THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

Royal Institute of Philosophy

The Metaphysics of Consciousness

A Conference in Honour of T.L.S. Sprigge (1932–2007)

Edinburgh, 7–9 July 2009

What is consciousness? What is its place in the

physical universe? How did it arise in the

course of cosmic evolution? Can there be a

genuine scientific understanding of

consciousness? These and related questions

occupy a prominent place in contemporary studies

in metaphysics and philosophy of mind worldwide,

often involving complex interdisciplinary

connections between philosophy, psychology,

artificial intelligence (informatics), biology, and

cognitive neuroscience. At the same time, these

questions play a fundamental role in the

philosophies of great thinkers of the past such as,

among others, Descartes, Leibniz, William James,

Edmund Husserl, A.N. Whitehead and Heidegger.

This conference will bring together systematically

oriented historians of philosophy and

contemporary philosophers of mind to re-examine

inherited views and spark fruitful lines of future

inquiry. The conference is held in honour of the late

Timothy L.S. Sprigge – one of Edinburgh’s most

distinguished metaphysicians and author of

insightful writings on the nature of consciousness.