “Evolución y límites del darvinismo. Efectos interdisciplinares”,en E. MOLINA (comp.): Evolución: Aspectos interdisciplinares,Zaragoza, Mira editores/SIUZ, págs. 163-185

This chapter attempts to highlight some interdisciplinary aspects of the external history of Darwinism. The first part emphasizes the epistemological novelty that Darwin's theory represented, the first model of self-organitation, as it was. It arose out of a liberal school of thought, made possible by the development that started in the 16th century of new mathematical theories (probabilities, statístics...), which also made it possible to move on from an essentialist conception of the species to a different conception, formulated in terms of population. Darwin's Smithian optimism transformed the threatening "demographic pressure" of Malthus into a mechanism for change.

In the second part, other aspects of the external context of Darwinism are seen to lead to a better understanding of its history.

Thirdly, recent scientific innovations (such as genetics, cybernetics, ecology, non-equilibrium thermodynamics, etc) bring out the ideological and technical limitations of Darwinism as seen today.

Este capítulo quiere resaltar algunos aspectos interdisciplinares presentes en la historia externa del darvinismo. Destaca la novedad epistemológica que representó la teoría de Darwin, primer modelo de autoorganización. Este surgió del pensamiento liberal, posible a su vez por el desarrollo desde el siglo XVII de nuevas teorías matemáticas (estadística, probabilidades...), que permitieron también pasar de una consideración esencialista de las especies a otra concepción en términos de población. El optimismo smithiano de Darwin transformó la amenazadora "presión demográfica" de Malthus en un mecanismo de cambio (1ª parte). Otros aspectos del contexto externo del darvinismo permiten una mejor comprensión de su historia (2ª parte). Recientes novedades científicas (genética, cibernética, ecología, termodinámica del no equilibrio, etc.) nos permiten observar las limitaciones ideológicas y técnicas del darvinismo desde nuestro presente (3ª parte)

(1996) “Realismo, redes neuronales y representación" (Realism: Neural networks and representation)", en C.Martinez Vidal (edr.): Verdad: lógica, representación y mundo, Santiago, Universidad de Santiago , págs. 289-300.

     This paper is based on various experimental studies carried out within the ambit of cognitive sciences and sets out to reinforce the realist theory of mental representation.
     Against various doctrines of phenomenological origin, which continue to adopt an ironic attitude towards the existence of a represented reality, in this paper I defend its objectivity, that is to say, a correspondence between the representing system and the represented system, specifying the form which this correspondence takes. Further, this realism is extended to the process of categorization.
     The theoretical horizon of this realism is a moderated constructivism,which I have dealt with in part on earlier occasions. It postulates the one probabilist correspondence between a mental system of differences and another external system of differences which conditions it.
     The experimental basis of this paper rests on various studies with Neural Networks carried out at the University of Zaragoza, which have recently been synthesized by Prof. Bonifacio Martin. Specifically, work has been carried out within various environments using Kohonem Maps or SOFM (Self-Organizing Feature Maps ), which are non-supervised learning networks with a competitive dynamic.
     Following a process of competitive and unsupervised learning, the neurons of the Map (or exit layer) defined by their synaptic weights, a) become specialised in such a way that each is activated when faced with a particular pattern of sensorial space or with patterns which are similar to it, and b) group together in such a way that the neurons with similar synaptic weight matrices are brought close together, so that the more different their synaptic weights, the further apart they are from one another.
     The similarities or differences between the synaptic weights of the neurons of the computational layer (the Map) are not arbitrary; rather, they correspond to the similarities and differences of the external environment or universe.
     The final result is that each neuron is activated by each external unit or each data pattern. This correspondence depends on two systems: first, that of the vectors of the synaptic weights of the neurons in the interior of the network and, secondly, the system of differences between the patterns, the parameters or the units of the environment, whether these be the rivers within a river basin or the banks of a nation. An isolated neuron is not significant, nor is an isolated external unit. There is no reason for relating these two except as parts of their respective systems. Thus, it is the system of neural relationships which represents another system of relationships with which it corresponds.
     If another treatment layer is added, then we obtain a hierarchical map. Each neuron of this second computing layer is correlated with a group of neurons from the first layer and, as a consequence, with a group of typified external patterns.
     In this way, a process of categorization or typification, with a hierarchy in different levels of abstraction, is produced in an automatic and simple manner.
     Here we can also see the correspondence both between the layers and between these layers and the environment. This correspondence will depend, on the one hand, on the characteristics of the Network (sensorial layer and computational layer), but it will also depend on the characteristics of the environment which is captured and categorised. We take the view that this is sufficient in order to be able to speak of a projection of the external universe in the network or of a representation of the same. It is this very aspect which is rejected by certain phenomenological currents of thought, such as the 2nd. order cybernetics of H. Maturana or the theory of enaction advanced by F. Varela, who have unilateraly taken the subjective aspect of H. von Foerster's epistemology to its extreme.

