Inaugural event: In Conversation talk series

Philosophy and science in conversation: a practical guide to working across disciplinary divides in the mind sciences

Philosophy and the sciences have always informed one another directly or indirectly, yet productive collaboration across disciplinary boundaries often remains difficult. Philosophers, for example, often complain about the sciences' hidden metaphysical assumptions, whilst scientists often lament the philosophers' lack of interest for the concrete practice and results of science. Importantly, however, the consequence of disregarding philosophical inquiry, whether explicitly or implicitly, is not the absence of philosophical assumptions in the sciences, but their (often unexamined) incorporation into research practices and epistemic attitudes. The unfortunate result of this is that the philosophical assumptions of science remain unexamined, and unexplored, and philosophers perpetuate a scientifically naive view of the world, alienated from our best empirical knowledge of worldly phenomena.

Whether in our own research or research more broadly, these attitudes can undermine our pursuit of knowledge and spawn crises, as well as push communities to adopt a more insular approach to problem-solving. The mind sciences are a particularly salient domain in which such issues arise: What, if anything, counts as a representation? Should science concern itself with detecting representations? How can we resist the lure of reification and idealisation? What is at stake, and what are the alternatives we might like to consider as important to our explanations of the mind?

This inaugural event, the first of ISPSM's In Conversation series, aims to bring philosophers and scientists into direct contact with one another in order to build toward a common understanding of these issues. The workshop will touch on diverse topics, such as: (i) the formulation of research questions, (ii) how methods and models are selected, (iii) how measurements are interpreted, (iv) how theoretical commitments shape what counts as a successful explanation, as well as (v) the sociocultural scaffolding of scientific practice itself. We aim to show how researchers working within the mind sciences can improve methodological clarity, interdisciplinary practice, and conceptual hygiene in our research. Our "North Star" is the shared belief that effective cross- and inter-disciplinary work likely depends on making these tacit practices explicit. Understanding the assumptions and issues that structure both philosophical and scientific inquiry in the mind sciences, including their social and institutional dimensions, is not merely of theoretical interest, but essential for building successful collaborations that will shape the future of research in the field.

The event has three interconnected aims:

A1. Methodological understanding: to clarify how conceptual frameworks, modelling choices, measurement practices, standards of explanation etc operate in contemporary scientific research and in philosophically informed analysis.

A2. Mutual contribution: to identify concrete cases in which philosophy has shaped scientific practice (e.g. experimental design, interpretation of data, formal modelling) and in which scientific results have transformed philosophical debates in the mind sciences.

A3. Practical guidance: to provide participants, especially early-career researchers, with strategies for navigating interdisciplinary collaboration, including how to frame questions, translate concepts, and avoid common sources of misunderstanding.

Stay tuned for more details ;)