The Faces of Subjectivity workshop will take place in Prague\, on \;September 10-12\, 2026. The workshop is part of the \;Monism and the Subjectivity Challenge \;research project\, co-hosted at the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences and at the Faculty of Arts\, Charles University\, and funded by the Czech Science Foundation (GAČR). The workshop will focus on the topic of inner awareness in the context of monistic theories of phenomenal consciousness. Our keynote speakers will be:
\nKeynote speakers: \;
\nRobert J. Howell (Rice University)
\nAnna Giustina (University of Valencia)
\nSam Coleman (Birkbeck College\, University of London)
\nWhile the debate about phenomenal consciousness so far has mainly focused on the nature of the qualitative features one encounters in being conscious (e.g. the bitterness of espresso\, the feel of mental effort\, etc.)\, our workshop will focus on the nature of this encounter itself\, i.e. of the special &lsquo\;inner&rsquo\; awareness (Brentano\, Kriegel) one seems to be afforded of one&rsquo\;s own qualitative states\, due to which these states are &lsquo\;for&rsquo\; their subject\, instantiating what Joseph Levine has called &lsquo\;subjectivity&rsquo\;. Since it&rsquo\;s unclear whether and how this subjectivity of conscious states can be accounted for reductively\, we view its existence as an important challenge for the main forms of monism\, i.e. physicalism and Russellian monism. The aim of our workshop is to bring together leading thinkers working on inner\, or &lsquo\;subjective&rsquo\;\, awareness\, with those who defend various forms of monism\, and address the &lsquo\;subjectivity challenge&rsquo\; in a systematic manner\, examining its viability and significance in the broader context of consciousness studies.
\nWe aim to examine the following questions\, among others:
\nPresentations on other\, closely related topics are also welcome. The workshop is intended to be \;in-person \;and discussion-oriented &ndash\; presenters of contributed papers are given time slots of 45 minutes (including discussion). \;The workshop will result in an edited volume published with an international publisher\, featuring\, in particular\, the contributions of the keynote speakers\, as well as papers by other participants and by experts in the field.
\nIf you&rsquo\;re interested in participating in the workshop\, please send an anonymized \;700-word abstract \;of your paper to \;subjectivity@flu.cas.cz \;by the end of May 2026. (This e-mail address can also be used for enquiries regarding the workshop).
\nNotifications of acceptance: June 20th 2026.
\nThere is \;no registration fee \;for the workshop.
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