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A Fractal Epistemology for a Scientific Psychology

Author: Terry Marks-Tarlow

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2020-01-06

Total Pages: 576

ISBN-13: 1527544931

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Fractal dynamics provide an unparalleled tool for understanding the evolution of natural complexity throughout physical, biological, and psychological realms. This book’s conceptual framework helps to reconcile several persistent dichotomies in the natural sciences, including mind-brain, linear-nonlinear, subjective-objective, and even personal-transpersonal processes. A fractal approach is especially useful when applied to recursive processes of consciousness, both within their ordinary and anomalous manifestations. This novel way to study the interconnection of seemingly divided wholes encompasses multiple dimensions of experience and being. It brings together experts in diverse fields—neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, physicists, physiologists, psychoanalysts, mathematicians, and professors of religion and music composition—to demonstrate the value of fractals as model, method, and metaphor within psychology and related social and physical sciences. The result is a new perspective for understanding what has often been dismissed as too subjective, idiosyncratic, and ineffably beyond the scope of science, bringing these areas back into a natural-scientific framework.

Book Synopsis A Fractal Epistemology for a Scientific Psychology by : Terry Marks-Tarlow

Download or read book A Fractal Epistemology for a Scientific Psychology written by Terry Marks-Tarlow and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2020-01-06 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fractal dynamics provide an unparalleled tool for understanding the evolution of natural complexity throughout physical, biological, and psychological realms. This book’s conceptual framework helps to reconcile several persistent dichotomies in the natural sciences, including mind-brain, linear-nonlinear, subjective-objective, and even personal-transpersonal processes. A fractal approach is especially useful when applied to recursive processes of consciousness, both within their ordinary and anomalous manifestations. This novel way to study the interconnection of seemingly divided wholes encompasses multiple dimensions of experience and being. It brings together experts in diverse fields—neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, physicists, physiologists, psychoanalysts, mathematicians, and professors of religion and music composition—to demonstrate the value of fractals as model, method, and metaphor within psychology and related social and physical sciences. The result is a new perspective for understanding what has often been dismissed as too subjective, idiosyncratic, and ineffably beyond the scope of science, bringing these areas back into a natural-scientific framework.

A Fractal Epistemology for a Scientific Psychology

Author: Terry Marks-Tarlow

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2019-12

Total Pages: 560

ISBN-13: 9781527540231

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Fractal geometry provides an unparalleled tool for understanding the evolution of natural complexity throughout the physical and biological realms. Fractal dynamics also help to reconcile perplexing dichotomies, such as subjective-objective, mind-brain, self-other, and linear-nonlinear processes. In their application to recursive processes of consciousness, both within ordinary and uncanny manifestations, they open a novel way of studying the interconnectedness of seemingly divided wholes. This extends to the most inclusive ways of encountering reality, described as transpersonal and even spiritual dimensions of experience. This volume pulls together experts in diverse fields, such as neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, physicists, physiologists, and mathematicians to demonstrate the value of fractal geometry as both a model and metaphor within psychology and related social and physical sciences. The result is a new perspective for understanding what has often been dismissed as too subjective, idiosyncratic, and ineffably beyond the scope of science, bringing the conversation back into a scientific framework.

Book Synopsis A Fractal Epistemology for a Scientific Psychology by : Terry Marks-Tarlow

Download or read book A Fractal Epistemology for a Scientific Psychology written by Terry Marks-Tarlow and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2019-12 with total page 560 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fractal geometry provides an unparalleled tool for understanding the evolution of natural complexity throughout the physical and biological realms. Fractal dynamics also help to reconcile perplexing dichotomies, such as subjective-objective, mind-brain, self-other, and linear-nonlinear processes. In their application to recursive processes of consciousness, both within ordinary and uncanny manifestations, they open a novel way of studying the interconnectedness of seemingly divided wholes. This extends to the most inclusive ways of encountering reality, described as transpersonal and even spiritual dimensions of experience. This volume pulls together experts in diverse fields, such as neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, physicists, physiologists, and mathematicians to demonstrate the value of fractal geometry as both a model and metaphor within psychology and related social and physical sciences. The result is a new perspective for understanding what has often been dismissed as too subjective, idiosyncratic, and ineffably beyond the scope of science, bringing the conversation back into a scientific framework.

