Famously\, Brentano argued that consciousness constitutively requires some (special) form of self-consciousness&mdash\;let us call it \;&lsquo\;inner awareness.&rsquo\; \;How to account for inner awareness has been a matter of huge debate\, not only among early phenomenologists (Brentano\, Stumpf\, \;Husserl\, Scheler\, Hildebrand\, etc.) and early analytic philosophers (G.E. Moore\, the early Russell\, C.D. Broad\, etc.)\, but also among contemporary philosophers of mind. Indeed\, a very lively discussion is currently going on about the very existence of inner awareness\, its nature\, and its epistemic value. In recent analytic philosophy of mind\, meta-representationalist approaches that construe inner awareness as a representation relation of some sort have been dominant. But they are not without difficulties and are far from being the only option available.
\nThe primary goal of this conference \;is to explore \;alternatives \;to \;meta-representationalism. \;We welcome contributions that connect past and present conceptions of inner awareness\, as well as new and original accounts of inner awareness \;(guidelines for abstract submission below). \;
\nHere are some of the issues we would like to cover:
\n1. \;Existence: \;Many extant arguments for \;inner awareness \;have been challenged in recent literature. How can we effectively defend the idea that inner awareness is \;real \;and that it is a \;fundamental \;aspect of conscious experience?
\n2. \;Distinctiveness: \;Since the inception of the phenomenological research program\, inner awareness has often been described as a \;distinctive \;kind of awareness\, one that is importantly and perhaps even \;fundamentally \;different from \;&lsquo\;outer&rsquo\; \;awareness. Is it so? If inner awareness \;is \;distinctive\, how and in what respects is it so?
\n3. \;Nature: \;How to account for the \;nature \;of inner awareness? Meta-representationalist theories have been deeply dug into. Alternative theories may be equally or even more promising\, and at least worth exploring. Among these are \;acquaintance \;accounts and \;non-standard \;versions of representationalism\, as well as other kinds of account which might have been held by early phenomenologists and analytic philosophers. \;We also encourage contributions that explore new or underrepresented proposals.
\n4. \;Naturalization: \;One of the primary motivations for meta-representationalism about inner awareness is its potential for \;naturalization. Can alternative accounts compete with meta-representationalism in this respect? For example\, are there any prospects for \;naturalizing acquaintance?
\n5. \;Epistemic value: It has been maintained that inner awareness is crucial to explain the first-person privileged access and self-knowledge more generally. But is that true? What is the relation between inner awareness and reflective knowledge of our own conscious states? And how should we construe inner awareness to have it play the epistemic role it is supposed to play? For example\, is a representationalist construal of inner awareness required or satisfying?
\nWe \;aim for an \;in-person event. \;However\, given the still ongoing \;Covid-19 pandemic\, we might be forced to move the conference partly or totally online. Participants will be informed in due time. \;
\nCONFIRMED SPEAKERS (MORE TBA)
Guillaume Fré\;chette (Salzburg)
\nMarie Guillot (Essex)
\nUriah Kriegel (Rice)
\nTom McClelland (Cambridge)
\nKristina Musholt (Leipzig)
\nDonnchadh O&rsquo\;Conaill (Fribourg)
\nABSTRACT SUBMISSION
\nSome free slots are available for contributed papers suitable for 45-minute presentation (followed by 45 minutes for Q&\;A). We welcome the submission of \;abstracts \;between 500 and 1000 words \;(references excluded)\, \;in PDF format\, and \;prepared for blind review. Please\, prepare also a \;title page\, to be submitted as a \;separate \;file \;(PDF)\, indicating the title of your paper\, your name\, affiliation\, and email address. To submit abstracts and title pages\, send an email to \;innerawareness2021@gmail.com \;with the heading &lsquo\;Inner Awareness Conference.&rsquo\;
\nThe deadline for the submission is \;June 15\, 2021. Notifications of acceptance will be sent by \;September 1\, 2021. Accepted speakers should confirm their presence by \;September 10\, 2021. \;
\nWe might be able to cover part of the expenses for PhD students or early career researchers without a permanent position whose abstracts have been accepted but who do not have sufficient financial support from their home institutions. To further discuss this point\, please send us an email at the indicated address.
\nCONTACTS
\nAll inquiries should be addressed to: \;innerawareness2021@gmail.com.
\nIMPORTANT DATES
\nSubmission deadline: \;June 15\, 2021.
\nNotification of acceptance: \;September 1\, 2021.
\nConfirmation of participation: \;September 10\, 2021.
\nORGANIZING COMMITTEE \;
\nDavide Bordini
\nArnaud Dewalque
\nAnna Giustina
\nDenis Seron
\nThis conference is one of the events organized within the broader framework of the research project &lsquo\;The Phenomenology of Mental States.&rsquo\;
ORGANIZER;CN=Davide Bordini;CN=Arnaud Dewalque;CN=Anna Giustina;CN=Denis Seron: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR