Tips o' the hat

There were a number of inspirations for the IS group, including the theoretical work on action and perception of Michael Turvey and colleagues and the early work on nonlinear dynamics that led to the establishment of the Santa Fe Institute. Another inspiration was an impromptu and spirited debate about cognition and perception between Jerry Fodor and Robert Shaw on Oct. 31, 1975, in Storrs, Connecticut, that pointed to the need for additional opportunities and venues for extended, informal academic discussions. Finally, there was the encouragement of Caryl Haskins who, in discussion with Philip Rubin, indicated the importance of multidisciplinarity, cutting edge science, and the intersection of science and public policy.

The inspiration for this blog is the wonderful Language Log created by Mark Liberman and Geoffrey K. Pullum. An unabashed plug: buy their book Far From the Madding Gerund and other dispatches from Language Log.