Science is, famously and allegedly, 'objective', 'third-personal', dependent on 'intersubjectively available evidence', and so on.  But some sciences purport to study phenomena that are, purportedly, first-personal (perceptions, imaginations, hallucinations, emotions, and so on).  How, or to what extent, can these sciences grab hold of their subject-matter?  What is 'first-personal experience'  anyway?  Or maybe characterizing their proper subject-matter as 'first-personal experience' is a mistake in the first place?  Participants in this workshop will explore these and related questions and issues.  The workshop is read-ahead, meaning that authors will give only a very brief summary of their papers, followed by a brief commentary, and then an extended (hour or so) discussion by all participants.

 

Information for Participants

• map and directions to the hotel, conference venue, and Friday dinner and party
• schedule

Papers

 

Awais Aftab:  “An Analysis of Objectivity in the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology” [paper] Prof. Aftab includes two figures as separate files to preserve the detail.  [figure 1] [figure 2]

 

Riana Betzler:  “Skilled Empathy and the Possibility of Understanding Others’ Experiences” [paper]

 

Robyn Bluhm:  “The goals of a science of first-person experience” [paper]

 

John D. Dunne:  “Studying Distorted Consciousness: Dharmakīrtian Perspectives on the First-Person” [paper]  Prof. Dunne also has made available a preprint from Lutz et al. ("An Overview of Neurophenomenological Approaches to Meditation and their Relevance to Clinical and Consciousness Research") that one might find interesting and relevant to the discussion [supplementary paper]

 

Shaun Gallagher:  “Nothing to it: The perceptual zero-point” [paper]

 

Russell Hurlburt:  One session of the workshop will be a demonstration and discussion of 'Descriptive Experience Sampling,' a protocol for exploring first-personal experience invented and practiced by Russell Hurlburt.  Further pre-workshop information and material related to this session will be forthcoming.  In the meantime, Prof. Hurlburt's paper contribution is available.  [paper]