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Paper submission is now closed and conference registration is open.
Please note that the early bird registration deadline is the 21st July.
British Psychological Society
Consciousness and Experiential Psychology Section
Annual Conference 2010
Nature and Human Nature
10th-12th September, St. Anne’s College, Oxford
CALL FOR PAPERS
Mind is part of Nature, not apart from it. To deny this is to make the mind and consciousness alien intrusions into an otherwise mechanistic universe. Consciousness may be a remarkable phenomenon but we will start from the assumption that it is natural, not supernatural. To approach consciousness thus is to be intellectually consistent, aiming to account for the physical, biological and psychological phenomena we encounter without explanatory gaps that require the invention of special forces or substances. From this perspective - that our mental life emerges from, and hence is continuous with, all other living processes - consciousness inquiry becomes an integral part of our ethical domain, and it is easier to recognize that in acting harmfully towards our world we are acting harmfully towards ourselves. The roots of such actions are complex and attempts to uncover them often cite a sense of alienation or disconnection from the natural world. Whatever the case may be, an inquiry into the nature of mind, the nature of nature, and the nature of their interdependence is timely. This conference aims to promote such an inquiry.
With this in mind we have adopted the following three broad themes for the 2010 CEP conference: (1) the nature of human nature, (2) the nature of nature and (3) the nature of their interdependence.
Keynote Speakers:
David Abram, cultural ecologist, philosopher, and founder and creative director of the Alliance for Wild Ethics.
Matthijs Cornelissen, physician, psychologist, and founder of the Sri Aurobindo Centre for Consciousness Studies.
Peter Fenwick, neuropsychiatrist, neurophysiologist and Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Consultant Neuropsychiatrist at the Radcliffe Infirmary Oxford and Honorary Consultant Clinical Neurophysiologist at Broadmoor Hospital.
Contributions can be academic papers, posters, reports of research findings, participatory workshops, artistic works, which might include film, video and digital media, or any other medium that fits with (or challenges) the conference aims and that we have sufficient equipment, room and time to support.
Please submit an abstract of up to 500 words if you wish to present a standard talk or poster. For other formats, please email an outline of your proposed contribution (including time and space requirements) in up to 2,000 words.
All submissions should be sent to Dr Susan Stuart preferably by 15th May, and in any event no later than 1st June: s.stuart@philosophy.arts.gla.ac.uk
We will also be running two half-day workshops, one with David Abram and one with Matthijs Cornellissen, on Friday 10th with the conference beginning that evening. More details will be announced shortly and made available here.
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