Fractals: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Kenneth Falconer

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2013-09-26

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 0191663441

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Many are familiar with the beauty and ubiquity of fractal forms within nature. Unlike the study of smooth forms such as spheres, fractal geometry describes more familiar shapes and patterns, such as the complex contours of coastlines, the outlines of clouds, and the branching of trees. In this Very Short Introduction, Kenneth Falconer looks at the roots of the 'fractal revolution' that occurred in mathematics in the 20th century, presents the 'new geometry' of fractals, explains the basic concepts, and explores the wide range of applications in science, and in aspects of economics. This is essential introductory reading for students of mathematics and science, and those interested in popular science and mathematics. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Book Synopsis Fractals: A Very Short Introduction by : Kenneth Falconer

Download or read book Fractals: A Very Short Introduction written by Kenneth Falconer and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2013-09-26 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many are familiar with the beauty and ubiquity of fractal forms within nature. Unlike the study of smooth forms such as spheres, fractal geometry describes more familiar shapes and patterns, such as the complex contours of coastlines, the outlines of clouds, and the branching of trees. In this Very Short Introduction, Kenneth Falconer looks at the roots of the 'fractal revolution' that occurred in mathematics in the 20th century, presents the 'new geometry' of fractals, explains the basic concepts, and explores the wide range of applications in science, and in aspects of economics. This is essential introductory reading for students of mathematics and science, and those interested in popular science and mathematics. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Radical Embodied Cognitive Science

Author: Anthony Chemero

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2011-08-19

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 0262516470

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A proposal for a new way to do cognitive science argues that cognition should be described in terms of agent-environment dynamics rather than computation and representation. While philosophers of mind have been arguing over the status of mental representations in cognitive science, cognitive scientists have been quietly engaged in studying perception, action, and cognition without explaining them in terms of mental representation. In this book, Anthony Chemero describes this nonrepresentational approach (which he terms radical embodied cognitive science), puts it in historical and conceptual context, and applies it to traditional problems in the philosophy of mind. Radical embodied cognitive science is a direct descendant of the American naturalist psychology of William James and John Dewey, and follows them in viewing perception and cognition to be understandable only in terms of action in the environment. Chemero argues that cognition should be described in terms of agent-environment dynamics rather than in terms of computation and representation. After outlining this orientation to cognition, Chemero proposes a methodology: dynamical systems theory, which would explain things dynamically and without reference to representation. He also advances a background theory: Gibsonian ecological psychology, “shored up” and clarified. Chemero then looks at some traditional philosophical problems (reductionism, epistemological skepticism, metaphysical realism, consciousness) through the lens of radical embodied cognitive science and concludes that the comparative ease with which it resolves these problems, combined with its empirical promise, makes this approach to cognitive science a rewarding one. “Jerry Fodor is my favorite philosopher,” Chemero writes in his preface, adding, “I think that Jerry Fodor is wrong about nearly everything.” With this book, Chemero explains nonrepresentational, dynamical, ecological cognitive science as clearly and as rigorously as Jerry Fodor explained computational cognitive science in his classic work The Language of Thought.

