CFP: “Interactivism in Perspective” Special issue of Phenomenology and Cognitive Sciences

Call for Papers

“Interactivism in Perspective”

Special issue of Phenomenology and Cognitive Sciences

Guest Editors

Itay Shani (Sun Yat Sen University, Zhuhai Campus, China)

Robert Mirski (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland)

Adrian Frazier (University of Connecticut, USA)

Since Mark Bickhard first proposed interactivism as a model of mental representation, his theory has developed into a broad framework for understanding whole persons and their complex socio-cultural ontology. Contemporary cognitive science is undergoing what has been termed “a pragmatic turn”: Opposing the traditional computational views, the current trend focuses on the dynamic, embodied, and embedded nature of psychological phenomena. Many of the theories that have grown to prominence in this action-oriented climate (e.g. enactivism, ecological psychology, predictive processing, emulation theory etc.) share significant common-ground with interactivism, while nevertheless differing from it in important respects. The special issue aims to offer a platform for a theoretical discussion between interactivism and other, related theories, as well as present research conducted within and in relation to the interactivist framework.

Potential topics should refer to the interactivist model and include but are not limited to:

•             Applications of the interactivist model to some specific area of inquiry (e.g. imitation, theory of mind, morality)

•             Foundational critique of the interactivist model

•             Comparisons of interactivism with other frameworks

•             Formalizations of the interactivist model

•             Process metaphysics

•             Mental representation

•             Naturalization of normativity

Manuscripts can be submitted through Editorial Manager®, starting August 1, 2023. When submitting the paper, please choose the option “SI: Interactivism in Perspective” as the article type.

Papers should be written in English and include a short abstract with four to six keywords. Submissions must be suitable for double-blind review. For details on the review process, see Peer Review Policy, Process and Guidance and Peer Reviewer Selection. There is no word limit for submissions, but your submission is much more likely to be considered if it does not exceed 9000 words. For details, see Instructions for Authors.

Mark Bickhard will respond to or comment on each of the accepted papers in his own contribution.

Confirmed contributors: Jedediah WP Allen, Terrence Deacon, Eleni Gregoromichelaki, Ruth Kempson, Alex Levine, Marcin Miłkowski, Kenneth R. Westphal

Submission Deadline: March 15, 2024.

For further information, please contact one of the guest editors:

[email protected] (Itay Shani)

[email protected] (Robert Mirski)

[email protected] (Adrian Frazier).