Dualism in the Twenty-First Century

Date: 
Thursday, December 6, 2018 - 4:00pm to Saturday, December 8, 2018 - 7:00pm

Mind-body dualism underwent a renaissance in the last part of the twentieth century. Several arguments challenged the capacity of physicalism to accommodate mental phenomena, especially conscious experience. Dualism was widely considered the leading alternative. Since then, sophisticated responses to arguments against physicalism have been developed, and nonphysicalist views other than dualism, including idealism and Russellian monism have received renewed interest. This conference will examine the prospects for dualism in the twenty-first century in light of the latest research, including the arguments for and against dualism; the relative merits of dualism, and other nonphysicalist positions in the metaphysics of mind; and the relationship between dualism and wider issues in philosophy.

This event is part of the project Science, Theology, and Philosophy: Central and Eastern European Perspectives. It is sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation; the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, University of Oxford; Pázmány Péter Catholic University; the Central European University; the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; the Ruhr University Bochum; the University of Lincoln, and the Humane Philosophy Project.

Participants will not be charged to register, and are welcome to attend some or all of the event as convenient. Updates and information on the event schedule will be circulated to the email address provided when registering. Participants should arrange their own travel and accommodation in Budapest. We advise that participants arrange accommodation within convenient reach of the Central European University's campus on Nador utca.