Phil/Psych 447

Seminar in Cognitive Science

Instructions for Essay 2

Upcoming events:

• Nov. 2: Paul Thagard, Truth, Explanation, and Power, Grad House 4-6.
• Dec. 6 (morning): Waterloo Ignorance Day. Faculty reveal:: What I Wish I Knew About Mind, Brain, and Intelligence!

Week 8: Evolution and Domain Specificity

Questions about evolution (chs. 15)

1. What brain changes made humans creative?
2. What cultural changes made humans more creative?
3. How does language aid creativity?
4. Is cultural change a Darwinian process? Is memetics useful?
5. Was creativity selected for in biological evolution, or is it a side effect?

Questions about domain specificity (ch. 17)

1. What are some fields in which you are capable or incapable of being creative?
2. What is the problem of domain specificity of creativity? What are the alternative positions?
3. Does talent trump domain?
4. What are the best candidates for cognitive mechanisms that are part of general creativity?
5. What are the best candidates for cognitive mechanisms that are part of creativity in specific domains?
6. Is intelligence domain general or specific?

Phil/Psych 447

Paul Thagard

Computational Epistemology Laboratory.

This page updated Oct. 31, 2011