Dr. Jurgis Skilters

Photo of Jurgis Skilters


General research interests:


In particular I work on:


Teaching experience:

I’ve been reviewer for Springer, Elsevier and several other publishers.


Some of the journals I have reviewed:


I have supervised more than 30 MA-Theses in philosophy of cognitive sciences, logic, communication sciences, and mathematics in different universities but mainly in the University of Latvia. I have consulted and participated in research projects all around the world – India, USA, Brazil including.

Recent Books

  1. Šķilters, J., Eklund, M., Jónsson, P.O., Wiegand O.K. (Eds.) (2006):Paradox: Logical, Cognitive and Communicative Aspects. Riga, Latvia. University of Latvia Press. 271
  2. Šķilters, J., Toccafondi, F., Stemberger (2007): Complex Cognition and Qualitative Science: A Legacy of Oswald Külpe. Riga: University of Latvia Press.
  3. Zuczkowski, A., Šķilters, J. (Eds.) (2008): Relations and Structures in Language and Communication. Wien: Verlag W. Krammer (simultanously: Gestalt Theory, Vol. 30, No. 3)
  4. Šķilters, J. (Volume Editor) (2008): Acta Universitatis Latviensis: Philosophy, Vol. 739.
  5. Lapointe, S., Šķilters, J. (2007): (Eds.) A Figure of Speech: Conference on Metaphor, Volume of Abstracts. Center for the Cognitive Sciences and Semantics: Riga. 
  6. Šķilters, J. & Lasmane, S. (2011) (Eds.), Communicating Identity (in Latvian). Riga: SPPI.
  7. Partee, B.H., Glanzberg, M., & Skilters, J. (Eds.) (2011). Formal semantics and pragmatics. Discourse, context and models. The Baltic International Yearbook of Cognition, Logic and Communication, Vol. 6 (2010). Manhattan, KS: New Prairie Press.


