With support from the National Science Foundation and the Government of Spain, Symbols, Embodiment, and Meaning: A workshop and debate brings together some of the world's leading psychologists, philosophers, neuroscientists, and roboticists to address whether, or the extent to which, the meanings of words derived from the bodily experiences of human kind. For instance, the word "stand" is used metaphorical in ways that take into account the bodily experience of upright posture in a gravitational field (e.g., standoffish, stand your ground, take a stand, which emphasize force and balance). This issue has deep theoretical implications for the cognitive sciences and practical implications for the construction of interactive robots as well as the teaching of reading and mathematics.
The 22 invited speakers (from the US and Europe) represent both sides of the debate about embodied meaning. Invited speakers prepare position papers that are distributed in advance to all attendees. Each morning and afternoon is devoted to a debate-like presentation of the positions followed by a discussion open to all attendees. In addition, approximately 40 doctoral and post-doctoral students will attend the debate and a poster session each day allows for the presentation of new empirical work by speakers and students.
Intellectual merits of the workshop arise from the debate format designed to be a source of new theoretical ideas, collaborations, empirical tests, and interdisciplinary and international research. Broader impacts arise from the integration of research and education: Graduate students participate in the open discussions and present their research during the poster sessions. The results of the debate will be disseminated widely through the publication of a book and accompanying DVD documenting the debates and discussions.
