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We are pleased to announce the theme for our 2010 annual conference:
Nature and Human Nature
10th-12th September
St. Anne's College Oxford
Conference abstract
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 propose 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.
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.
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