Michael Zenzen is primarily interested in physics, philosophy, and
poetry. He has published articles on aesthetics, philosophy of science, and
the role of metaphor in scientific theorizing. Currently, he works with
Bringsjord on issues in AI; the two have a forthcoming paper
(Synthese), "the Argument from Irreversibility," that brings together
facets of mathematical logic, physics, and information theory in formulating an
argument against "Strong" AI. With Fahey, he is working in metaphysics;
they are
developing a theory of mind as an emergent phenomenon, and in general argue
against reductionism and eliminative materialism.
Professor Zenzen's contribution to the "Creativity Cirlce" will be to examine
the fundamental metaphysical assumptions about temporality and how it is
modeled that underlie our attempts at understanding creativity. He believes
that a well-developed theory of emergent mind will advance this understanding.
Zenzen also thinks that an understanding of our ability to make metaphors is
crucial to a theory of creativity. Ricoeur's theory of metaphor is currently
the best available and has interesting implications for the interplay of
cognition and emotion in embodied/situated creative agents.