Book Synopsis Radical Embodied Cognitive Science by : Anthony Chemero

Download or read book Radical Embodied Cognitive Science written by Anthony Chemero and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2011-08-19 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A proposal for a new way to do cognitive science argues that cognition should be described in terms of agent-environment dynamics rather than computation and representation. While philosophers of mind have been arguing over the status of mental representations in cognitive science, cognitive scientists have been quietly engaged in studying perception, action, and cognition without explaining them in terms of mental representation. In this book, Anthony Chemero describes this nonrepresentational approach (which he terms radical embodied cognitive science), puts it in historical and conceptual context, and applies it to traditional problems in the philosophy of mind. Radical embodied cognitive science is a direct descendant of the American naturalist psychology of William James and John Dewey, and follows them in viewing perception and cognition to be understandable only in terms of action in the environment. Chemero argues that cognition should be described in terms of agent-environment dynamics rather than in terms of computation and representation. After outlining this orientation to cognition, Chemero proposes a methodology: dynamical systems theory, which would explain things dynamically and without reference to representation. He also advances a background theory: Gibsonian ecological psychology, “shored up” and clarified. Chemero then looks at some traditional philosophical problems (reductionism, epistemological skepticism, metaphysical realism, consciousness) through the lens of radical embodied cognitive science and concludes that the comparative ease with which it resolves these problems, combined with its empirical promise, makes this approach to cognitive science a rewarding one. “Jerry Fodor is my favorite philosopher,” Chemero writes in his preface, adding, “I think that Jerry Fodor is wrong about nearly everything.” With this book, Chemero explains nonrepresentational, dynamical, ecological cognitive science as clearly and as rigorously as Jerry Fodor explained computational cognitive science in his classic work The Language of Thought.

Science, Music, And Mathematics: The Deepest Connections

Author: Michael Edgeworth Mcintyre

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2021-11-03

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 9811240752

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Professor Michael Edgeworth McIntyre is an eminent scientist who has also had a part-time career as a musician. From a lifetime's thinking, he offers this extraordinary synthesis exposing the deepest connections between science, music, and mathematics, while avoiding equations and technical jargon. He begins with perception psychology and the dichotomization instinct and then takes us through biological evolution, human language, and acausality illusions all the way to the climate crisis and the weaponization of the social media, and beyond that into the deepest parts of theoretical physics — demonstrating our unconscious mathematical abilities.He also has an important message of hope for the future. Contrary to popular belief, biological evolution has given us not only the nastiest, but also the most compassionate and cooperative parts of human nature. This insight comes from recognizing that biological evolution is more than a simple competition between selfish genes. Rather, he suggests, in some ways it is more like turbulent fluid flow, a complex process spanning a vast range of timescales.Professor McIntyre is a Fellow of the Royal Society of London (FRS) and has worked on problems as diverse as the Sun's magnetic interior, the Antarctic ozone hole, jet streams in the atmosphere, and the psychophysics of violin sound. He has long been interested in how different branches of science can better communicate with each other and with the public, harnessing aspects of neuroscience and psychology that point toward the deep 'lucidity principles' that underlie skilful communication.

Book Synopsis Science, Music, And Mathematics: The Deepest Connections by : Michael Edgeworth Mcintyre

Download or read book Science, Music, And Mathematics: The Deepest Connections written by Michael Edgeworth Mcintyre and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2021-11-03 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Professor Michael Edgeworth McIntyre is an eminent scientist who has also had a part-time career as a musician. From a lifetime's thinking, he offers this extraordinary synthesis exposing the deepest connections between science, music, and mathematics, while avoiding equations and technical jargon. He begins with perception psychology and the dichotomization instinct and then takes us through biological evolution, human language, and acausality illusions all the way to the climate crisis and the weaponization of the social media, and beyond that into the deepest parts of theoretical physics — demonstrating our unconscious mathematical abilities.He also has an important message of hope for the future. Contrary to popular belief, biological evolution has given us not only the nastiest, but also the most compassionate and cooperative parts of human nature. This insight comes from recognizing that biological evolution is more than a simple competition between selfish genes. Rather, he suggests, in some ways it is more like turbulent fluid flow, a complex process spanning a vast range of timescales.Professor McIntyre is a Fellow of the Royal Society of London (FRS) and has worked on problems as diverse as the Sun's magnetic interior, the Antarctic ozone hole, jet streams in the atmosphere, and the psychophysics of violin sound. He has long been interested in how different branches of science can better communicate with each other and with the public, harnessing aspects of neuroscience and psychology that point toward the deep 'lucidity principles' that underlie skilful communication.