Recent Papers

  1. Šķilters, J. (2005): Loģika ir sava veida darbarīks. (Logic as a tool). Kultūras forums, Nr. 45 (185), 1, 3
  2. Šķilters, J. (2005): Gestalt Theory and Linguistics, Introduction to GT and Linguistics' Project. In: The Official Webpage of International GTA e.V.
  3. Šķilters, J. (2005/2006): Gestalt Theory and Linguistics - A Bibliography, Gestalt Theory and Linguistics' Project. In: The Official Webpage of International GTA e.V.
  4. Šķilters, J. (2005/2006): People and Institutions in Linguistics related to Gestalt theory, Gestalt Theory and Linguistics' Project. In: The Official Webpage of International GTA e.V.
  5. Šķilters, J. (2005): Loģika, kognitīvās zinātnes un paradoksi. (Logic, Cognitive Sciences and Paradoxes.). Kultūras forums. Nr. 41 (181), 4
  6. Šķilters, J. (2006): Zinātne un zinātniskās literatūras izdevējdarbība (Science and Publishing). Bibliotēku pasaule. Nr. 36 , 48-52.
  7. Šķilters, J. (2006): Oswald Külpe: Qualitative Conception of Psychology. Humanities and Social Sciences. Latvia, 2(48), 28-43
  8. Skilters, J. (2006): Aspekte der Figur-Grund-Strukturierung in der menschlichen semantischen Artikulation. In: Das mentale Paradoxon / The Mental Paradox, Ed. Boudewijnse, Geert-Jan, (Wien: Krammer Verlag), simultaneously: Gestalt Theory, Vol. 28, No. 1/2, 201-222.
  9. Šķilters, J. (2006): Preface. In: Šķilters, J., Eklund, M., Jónsson, P.O., Wiegand O.K. (Eds.) (2006): Paradox: Logical, Cognitive and Communicative Aspects. Riga, Latvia. University of Latvia Press. 5-8
  10. Skilters, J. (2006): Das Spiegelproblem vom Standpunkt der kognitiven Semantik. Gestalt Theory, Vol. 28, 302-307
  11. Šķilters, J. (2006): Alternatīva pieeja uztveres teorijās (An alternative in the theories of perception). Kentaurs XXI, Nr. 41, 4-5
  12. Böger, C., Skilters, J. (2007): Zeit und Bewusstsein bei Augustinus. Eine philosophiehistorische Betrachtung. Acta Universitatis Latviensis 713, 31-39
  13. Šķilters J. (2007): [Report – Bericht] Oswald Külpe: Aspekte einer qualitativen Wissenschaft. Gestalt Theory, Vol. 29, No. 1, 87-91.
  14. Šķilters, J. (2007): Atomistiskā, elementāristiskā un veseluma izpratne par zinātni (Atomic and wholistic conception of science). Kentaurs XXI, 42, 105-123.
  15. Skilters, J. (2007), [Mein Weg zur Gestalttheorie: Logik, Psychologie und Gestlattheorie]. DAGP/ÖAGP-Informationen, Ausgabe 1/2007-16. Jahrgang, 7-9.
  16. Šķilters J. (2007), Īpašvārdu semantika un latviešu valoda (Semantic of proper names and Latvian). Karogs, 4., Apr. 2007, 82-88.
  17. Skilters, J (2008), Relations between verbal and nonverbal structures. In: Zuczkowski, A., Šķilters, J. (Eds.): Relations and Structures in Language and Communication. Wien: Verlag W. Krammer (simultanously: Gestalt Theory, Vol. 30, No. 3):221-223.
  18. Skilters, J (2008), Frames as structured wholes: On the relations between frame theory and figure-ground semantics. In: Zuczkowski, A., Šķilters, J. (Eds.): Relations and Structures in Language and Communication. Wien: Verlag W. Krammer (simultanously: Gestalt Theory, Vol. 30, No. 3): 357-366.
  19. Šķilters J. (2008): Sprache, Gestalttheorie und Semantik. In: Metz-Göckel H. (Ed.): Handbuch zur Gestalttheorie. Band 1. Wien: Krammer, 203-231.
  20. Šķilters, J. (2008): Loģikas minimālnosacījumi. (The Minimal Conditions of Logic: on the Relations between Language, Logic, and Mathematics.) Acta Universitatis Latviensis: Philosophy, 34-47
