Schizophrenia and Common Sense International Workshop

Since it was first identified by Kraeplin and Bleuler that Schizophrenia has stimulated the interest of researchers from a wide range of disciplines. It transcended the limits of psychiatry and some have even thought about it as a “paradigm of modernity” (Louis Sass). As a nosologic entity it has been put into question for politic and scientific reasons. It remains, however, in the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as “Spectrum” Nowadays, pharmacological and neurological studies have achieved greater visibility and impact. Nevertheless, there are also schizophrenia interpretations within philosophy and psychology. One of those lines of investigation relates schizophrenia with common sense. Kant has stated already that “the only universal characteristic of madness is the loss of common sense and its logical substitution for the private logic sense that goes along with it”. More recently several different authors have researched the relationship between schizophrenia and what has been named under different headings, as well as different conceptualizations: common sense / natural attitude / natural evidence /vital contact with reality/natural attitude on everyday life/paramount reality/practical reasoning. The expression “natural attitude on everyday life” (Alfred Schütz) seems the most comprehensive to us. 

We aim to approach this theme from different perspectives (phenomenological, neurocognitive  psychoanalytic (…)) trying to answer in some way to the following questions:  how relevant is the loss of common sense in schizophrenia? How can the study of schizophrenia contribute to the study of common sense? How to understand/explain/interpret this loss of common sense? What is the relationship of practical reasoning and logical formal reasoning with schizophrenia? What is the relationship between the person with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and social values?

To submit

Proposal Submission Due: September, 21st, 2015

to: 
João G. Pereira: [email protected]
Inês Hipólito: [email protected]
Jorge Gonçalves: [email protected]

All abstracts should be prepared for triple blind review, with no more than 500 words. Please include, in a separate document, a cover containing your name, affiliation, email address, and the title of your paper.

Acceptance notification: 25th, September.