Psyche's Veil

Author: Terry Marks-Tarlow

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-12-16

Total Pages: 366

ISBN-13: 1317723651

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Historically, the language and concepts within clinical theory have been steeped in linear assumptions and reductionist thinking. Because the essence of psychotherapy involves change, Psyche’s Veil suggests that clinical practice is inherently a nonlinear affair. In this book Terry Marks-Tarlow provides therapists with new language, models and metaphors to narrow the divide between theory and practice, while bridging the gap between psychology and the sciences. By applying contemporary perspectives of chaos theory, complexity theory and fractal geometry to clinical practice, the author discards traditional conceptions of health based on ideals of regularity, set points and normative statistics in favour of models that emphasize unique moments, variability, and irregularity. Psyche’s Veil further explores philosophical and spiritual implications of contemporary science for psychotherapy. Written at the interface between artistic, scientific and spiritual aspects of therapy, Psyche’s Veil is a case-based book that aspires to a paradigm shift in how practitioners conceptualize critical ingredients for internal healing. Novel treatment of sophisticated psychoanalytical issues and tie-ins to interpersonal neurobiology make this book appeal to both the specialist practitioner, as well as the generalist reader. .

Book Synopsis Psyche's Veil by : Terry Marks-Tarlow

Download or read book Psyche's Veil written by Terry Marks-Tarlow and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-12-16 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Historically, the language and concepts within clinical theory have been steeped in linear assumptions and reductionist thinking. Because the essence of psychotherapy involves change, Psyche’s Veil suggests that clinical practice is inherently a nonlinear affair. In this book Terry Marks-Tarlow provides therapists with new language, models and metaphors to narrow the divide between theory and practice, while bridging the gap between psychology and the sciences. By applying contemporary perspectives of chaos theory, complexity theory and fractal geometry to clinical practice, the author discards traditional conceptions of health based on ideals of regularity, set points and normative statistics in favour of models that emphasize unique moments, variability, and irregularity. Psyche’s Veil further explores philosophical and spiritual implications of contemporary science for psychotherapy. Written at the interface between artistic, scientific and spiritual aspects of therapy, Psyche’s Veil is a case-based book that aspires to a paradigm shift in how practitioners conceptualize critical ingredients for internal healing. Novel treatment of sophisticated psychoanalytical issues and tie-ins to interpersonal neurobiology make this book appeal to both the specialist practitioner, as well as the generalist reader. .

Reflexive Methodology

Author: Mats Alvesson

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2009-09-02

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13: 1446244733

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Praise for the First Edition: 'Reflexive Methodology is a textbook indispensable to any young researcher. It does not tell its readers how to do research. It does something much more important: It shows how research has been done in the qualitative tradition, thus encouraging the readers to make their own choices' - Barbara Czarniawska, Goteborg University 'I would go so far as to argue that this book should be on the reading list of all social scientists and philosophers with an interest in the theory and practice of research' - Prometheus Reflexive Methodology established itself as a groundbreaking success, providing researchers with an invaluable guide to a central problem in research methodology - how to put field research and interpretations in perspective, paying attention to the interpretive, political and rhetorical nature of empirical research. Now thoroughly updated, the Second Edition includes a new chapter on positivism, social constructionism and critical realism, and offers new conclusions on the applications of methodology. It also provides further illustrations and updates that build on the acclaimed and successful first edition. Reflexivity is an essential part of the research process. In this book, Mats Alvesson and Kaj Skoldberg make explicit the links between techniques used in empirical research and different research traditions, giving a theoretically informed approach to qualitative research. The authors provide balanced reviews and critiques of the major schools of grounded theory, ethnography, hermeneutics, critical theory, postmodernism and poststructuralism, discourse analysis, genealogy and feminism. This book points the way to a more open-minded, creative interaction between theoretical frameworks and empirical research. It continues to be essential reading for students and researchers across the social sciences.

