[SydPhil] Predictive Engines: Andy Clark and Predictive Processing at Macquarie 11-13 December 2017

[Richard Menary]

First Announcement of a three day conference on predictive processing at Macquarie University on the 11th-13th December with Professor Andy Clark (Edinburgh/Macquarie).

Philosophers of mind and cognition are warming up to the consequences of the predictive processing framework for how we should explain the structure and function of the brain, cognitive processes and even consciousness. The unique selling point of the framework is that it will unify perception, cognition and action within a single explanatory framework (Friston and Stephan 2007, Hohwy 2013, Clark 2016). Even more astonishing is the claim that a single principle, the free energy principle, is the ultimate explanation for all of the above, as well as the evolution of the brain as a predictive engine (Friston 2013). In amongst the empirical applications of predictive processing, a diverging set of philosophical accounts of the framework have recently emerged. In particular Andy Clark’s (2013, 2016) action oriented account of the framework which gives more emphasis to the role of embodied action and Jakob Howhy’s (2013) account of the framework as largely a matter of internal predictive processes in the brain (Howhy 2013, Fabry 2017). These are important statements that frame predictive processing and the free energy principle in terms of externalism and internalism about the mind. This conference explores both the philosophical and empirical consequences of the predictive turn and brings together Clark and Hohwy at a conference in Australia for the first time.


Keynotes:

Andy Clark (Edinburgh/Macquarie)
Jennifer Windt (Monash)
Jakob Hohwy (Monash)

Speakers:

Rachael Brown (ANU)
Phillip Gerrans (Adelaide)
Colin Klein (Macquarie)
Regina Fabry (Giessen)
Michael Kirchhoff (Wollongong)
David Kaplan (Macquarie)
Sidney Carls-Diamante (Auckland)
Colin Wastell (Macquarie)
Daniel Hutto (Wollongong)
Richard Menary (Macquarie)

With daily summaries by John Sutton (Macquarie)


Attending the conference is free, but spaces are limited. Please contact Alex Gillett if you would like to attend: alexander-james.gillett at students.mq.edu.au<mailto:alexander-james.gillett at students.mq.edu.au>

Dr. Richard Menary
Associate Professor
ARC Future Fellow
Macquarie University
Department of Philosophy<http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/faculties_and_departments/faculty_of_arts/department_of_philosophy/staff/richard_menary/>
ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders<http://www.ccd.edu.au/people/profile.html?memberID=603>
Centre for Agency, Values and Ethics<http://cave.mq.edu.au/people/executive_members/>
Google Scholar Page<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/9OVQB5UWb0Zmsl?domain=scholar.google.com.au>
academia.edu site<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/lqmYBbSR5WrmhY?domain=mq.academia.edu>
Phil Papers Profile<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/z4nRBmUdrA9mFE?domain=philpapers.org>
 Books:
Cognitive Integration Palgrave Macmillan<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/rNKaBYf9JAGkhr?domain=palgrave.com> and Amazon<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/ZXg4BxUo5p3rTl?domain=amazon.com>
The Extended Mind (ed.) MIT Press<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/m4kKB9Um6nZEhv?domain=mitpress.mit.edu>

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