NEW LARGE RESEARCH GROUP CLEA-CLPS
From 2024, the VUB research centres CLEA and CLPS (the Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science) have been integrated into a large research group, called CLEA. Prof. Karen François is appointed head of the group (director), Prof. Francis Heylighen is the contact person for research (research director). You can consult the new directors team here. For the time being, both CLEA and CLEA-CLPS will continue to communicate through their existing websites and communication channels.
DEEP INTERDISCIPLINARITY
The Centre Leo Apostel (CLEA) is a transdisciplinary, interfaculty research centre at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). CLEA’s mission is to bridge the different scientific, social and cultural disciplines. It was founded in 1995 under the impulse of the Belgian philosopher Leo Apostel (1925-1995). He formulated the goal of CLEA as the integration of the different disciplines into a coherent worldview, so as to counteract the current fragmentation into ever more specialized approaches. Next to worldviews, our research addresses fundamental interdisciplinary issues, including complexity, systems, evolution, quantum entanglement, cognition, artscience and well-being.
We call our research philosophy "thinking beyond boundaries". Thanks to this philosophy, CLEA has attracted and trained a large number of talented researchers from the humanities, social sciences, physical sciences and engineering, representing countries from across the globe. CLEA is now internationally recognized as a unique, transdisciplinary research centre with a steady output of high-level, innovative publications.
Next to our research, we offer diverse educational programs and activities, including an interdisciplinary PhD, the School of Thinking postgraduate, courses, and public seminars and lecture series.
Upcoming events
School of Thinking: Open-door session, Monday 25 August, 2025
Final weeks! As the 2025–2026 academic year approaches, we would like to put the School of Thinking Edition Tau back on your summer radar.
Practical info-SPACE AND ARTS: A TRANSDISCIPLINARY, TRANSFORMATIONAL, AND TRANSGENERATIONAL (“THE THREE TS”) ART SCIENCE METHODOLOGY FOR EDUCATIONAL- AND OUTREACH-DRIVEN SOCIAL BENEFITS AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT - BY EMANUELE BARRECA
In this talk, Emanuele Barreca shows how fusing space and art - combining Earth-observation data with ancient perspectives - can drive transformational, experiential learning and public engagement. He outlines a transdisciplinary method for inclusive knowledge transfer with applications in agriculture, ecology, and cultural heritage.
Practical info-Leo Apostel: 100th anniversary celebration
Leo Apostel (1925–1995) was a Belgian logician-philosopher and pioneer of interdisciplinary worldviews who would have turned 100 this year. Ghent University and VUB mark his centenary with a two-day event: Sept 4 at the Ghent Boekentoren (retrospective) and Sept 5 at VUB Ixelles highlighting CLEA research.
Practical info-LLMs as Humanity's DNA: Introducing a Harmonious Human-AI Relationship Through a Biosemiotic Lens
In this talk, Parham Pourdavood recasts LLMs as cultural “DNA”: semiotic substrates that compress human expression and become meaningful only through human reinterpretation, creating a recursive creativity loop. Within this biosemiotic framework, LLMs serve as evolutionary tools for low-stakes hypothesis generation while humans ground the outputs in cultural norms and aesthetics.
News
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School of Thinking: Open-door session, Monday 25 August, 2025
Final weeks! As the 2025–2026 academic year approaches, we would like to put the School of Thinking Edition Tau back on your summer radar.