Book Synopsis Reflexive Methodology by : Mats Alvesson

Download or read book Reflexive Methodology written by Mats Alvesson and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2009-09-02 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Praise for the First Edition: 'Reflexive Methodology is a textbook indispensable to any young researcher. It does not tell its readers how to do research. It does something much more important: It shows how research has been done in the qualitative tradition, thus encouraging the readers to make their own choices' - Barbara Czarniawska, Goteborg University 'I would go so far as to argue that this book should be on the reading list of all social scientists and philosophers with an interest in the theory and practice of research' - Prometheus Reflexive Methodology established itself as a groundbreaking success, providing researchers with an invaluable guide to a central problem in research methodology - how to put field research and interpretations in perspective, paying attention to the interpretive, political and rhetorical nature of empirical research. Now thoroughly updated, the Second Edition includes a new chapter on positivism, social constructionism and critical realism, and offers new conclusions on the applications of methodology. It also provides further illustrations and updates that build on the acclaimed and successful first edition. Reflexivity is an essential part of the research process. In this book, Mats Alvesson and Kaj Skoldberg make explicit the links between techniques used in empirical research and different research traditions, giving a theoretically informed approach to qualitative research. The authors provide balanced reviews and critiques of the major schools of grounded theory, ethnography, hermeneutics, critical theory, postmodernism and poststructuralism, discourse analysis, genealogy and feminism. This book points the way to a more open-minded, creative interaction between theoretical frameworks and empirical research. It continues to be essential reading for students and researchers across the social sciences.

Clinical Intuition in Psychotherapy: The Neurobiology of Embodied Response

Author: Terry Marks-Tarlow

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2024-04-02

Total Pages: 430

ISBN-13: 0393707989

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A systematic look at the role of “gut feelings” in psychotherapy. What actually happens in psychotherapy, outside the confines of therapeutic models and techniques? How can clinicians learn to pick up on interpersonal nuance, using their intuition to bridge the gap between theory and practice? Drawing from 30 years of clinical experience, Marks-Tarlow explores the central—yet neglected—topic of intuition in psychotherapy, sharing clinical insights and intuitions that can help transform traumatized brains into healthy minds. Bridging art and science, Clinical Intuition in Psychotherapy is grounded in interpersonal neurobiology, and filled with rich case vignettes, personal stories, and original artwork. In the early chapters of the book, Marks-Tarlow defines clinical intuition as a right-brain, fully embodied mode of perceiving, relating, and responding to the ongoing flows and changing dynamics of psychotherapy. She examines how the body “has a mind of its own” in the form of implicit processes, uncovering the implicit roots of clinical intuition within human empathy and emphasizing the importance of play to clinical intuition. Encouraging therapists to bring their own unique senses of humor to clinical practice, she explains how the creative neural powers of playfulness, embedded within sensitive clinical dialogs, can move clients’ lives toward lasting positive affective growth. Later chapters explore the play of imagination within clinical intuition, where imagery and metaphor can lead to deeper insight about underlying emotions and relational truths than words alone; the developmental foundations for intuition; and clinical intuition as a vehicle for developing and expressing wisdom. At the close of each chapter, reflective exercises help the reader personally integrate the concepts. Part of the Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology, this wonderful guidebook will help clinicians harness the power of spontaneous intuitive thinking to transform their therapeutic practices.

