Topic

Panpsychism, the view that consciousness permeates the universe at a fundamental level, has been gaining traction in both academic philosophy and the popular imagination. Positioning itself as a middle ground between reductive physicalism and substance dualism, panpsychism seeks to integrate consciousness into the natural world while (often) aiming to preserve the causal closure of the physical. The most prominent formulation of panpsychism comes from the family of views known as Russellian monism. Building on Bertrand Russell's observation that physics describes only what matter does, rather than its intrinsic nature, philosophers have sought candidates to fulfil this metaphysical role, with consciousness being the most common proposal. However, there are Russellian theories that do not posit fundamental consciousness, as well as panpsychism-adjacent views which do not necessarily adhere to a Russellian ontology.

The Summer School aims to critically evaluate both the arguments in favour of and those against panpsychism and related theories, while providing a platform to analyse the broader debate on consciousness. Students will have the opportunity to engage with experts in the field, participate in discussions, explore a comprehensive reading list, while those who apply to present and are accepted will also have the chance to share their work and receive feedback. From the question of how fundamental consciousness gives rise to higher-level consciousness, to the relationship between phenomenal qualities and structure at different levels of explanation, and even to the nature of the universe as a whole, the topic can lead to numerous ways forward for both proponents and critics. Because of that, the Institute of Philosophy in Zagreb is thrilled to host the Summer School on Panpsychism, contributing to the ongoing debate surrounding this exciting and rapidly evolving topic.

Keynotes

Schedule

1 July

9:45 – 10:00 Registration

10:00 – 11:15 Keynote – Hedda Hassel Mørch (University of Inland Norway): The Fusion View of Mental Combination

11:15 – 11:30 Coffee and Tea Break

11:30 – 12:15 Lecture – Ljudevit Hanžek (University of Split): Panexperientialism and Causality

12:15 – 13:00 Lecture – Luka Boršić (Institute of Philosophy, Zagreb): Is Patrizi's Soul Actually Force?

13:00 – 14:30 Lunch Break

14:30 – 15:00 Student – Keiran Bateman (University of Leeds): Process Metaphysics for Panpsychists: Process Conceptions of Mind 1890-1938

15:00 – 15:30 Student – Varvara Shubina (University of Milan/IUSS Pavia): Explicating Panpsychism

2 July

10:00 – 11:15 Keynote – David Papineau (King’s College London): Panpsychism - A Term Report

11:15 – 11:30 Coffee and Tea Break

11:30 – 12:15 Lecture – Boran Berčić (University of Rijeka): Behaviourism and Panpsychism

12:15 – 13:00 Lecture – Nino Kadić (Institute of Philosophy, Zagreb): The Individuation Problem for Monadic Panpsychism

13:00 – 14:30 Lunch Break

14:30 – 15:00 Student – Tertia Gillett (Villanova University): Experiential Evidence for Cosmopsychism

15:00 – 15:30 Student – Finn Thwaite (King’s College London): A Defence of the Continuity Argument for Panpsychism

15:30 – 16:00 Student – Audrey Perryman (University of Arizona): Was Spinoza a Cosmopsychist?

3 July

10:00 – 11:15 Keynote – Philip Goff (Durham University; online): Anti-Physicalism and Quantum Mechanics

11:15 – 11:30 Coffee and Tea Break

11:30 – 12:15 Lecture – Simone Nota (Institute of Philosophy, Zagreb): Consciousness as Fundamental Reality: Experience, the Transcendental, and the Quantum

12:15 – 14:00 Lunch Break

14:00 – 14:30 Student – Santtu Heikkinen (University of Helsinki): Mind, Matter, or Neither? Exploring the Intersections of Panpsychism, Idealism, and Neutral Monism

14:30 – 15:00 Student – Victor Tremblay-Baillargeon (University of Montreal): Panpsychism and Selfhood Illusionism

15:00 – 15:30 Student – Songchi Lin (Xiamen University/King’s College London; online): Putting Revelation in Its Place: Why Panpsychism Cannot Use the Revelation Thesis Against Physicalism

15:30 – 15:45 Closing Remarks

Documents

The reading list for the event can be downloaded by clicking on the following link: Reading List. Additionally, a detailed reading guide, intended to help you navigate the materials and prepare for the sessions, is available for download here: Reading Guide.

For those interested in exploring the topics in greater depth, the complete collection of presenter abstracts, offering summaries of all talks and lectures, can be downloaded by clicking on the following link: Presenter Abstracts.

Contact

The Summer School on Panpsychism is organised by Tomislav Dretar, Viktor Ivanković, and Nino Kadić of the Institute of Philosophy, Zagreb. For further inquiries, please email nkadic@ifzg.hr.

Institute of Philosophy
Ulica grada Vukovara 54
10000 Zagreb, Croatia
+385 1 6111 532