Subjectivity is at the heart of current theories of about consciousness, in neuroscience as well as in philosophy of mind: What is a conscious self? What are the origins of the first-person perspective, and what exactly makes phenomenal experience a subjective phenomenon?
We will try to shed new light on the problem by combining approaches from philosophy of mind and cutting edge cognitive neuroscience. In the past, many different aspects of self-consciousness have been categorized and these aspects have been continuously refined and expanded, including many different sensory, emotional or cognitive layers. This has led to an excess of definitions, in the absence of a widely accepted model of self-consciousness that is based on empirical neurobiological data. More recent theories converge on the relevance of bodily self-consciousness, i.e., the non-conceptual representation and processing of body-related information, as one promising approach for the development of a comprehensive neurobiological model of self-consciousness, of grounding the phenomenal self-model (PSM).
We will then lay conceptual foundations for a minimal notion of phenomenal selfhood (MPS) while presenting the following data during our workshop, as we investigate behavioural and brain correlates of bodily self-consciousness, demonstrating the selective manipulation of self-location, first-person perspective, self-identification, and full-body agency.
(1) Neurological patients suffering from altered states of bodily self-consciousness such as so-called out-of-body experiences, autoscopic hallucinations and heautoscopy.
(2) The experimental manipulation of self-location and self-identification in healthy subjects using multisensory conflict and virtual reality technology.
(3) Neuroimaging data during experimentally altered states of bodily self-consciousness (self-location and self-identification) using virtual reality and robotics with high-resolution EEG.
(4) Neuroimaging data during experimentally altered states of bodily self-consciousness self-location, self-identification, and first-person perspective) using virtual reality and robotics with fMRI.
(5) The experimental manipulation of full-body agency in healthy subjects using temporal and spatial visuo- and audio-motor conflicts and virtual reality technology.
The workshop is aimed at participants with an interdisciplinary interest, from philosophy to psychology and cognitive science, as well as neuroscience.
|
Olaf BLANKE
|
Professor and Director, Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, EPFL - Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | |
Chair | |
|
|
Thomas METZINGER
|
Professor and Director, Theoretical Philosophy Group, Department of Philosophy, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz; Adjunct Fellow, FIAS - Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main | |
Chair | |
|
Professor and Director, Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, EPFL - Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
| 1989-1996 | Medical studies, Free University, Berlin, Germany; Pierre et Marie Curie University, Paris, France; University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland |
| 1993-1996 | Ph.D. student, Institute of Neurophysiology, Free University, Berlin |
| 1996-1998 | Postdoctoral researcher in Clinical Neurophysiology and Epileptology, Department of Neurology, Geneva University Hospital |
| 1999-2003 | Resident in Neurology, Department of Neurology, Geneva University Hospital |
| 2003-2004 | Leader of Independent Research Group, University of Geneva |
| since 2004 | Assistant Professor; Director, Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, EPFL, Lausanne |
| since 2005 | Consultant Neurologist, Department of Neurology, Geneva University Hospital |
Professor and Director, Theoretical Philosophy Group, Department of Philosophy, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz; Adjunct Fellow, FIAS - Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main
| from 1978 | Studies in Philosophy, Ethnology and Theology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main |
| 1982 | MA in Philosophy, topic of treatise: "Rationalismus und Mystik" |
| | After Doctorate, supported by a scholarship of the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes |
| 1985 | Ph.D., topic of dissertation: "Neuere Beiträge zur Diskussion des Leib-Seele-Problems", Frankfurt University |
| Teaching Assignment, European Campus of the University of Maryland, Gießen |
| 1986-1987 | Teaching Assignments and Lectureships, Department of Philosophy, Frankfurt |
| since 1987 | Teaching Assistant, Center for Philosophy and Foundations of Science, University of Gießen; Teaching Assignments and Lectureships, Universities of Gießen, Frankfurt and Oldenburg |
| 1992 | Appointment as "Hochschulassistent" and Public Servant on time |
| Habilitation for Philosophy, Justus-Liebig-University Gießen |
| 1993 | Appointment as University Lecturer by the dean of the Faculty of History of the Justus-Liebig-University Gießen |
| 1995 | Substitution for the professorial Chair of Martin Lang, Department of Philosophy, University of Osnabrück |
| 1996 | Substitution for the professorial Chair of Georg Meggle, Department of Philosophy, University of Saarbrücken |
| 1996-1997 | Substitution for the professorial Chair of Georg Meggle, Department of Philosophy, University of Saarbrücken |
| 1997-1998 | Fellow, Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg, Bremen-Delmenhorst |
| 1998-1999 | Visiting Scholar, Philosophy Department, University of California, San Diego |
| 1999-2000 | Substitution for the professorial Chair of Vittorio Hösle, Department of Philosophy, University of Essen |
| 2000 | Full Professor for Philosophy of Cognitive Science, International Programme in Cognitive Science, Institute for Semantic Information Processing, Department of Philosophy, University of Osnabrück |
| since 2000 | Full Professor for Theoretical Philosophy, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz |
