A series of three lectures hosted by the Tufts Center for Cognitive Studies began on Wednesday with a lecture by Douglas Hofstadter, a Pulitzer Prize recipient and professor of Cognitive Science at Indiana University.
The lecture, entitled "The Surrealistic Curvature of Semantic Space around a Neutron Star," centered around the concept of using the English language to describe a hypothetical civilization on a neutron star. The topic has been written about by physicist and science-fiction writer Robert L Forward in his novel, Dragon's Egg. Hofstadter explained the use of the English language in terms of Forward's book.
"The novel vividly presents an image of such microscopic beings, but in order to do so, it necessarily uses the homey, familiar medium of the English language to project the reader into this extraordinarily alien world," Hofstadter wrote in a synopsis of the lecture.
As Hofstadter spoke, he continued to question the semantics used by Forward, asking the audience to think about a list of words and consider their validity in another civilization. "What legitimacy is there to using a word like 'air' when discussing a civilization on a neutron star," Hofstadter said. "I just wanted you to think about the validity of these words in this strange atmosphere."
The lecture series was jointly planned by Hofstadter and Daniel C. Dennett, who is a philosophy professor at the Fletcher School and the director of the Center for Cognitive Studies.
The two are personal friends, and have also collaborated on a book, The Mind's I, published in 1985. The Center for Cognitive Studies is a research unit within the Philosophy department which studies "the capacity to think, perceive, imagine, understand, and believe," according to the Tufts Course Bulletin's description of Cognitive Science.
After a brief opening introduction by Dennett, Hofstadter spoke of his past work with Dennett. "I thought I would bring out some things in this talk that have to do with our collaboration," Hofstadter said.
The lecture drew a crowd of well over 50 students and staff to Eaton Hall.
"I would say [the lectures are for] students as much as professors," Dennett said. "Doug is famous for making his work accessible to a wide audience."
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