(1995) BOYA, L.J. y CARRERAS, A.: “Ciencia, Tecnología y Sociedad en Aragón” en c. DUPUY, M. SILVA, R-J MICHEL (Comps): Recherche, Science et Technologie. Actes de la deuxième rencontre transpyrénéenne, Font-Romeu,  págs. 229-240

(1994) “Sobre la causa: un modelo etiológico en los sistemas térmicos artificiales. Perspectivas de generalización a los naturales", en V. GOMEZ PIN (Comp.): Actas del I Congreso Internacional de Ontología, Bellaterra, P. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, págs. 423-429

(1993) “Entre el dogmatismo y el escepticismo. Las difusas y móviles fronteras de la ciencia”, en Actas I Congreso Nacional sobre Pseudociencia (E. MOLINA y M.A.SOBADELL Eds.) Zaragoza, págs. 12-21

(1993) “Las diferencias y mis diferencias con el constructivismo subjetivo”, en CARRERAS A. (ed.): Conocimiento, ciencia y realidad, Zaragoza, Mira Editores/ SIUZ, págs.127-157

Arguing with the extreme subjectivism, realist constructivist positions are defended.
1. The difference is an epistemological category: one of the basic operations of thought is to distinguish, to differentiate, to define.
2. The difference as an ontological category: no process would take place in the world if there were no differences.
3. There is a significant statistical correlation between the perceived (subjective) differences and the objective (“real”) differences, although this correlation can never be stated with complete certainty in each particular case. We do not know what the things are, but we are usually able to distinguish between them.

En discusión con el subjetivismo extremo se defienden posiciones constructivistas realistas. 1. La diferencia como categoría epistemológica: una de las operaciones básicas del pensamiento es distinguir y diferenciar, para poder definir y clasificar. 2. La diferencia como categoría ontológica: no habría ningún proceso en el mundo si no hubiese en él diferencias. 3. Se da una correlación estadísticamente significativa entre las diferencias percibidas (subjetivas) y las diferencias objetivas (“reales”), aunque esta correlación nunca puede afirmarse con certeza de ninguna de ellas en particular. No sabemos lo que las cosas son, pero solemos acertar al distinguir unas de otras.

(1991) “Hacia una ontología científica”, en Astronomía: actualidad e historia, (E. Viñuales comp.), Zaragoza, SIUZ/Secretariado Publicaciones U.Z., págs. 9-23

(1991) “La perspectiva diferencialista", en Actas del Encuentro de Lógica y Filosofía de la Ciencia. R. Carnap y H. Reichenbach in memoriam, Madrid, 187-193

(1990) VALERO, Antonio y CARRERAS, Alberto: "On causality in organized energy systems: I. Purpose, cause, cost", en A Future for Energy. FLOWERS'90  (S.S.STECCO y M.J.MORAN edrs.), Oxford, Pergamon Press, págs. 387-397

(1990) “Azar y  caos: unas premisas" (con J. Boya y J.L.Escorihuela), en Azar, Caos e indeterminismo, (supra), págs 13-49

(1990) “Azar, determinismo y razón débil" en ibid., págs.183-200

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