  21. Žogla, A., Skilters J., Ante K., Straujums U., Golde, J. (2008): Vēstures notikumveida struktūra: Formālsemantisks klasifikācijas modelis. (Event-based Structure of History: A Formal Semantic Model of Classification.) Acta Universitatis Latviensis: Philosophy, 202-216.
  22. Skilters, J., Pinna, B., & Tanca, M. (2010): The role of grouping in shape formation: New effects due to the directional symmetry, Journal of Vision,  August 2, 2010 vol. 10 no. 7, 1188, doi: 10.1167/10.7.1188     (http://www.journalofvision.org/content/10/7/1188.short?cited-by=yes&legid=jov;10/7/1188#cited-by)
  23. Pinna, B. & Skilters, J. (2010). Perceptual Semantics: A Three-Level Approach. In A.E. Hassanien, A. Abraham, F. Marcelloni, H. Hagras, M. Antonelli, & T.-P. Hong (Eds.), Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Intelligent Systems Design and Applications (pp. 772-777). Cairo, Egypt: IEEE.
  24. Žogla, A. & Šķlters, J. (2010). Digitization of Historical Texts at the National Library of Latvia. In I. Skadiņa & A. Vasiļjevs (Eds.). The Baltic Perspective: Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference Baltic HLT 2010 (pp. 177-184). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: IOS Press.
  25. Šķilters, J. (2011). Nacionālā identitāte semantiskajā telpā (National identity in semantic space). In J. Šķilters & S. Lasmane (Eds.) Nacionālās identitātes komunikācija Latvijas kultūras telpā (Communication of national identity in Latvian culture). (3-16. lpp.) ISBN 978-9984-49-212-4 /ISSN 1691-8142, available at: http://academia.lndb.lv/xmlui/handle/123456789/4, Rīga: LU SPPI.
  26. Pencis, J., Burgmanis, Ģ., Apse, L., Krišjāne, Z., & Šķilters, J. (2011). Telpiskā kognīcija. Drošas un nedrošas vietas identitātes konstruēšana pilsētvidē: Rīgas piemērs (Spatial Cognition: Generation of a safe identity in urban environment). In J. Šķilters & S. Lasmane (Eds..). Nacionālās identitātes komunikācija Latvijas kultūras telpā (Communication of national identity in Latvian culture). (154-173.
    lpp.) ISBN 978-9984-49-212-4 /ISSN 1691-8142, available at: http://academia.lndb.lv/xmlui/handle/123456789/4, Rīga: LU SPPI.
  27. Šķilters, J., Kreile, M., Bojārs, U., Brikše, I., Pencis, J., & Uzule, L. (2011). The pragmatics of political messages in Twitter communication. In M. Rowe, M. Stankovic, & A.-S. Dadzie, & M. Hardey (Eds.), Making Sense of Microposts, #MSM2011, Proceedings of the ESWC2011 Workshop on 'Making Sense of Microposts': Big things come in small packages co-located with the 8th Extended Semantic Web Conference, ESWC2011, (pp. 69—80). CEUR-WS.org: Aachen, Tilburg, url: http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-718/paper_18.pdf. ISSN 1613-0073.
  28. Šķilters, J. (2011). Semantic prominence and semantic segmenting: on the relations between cognitive semantics and gestalt theory. In: H. Metz-Göckel (Ed.), Gestalttheoretische Inspirationen – Anwendungen der Gestalttheorie. Handbuch zur Gestalttheorie. Band 2 (pp. 167-188). Wien: Verlag W. Krammer.
  29. Šķilters, J. (2011). Experience and perspectivity in perceptual generation of meaning. In B. Pinna (Ed.), The place of meaning in perception: towards a science of meaning, Vol. 1 (pp. 277-288). Wien:
    Krammer. Simultaneously: Gestalt Theory, Vol 22., No. 3/4, 277-288.
  30. Šķilters, J., Kreile, M., Bojārs, U., Brikše, I., Pencis, J., & Uzule, L. (2011; publicēšanā). The pragmatics of political messages. In R. García-Castro, D. Fensel, & G. Antoniou (Eds.). Workshops at the 8th Extended Semantic Web Conference (ESWC 2011). Revised Selected Papers. (The Semantic Web: ESWC 2011 Workshops, LNCS 7117, Heraklion, Greece, May 2011.). Berlin: Springer Verlag.


