Subject: wholes and their parts

wholes and their parts ( w / p ) bolzano , maretsch castle , 17-19 june 1998 1 . presentation science is connected to the complementarity of analysis and synthesis . it may be said that classical physics is characterized by an in-built analysis of the world into constituent parts ( such as atoms or elementary particles ) . these are then recomposed together to provide , by means of synthesis , any system ; interactions are linearly and locally described ; the resulting hierarchy of structures is grounded on such constituent parts . in contemporary science , the age of " pure " analysis seems to have ended . there are deep mathematical reasons for this . non - linear systems have properties that , in general , cannot be expressed in terms of decomposition into ultimate , unstructured , pointlike parts plus a suitable sets of relations among them . moreover , the " dialectic " of quantity and quality is subtler than was previously thought and this dialectic is needed in the explanation of all sorts of phenomena . it arises not only in physics , but also in the study of cognitive systems and natural and programming languages . within psychology , it is said that " gestalten " are cohesive wholes and that " the whole is more than the sum of its parts " . but what does this mean exactly ? similar questions emerge in other contexts as well . what is relevant for the foundations of science , the need for a clear understanding of the part / whole relationships , emerges even in logic and mathematics , since these provide the tools for organizing our rational image of the world , in its multi-stratified complexity . thus , we are faced with the problem of relating in a possibly coherent way the various forms of part / whole relationships arising in different branches of science . we have not only to classify the different kinds of wholes and their inherent " grammars " , but also to take into account the process of formation for wholes , in order to describe precisely in which sense the whole emerges out of its parts and is irreducible to an aggregate of autonomous , more or less pointlike , entities . what makes ( in part , at least ) the difference between mere aggregates and cohesive wholes ? the members of the whole do not simply hang together : they hang together in the whole , and the structure of the whole influences the description of the parts and their local interactions . in view of the growing interest in this sort of pattern , of so deep relevance for theoretical and applied sciences , it is therefore suitable to clarify the whole / part issues in crucial fields of research , to compare different approaches and to develop a foundational discussion . 2 . program june 17 9 registration 10 bill lawvere , opening lecture 11 , 30 coffee break 12 john bell , w / p in algebraic and logical structures 13-15 lunch 15 ieke moerdjik , w / p in geometry , topology and topos theory 16 coffee break 16 , 30 colin mclarty , w / p in foundations of mathematics 17 , 30 carlo cellucci , w / p in logical analysis june 18 9 steve vickers , w / p in semantics for programming languages 10 gonzalo reyes , w / p in categorical analysis of language 11 coffee break 11 , 30 john mayberry , w / p in set theory 12 , 30-15 lunch 15 niles eldredge , w / p in biology 16 coffee break 16 , 30 alberto peruzzi , w / p in epistemology and semantics 17 , 30 roberto poli , w / p in ontology june 19 9 ettore casari , w / p in phenomenology 10 alf zimmer , w / p in gestalt psychology 11 coffee break 11 , 30 ron langacker , w / p in linguistics 12 , 30-15 lunch 15 george lakoff , w / p in cognitive sciences ( to be confirmed ) 16 coffee break 16 , 30 chris isham , w / p in quantum topology 17 , 30 basil hiley , w / p in mechanics and cosmology 3 . updates to keep you updated with more information on the conference this is the url for the w / p home page : http : / / www . gelso . unitn . it / ~ poli / 4 . registration fees registration fees only cover the participation in this conference . miscellaneous expenses ( accomodation , meals and social activities ) are in addition . the registration deadline to get the early registration fare is : march 1998 , 31st . students must enclose with the registration form a photocopy of their student card . status early registration ( before 3 / 31 / 98 ) late registration student 50 , 000 100 , 000 scholar 100 , 000 200 . 000 industrial 200 , 000 300 . 000 5 . accomodation participants should book their own accomodation . a selected hotel list is the following one : parkhotel laurin * * * * . 4 , laurinstrasse single-room and breakfast : 180 , 000-265 , 000 tel . + 39 471 31 10 00 , fax + 39 471 31 11 48 citta \ 146 * * * . 21 , waltherplatz single-room and breakfast : 110 , 000 tel . + 39 471 97 52 21 ; fax : + 39 471 97 66 88 feichter * * . 15 , via weintraubengasse single-room and breakfast : 60 , 000-80 , 000 tel . + 39 471 978 768 ; fax : + 39 471 974 803 regina angelorum * * . 1 , rittnerstrasse single-room and breakfast : 65 , 000-85 , 000 tel . : + 39 471 972195 ; fax : + 39 471 97 89 44 kolpinghaus * * ( student house ) . 3 , spitalgasse single-room and breakfast : 50 , 000-65 , 000 tel . : + 39 471 97 11 70 ; fax . : + 39 471 97 39 17 ( all the above hotels are at a walkable distance from both the railway station and maretsch castle . ) for more information : city tourist office . 8 , waltherplatz tel . : + 39 471 307 000 / 001 / 002 fax . : + 39 471 98 01 26 or + 39 471 98 03 00 time table : 8 . 30-18 . 00 ; saturday 9-12 . 30 closed on sunday and holidays . 6 . methods of payment cheques : made out in italian liras , payable to istituto mitteleuropeo di cultura , vicolo gumer 7 , 39100 bolzano , italy . bank transfers : sorry but you will have to pay the banking charges ( if you do n't , your registration will be considered as incomplete ) . please enclose with this form a copy of your transfer . this copy should mention the name and adress of your bank . do not forget to write down your name on the transfer . the bank transfer must be done in italian liras on the account : bank : cassa di risparmio di bolzano account number : 873900 swift codes : abi : 06045 ; cab : 11601 references : w / p conference / your name address : istituto mitteleuropeo di cultura vicolo gumer 7 39100 bolzano , italy if these methods of payment are inconvenient , it will be possible for you to pay cash once you are in bolzano . in this case , you will have to pay the late registration fee . some exceptions to these arrangements can be made for people coming from countries which do not allow any of the long distance methods of payment above . 7 . cancellation cancellations received before april 1998 , 15th : running costs : 20 , 000 it liras cancellations received after may 1998 , 15th : running costs : 50 % of the registration fees 8 . registration form name : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ first name : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ institution : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ address : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ country : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ phone : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ fax : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ e - mail : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ date : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ signature : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to return by e-mail to : poli @ risc1 . gelso . unitn . it a copy of this registration form together with the justificatory of payment and the copy of the student card has to be sent by surface mail to : istituto mitteleuropeo di cultura , vicolo gumer 7 , 39100 bolzano , italy 9 . conference committee alberto peruzzi : peruzzi @ dada . it roberto poli : poli @ risc1 . gelso . unitn . it * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * roberto poli department of sociology and social research 26 , verdi street 38100 trento - - italy tel . + + 39-461 - 881-403 fax : + + 39-461 - 881-348 e-mail : poli @ risc1 . gelso . unitn . it axiomathes : http : / / www . soc . unitn . it / dsrs / axiomathes . htm imc : http : / / www . soc . unitn . it / dsrs / imc . htm
