[SydPhil] Fwd: Invitation: Stephen Crain, The Emergence of Meaning - Book Launch at Macquarie

[John Sutton]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dean of Human Sciences <dean.humansciences at mq.edu.au>
Date: Thu, Nov 15, 2012 at 5:23 PM
Subject: Invitation: The Emergence of Meaning - Book Launch

*The Emergence of Meaning - Book Launch *



All are invited to the book launch of "The Emergence of Meaning', written
by *Distinguished Professor Stephen Crain*.



The book will be launched by *Emeritus Professor Brian Byrne*, *School of
Behavioural, Cognitive and Social Sciences, University of New England*



*Date:                  Thursday 13th December 2012***

*Location:           The Co-op Bookshop, Building C9A, Macquarie University*
**

*Time:                 5.30 pm for 6:00pm start*

*RSVP:                Robin Blumfield *

*
**robin.blumfield at mq.edu.au*<robin.blumfield at mq.edu.au>
**

* *

*About the book:*

For over forty years, scientists have developed models of human reasoning
based on the principle that human languages and classical logic involve
fundamentally different methods of interpretation. In The Emergence of
Meaning (Cambridge University Press), Stephen Crain challenges this view,
arguing that a common logical nativism underpins human language and logical
reasoning. Crain uncovers the underlying meanings of logical expressions
and logical principles that appear in typologically different languages –
English and Mandarin – and he demonstrates that these meanings and
principles directly correspond to classical logic. A step-by-step
introduction to logic and a comprehensive review of the literature on child
language acquisition make this work accessible to those unfamiliar with
either field.



*About the author:*

Stephen Crain is a Distinguished Professor at Macquarie University and a
fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.  He is Director of
the ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders.



*Reviews:*

*Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor and Professor of Linguistics (Emeritus),
Massachusetts Institute of Technology*

This careful and sophisticated study provides powerful empirical evidence,
from many sources, for logical nativism, the thesis that human languages
make use of the logical concepts and laws of classical logic, and that
these are contingent facts that are not learned and not required for a
rational creature. It extends the conclusion to other aspects of natural
language, its acquisition and use. The conclusions are compelling, and of
great import for linguistics, philosophical logic, and psychology of
language and mind quite generally.

 *Paul M. Pietroski, Professor of Philosophy and Linguistics, University of
Maryland*

In this lucid study of how children understand logical vocabulary, Crain
makes a powerful case for a substantive form of logical nativism. Using
tools from classical logic and generative grammar, he unifies a range of
individually impressive experimental results, thereby illustrating his
fruitful method for investigating how semantic and logical competences are
related.



*Steven Pinker, Harvard College Professor of Psychology, Harvard University*

New and deep ideas are a rarity in the study of language acquisition, and
Stephen Crain's The Emergence of Meaning has plenty of both. This is likely
to be considered one of the most important books in language acquisition in
years.

-- 

*This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain
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*
*
Judy Lawrie
Executive Officer to the Executive Dean
Faculty of Human Sciences
Macquarie University
t:  + 61 2 9850 8030
f:  +61 2 9850 9390
e:  dean.humansciences at mq.edu.au


-- 
Professor John Sutton
Department of Cognitive Science (http://www.maccs.mq.edu.au/)
Macquarie University, Sydney,
NSW 2109, Australia
Phone: +61 (0)2 9850 4132
Email: john.sutton at mq.edu.au
URL: http://www.johnsutton.net/

Memory Studies journal: http://mss.sagepub.com/
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