Reassessing the Relationship between Explanation and Phenomenology

Reassessing the Relationship between Explanation and Phenomenology: 4th – 7th October – A Hybrid Workshop at University of Leipzig and Online all around the World

It is often claimed that phenomenology is not an explanatory enterprise, yet the motivations for this claim are not often spelled out explicitly. At the same time, for empirical science, explanation is a key concern, and there are a variety of suggestions currently under debate on how best to marry phenomenology with empirical science. Similarly, there are currently numerous types of explanation under discussion within analytic philosophy of science. This hybrid workshop brings together leading interdisciplinary scholars with the intention of furthering the understanding of the relationship between phenomenology and explanation in the areas of philosophy, cognitive science, and psychology.

Our workshop is in preparation for a special issue of Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences due for release in 2022/23 being edited by Heath Williams (University of Notre Dame Australia) and Kristina Musholt (University of Leipzig). Each presenter is an invited contributor to the special issue. The workshop is hosted by the University of Leipzig philosophy department, and is in a 'hybrid' format. Some speakers will be present in Leipzig whereas others will present from locations across the globe such as Australia and the US.

The focus of our workshop is on engaging in constructive dialogue with the aim of improving the quality of contributions to the special issue. Each presenter is assigned a primary 'respondent' who will be expected to pre-read their contribution and prepare a critical and constructive commentary. We are also making papers available for pre-reading approximately two weeks before the conference for the general public to read and comment. Presentations during the workshop are expected to be kept relatively short in order to allow for plenty of time for discussion. We are planning to record presentations as well as the Q&A session and to make recordings available via this website.

All interested scholars are invited to participate in the workshop. Registration is free, but the number of places available is limited.

To attend the workshop, please email us and let us know if you will be attending in person* or virtually: 

[email protected]

* Please note that due to the ongoing pandemic, participation in presence is only possible if you are either recovered or vaccinated.