In Press (selection) :


In Preparation (selection):


Recent presentations and talks

  1. Plenary Talk: Aspekte der Figur-Grund-Strukturierung in menschlicher semantischer Artikulation, 14th Scientific Convention of GTA „Values, Meaning and Facts“, Medical University Graz & University of Applied Sciences Joanneum, Graz, Austria, February 24 - 27, 2005
  2. Böger, C., Skilters, J. (2006): (Abstract) Semantic Articulation and Movement Execution, Queen's University Belfast, Annual Meeting of European Society of Philosophy and Psychology, 24-27.
  3. Skilters, J., Böger, C. (2006): (Abstract) Zur Wechselwirkung von Bedeutung und Bewegung: Wurzeln der semantischen Artikulation in der Wahrnehmung, in: Schmid, H.-J., Engelhardt, M. (Hgg.) Abstractband von Second International Conference of the German Cognitive Linguistics Association, 5.-7.10.2006. München: LMU- München, ICCLS, 2006, S. 138.
  4. Šķilters, J. (2006) (Abstract): Apziņas nenovērojamo saturu problēma 19. un 20. gs. mijas psiholoģijā (Non-obcervable contents in the psychology of 19th and 20th century). Materialien der Internationalen Tagung (Universität Lettlands, Österreichische Botschaft): Traum und Wirklichkeit in der globalisierten Gesellschaft.
  5. Skilters, J. (2007): Oppositions Within a Frame. In: Béziau J.-Y., Payette G. (Eds.) Hand Book of the First World Congress on the Square of Opposition. Montreux, Switzerland, June 1-3, 2007, University of Neuchatel, p. 48. (prepared but not presented…)
  6. Šķilters, J. (2007): Frames as Structured Wholes. Congress: Relations and Structure. University of Macerata, Italy, May 2007
  7. Skilters, J., Böger, C. (2007): Embodied semantic structures in movement execution and language. In: United Kingdom Cognitive Linguistics Association 2nd Meeting: New Directions in Cognitive Linguistics-2, 27-30 August. Cardiff University, 38-39.
  8. Skilters J. (2007): Frame-based meaning activation model of polysemy processing. In: Loebner S. et al. (Eds.): Concept Types and Frames in Language, Cognition and Science, Duesseldorf, Germany, August 20-22, University of Duesseldorff, 85-86.
  9. Skilters, J. (2008): Coherence generation and semantic segmenting: knowledge effects in utterance interpretation. Accepted presentation in international DECOS Conference, University of Zadar, Croatia.
  10. Skilters, J. (2008): Semantic prominence and semantic segmenting: on the relations between cognitive semantics and Gestalt theory. In: Language, Communication & Cognition, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK, August 4th-7th 2008. In: Book of Synopses: Language, Communication & Cognition, Brighton, University of Brighton, UK, August 4th-7th 2008, 39.
  11. Skilters, J. & Böger, C. (2008): Semantic grounding of movement: Effects of movement execution on the semantic processing. The 9th Conference on Conceptual Structure, Discourse, and Language, Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, Ohio) on 18-20 October, 2008, USA
    Abstract available at Social Sciences Research Network: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1292853.
  12. Šķilters, J., & Vēbere, L. (2009). Epistemologically Founded Semantics of Gestalt Theory: Two Ways of Explicating the Concept of Representation; plenary paper in Conference Neuroscience Meets Gestaltpsychology. University of Osnabrueck, March 26-29, 2009; Society for Gestalt Theory and its Applications (GTA) Institute of Psychology & Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Book of Abstracts, p. 16.
  13. Šķilters, J. (2009). Towards a non-representational semantics. In: Book of Abstracts: CTF09: Concept Types and Frames in Language, Cognition and Science, Duesseldorf, Germany, August 24-26, University of Duesseldorff, 73-76
  14. Skilters, J. (2009), Invited talks on Perceptual Semantics and Embodiment/Embededness interaction at the University of Sassari, Italy, 2009, 16-20.11
  15. Šķilters, J. (2009), Background Knowledge in Resolution of semantics Indefiniteness;  Invited Talk at the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, University of Latvia, Mai, 2009
  16. Šķilters, J. (2010): Reprezentējamības robežas: dabiskas un mākslīgas kognitīvu sistēmu sintakses atveides specifika. (Borders of Representability: Natural and Artificial Cognitive Systems): Talk given in the 68th Scientific Congress of the University of Latvia, Computer Sciences’ and IT section.
  17. Šķilters, J. (2010): Uztveres invarianti semantikā (Perceptual Invariants in Semantics). Talk given in the 68th Scientific Congress of the University of Latvia, Epistemology and Cognitive Sciences’ section.  
  18. Šķilters, J. (2010): Applications of Cognitive Sciences in Geography. Invited talks in LU Ph.D school for geography students
  19. Šķilters, J.(2010). Corpus and national identity. CLARIN-EU Symposium, Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, LU, invited talk, 26.02.2010.