Book Synopsis Clinical Intuition in Psychotherapy: The Neurobiology of Embodied Response by : Terry Marks-Tarlow

Download or read book Clinical Intuition in Psychotherapy: The Neurobiology of Embodied Response written by Terry Marks-Tarlow and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2024-04-02 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A systematic look at the role of “gut feelings” in psychotherapy. What actually happens in psychotherapy, outside the confines of therapeutic models and techniques? How can clinicians learn to pick up on interpersonal nuance, using their intuition to bridge the gap between theory and practice? Drawing from 30 years of clinical experience, Marks-Tarlow explores the central—yet neglected—topic of intuition in psychotherapy, sharing clinical insights and intuitions that can help transform traumatized brains into healthy minds. Bridging art and science, Clinical Intuition in Psychotherapy is grounded in interpersonal neurobiology, and filled with rich case vignettes, personal stories, and original artwork. In the early chapters of the book, Marks-Tarlow defines clinical intuition as a right-brain, fully embodied mode of perceiving, relating, and responding to the ongoing flows and changing dynamics of psychotherapy. She examines how the body “has a mind of its own” in the form of implicit processes, uncovering the implicit roots of clinical intuition within human empathy and emphasizing the importance of play to clinical intuition. Encouraging therapists to bring their own unique senses of humor to clinical practice, she explains how the creative neural powers of playfulness, embedded within sensitive clinical dialogs, can move clients’ lives toward lasting positive affective growth. Later chapters explore the play of imagination within clinical intuition, where imagery and metaphor can lead to deeper insight about underlying emotions and relational truths than words alone; the developmental foundations for intuition; and clinical intuition as a vehicle for developing and expressing wisdom. At the close of each chapter, reflective exercises help the reader personally integrate the concepts. Part of the Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology, this wonderful guidebook will help clinicians harness the power of spontaneous intuitive thinking to transform their therapeutic practices.

Scientific Ontology

Author: Anjan Chakravartty

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2017-06-30

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 0190651474

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Both science and philosophy are interested in questions of ontology - questions about what exists and what these things are like. Science and philosophy, however, seem like very different ways of investigating the world, so how should one proceed? Some defer to the sciences, conceived as something apart from philosophy, and others to metaphysics, conceived as something apart from science, for certain kinds of answers. This book contends that these sorts of deference are misconceived. A compelling account of ontology must appreciate the ways in which the sciences incorporate metaphysical assumptions and arguments. At the same time, it must pay careful attention to how observation, experience, and the empirical dimensions of science are related to what may be viewed as defensible philosophical theorizing about ontology. The promise of an effectively naturalized metaphysics is to encourage beliefs that are formed in ways that do justice to scientific theorizing, modeling, and experimentation. But even armed with such a view, there is no one, uniquely rational way to draw lines between domains of ontology that are suitable for belief, and ones in which it would be better to suspend belief instead. In crucial respects, ontology is in the eye of the beholder: it is informed by underlying commitments with implications for the limits of inquiry, which inevitably vary across rational inquirers. As result, the proper scope of ontology is subject to a striking form of voluntary choice, yielding a new and transformative conception of scientific ontology.

Book Synopsis Scientific Ontology by : Anjan Chakravartty

Download or read book Scientific Ontology written by Anjan Chakravartty and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-06-30 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Both science and philosophy are interested in questions of ontology - questions about what exists and what these things are like. Science and philosophy, however, seem like very different ways of investigating the world, so how should one proceed? Some defer to the sciences, conceived as something apart from philosophy, and others to metaphysics, conceived as something apart from science, for certain kinds of answers. This book contends that these sorts of deference are misconceived. A compelling account of ontology must appreciate the ways in which the sciences incorporate metaphysical assumptions and arguments. At the same time, it must pay careful attention to how observation, experience, and the empirical dimensions of science are related to what may be viewed as defensible philosophical theorizing about ontology. The promise of an effectively naturalized metaphysics is to encourage beliefs that are formed in ways that do justice to scientific theorizing, modeling, and experimentation. But even armed with such a view, there is no one, uniquely rational way to draw lines between domains of ontology that are suitable for belief, and ones in which it would be better to suspend belief instead. In crucial respects, ontology is in the eye of the beholder: it is informed by underlying commitments with implications for the limits of inquiry, which inevitably vary across rational inquirers. As result, the proper scope of ontology is subject to a striking form of voluntary choice, yielding a new and transformative conception of scientific ontology.