  20. Skilters, J., Tanca. M, Pinna, B. (2010): The role of grouping in shape formation: New effects due to the directional symmetry. In: Vision Sciences Society, 10th Annual Meeting, Naples, Florida, May 7-12,2010, Book of Abstracts, (http://www.visionsciences.org/2010/VSS2010_Abstracts_Final.pdf, P. 229)
  21. Šķilters, J. & Apse, L. (2010): Constraining spatial semantics of Latvian: geometrically embodied knowledge, functional knowledge and path/place-structure. In: July 6-8, 2010, Hertfordshire, 3rd UK Cognitive Linguistics Conference, University of Hertfordshire.(Book of Abstracts: pp.49-50)
  22. Apse, L., Skilters, J., Chernorizh, M. (2010): Oppositions in the prepositional structure of space. In: Hand Book of the Second World Congress of Logic, Square of opposition, Corsica, June 17-20, 2010, published in: Béziau, J.-Y. & Gan-Krzywoszyńska, K. (Eds.). Hand book of the second world congress on the square of opposition, Corte: University of Corsica, 21 (ISBN : 978-2-911285-32-5)
  23. Burgmanis, Ģ., Krišjāne, Z., Apse, L., Šķilters, J., & Strautmanis, N. (2010) Perceptual mapping onto spatial cognition of environment. Las Navas 2010: Cognitive and Linguistic Aspects of Geographic Space July 4. – 8., 2010., Las Navas del Marques, Avila, Spain.
  24. Apse, L., Burgmanis Ģ., Krišjāne, Z., & Šķilters, J. (2010) The Structure of Spatial Cognition and Perception of Environment: Evidence from Latvia, Paper presented at the 18th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Psychology and Philosophy (ESPP), Bochum&Essen, August 25-28, 2010, published in: [book of abstracts] ESPP-2010, Ruhr-University Bochum, University of Duisburg-Essen, 166-167.
  25. Apse, L. & Šķilters, J. (2010): Geometric structure, functional knowledge, and search domain determination: evidence from the system of spatial prepositions in Latvian. Poster presented at the 18th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Psychology and Philosophy (ESPP), Bochum&Essen, August 25-28, 2010, published in: [book of abstracts] ESPP-2010, Ruhr-University Bochum, University of Duisburg-Essen, 198-200.
  26. Pinna, B., Tanca M., & Skilters, J. (2010). From perceptual grouping to semantics. A three-level approach. Paper presented at the 18th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Psychology and Philosophy (ESPP), Bochum&Essen, August 25-28, 2010, published in: [book of abstracts] ESPP-2010, Ruhr-University Bochum, University of Duisburg-Essen, 88-90.
  27. Škilters, J. & Apse. L. (2010): Search domain in spatial semantics: evidence from prepositions in Latvian. In: 4th International Conference of the German Cognitive Linguistics Association, University of Bremen, October 7-9, 2010.
  28. Žogla, A. & Šķilters, J. (2010). Digitization of Historical Texts at the National Library of Latvia. The Fourth International Conference. Human Language Technologies – The Baltic Perspective, Riga, Latvia.
  29. Pinna, B. & Skilters, J. (2010). Perceptual Semantics: A Three-Level Approach. 2010 International Conference on Intelligent Systems Design and
    Applications (ISDA 2010), Cairo, Egypt, November 20-December 1.     Proceedings of ISDA 2010, published by IEEE.
  30. Šķilters, J. (2010). Semantics in Visual Perception: Methodological Remarks, Issues and Perspectives. Keynote talk given in workshop ‘Methods in Language & Cognition’, November 4-5, 2010, Aarhus University, Denmark.
  31. Šķilters, J., Burgmanis, Ģ., Krišjāne, Z., & Apse, L. (2011). Spatial Cognition and Perception of Large Scale Object Constellations: Evidence from Search Domain Analysis in Urban Environment. Poster and published abstract in the 33rd annual meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, to be held in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, Wednesday, July 20 - Saturday July 23, 2011. P, 1133, (ISBN 978-0-9768318-7-7) published as Šķilters, J., Burgmanis, Ģ., Krišjāne, Z., & Apse, L. (2011). Spatial Cognition and Perception of Large Scale Object Constellations: Evidence from Search Domain Analysis in Urban Environment. [Abstract]. In L. Carlson, C. Hoelscher, & T.F. Shipley (Eds.), Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (p. 1133).
    Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
  32. Šķilters, J., Kreile, M., Bojārs, U., Brikše, I., Pencis, J., & Uzule, L. (2011). The pragmatics of political messages in Twitter communication. Making Sense of Microposts, #MSM2011, Workshop on 'Making Sense of Microposts': Big things come in small packages co-located with the 8th Extended Semantic Web Conference, ESWC2011.
  33. Skilters, J., Pencis, J., & Bojars, U. (2011). Extended selves in distributed social networks. Extended Cognition Workshop, Amsterdam, June 27th-28th 2011.
  34. Skilters, J. (2011) Gestalt theory and the roots of non-representational semantics. Invited talk at the 16. LIPP-Symposium “Perceptive Linguistics”, LMU Munich, November 25-26, 2011


Selected Honors


I’m a member of


Contacts: jurgis.skilters@lu.lv and jurgisskilters@gmail.com