Summer School Consciousness and Cognition

Summer School Consciousness and Cognition

The enigma of Consciousness is perhaps the most fascinating mystery in the Universe. There are many hypotheses, on the basis of which we try to give an answer to the most difficult problems but, wanting to schematize, all can be traced back to two broad categories: those who consider Consciousness entirely reducible to the electro-chemical-physical processes that take place in the brain, and those who acknowledge that Consciousness has an intrinsic existence, independent, at least in part, from its physical substratum.

Whereas the former fit well into the monistic vision of the so-called Scientific Materialism, the latter can lead either to a dualistic vision of Reality, in which the external world obeys the laws of Physics and the internal one requires a different level of analysis, or to a reconfiguration of the subject-object relation in a unitary picture of Reality. This unitary vision is compatible, for example, in Western culture with phenomenological approaches in philosophy and with Quantum Mechanics in physics, and in Eastern culture with Buddhist and Hindu traditions based on contemplative practices such as meditation and yoga.

The path in search of the solution winds between these alternatives and passes through the answer to two fundamental questions:
1) "Is Scientific Materialism capable of embracing the totality of Reality?"
2) "Is a unitary vision of Reality possible, in which Consciousness is not completely reducible to its neuronal correlates?"

In the absence of definitive and widely shared answers to these two questions, the study of consciousness and of the process through which we have cognition of Reality must be fronted with a multidisciplinary approach that includes not only neurosciences, but also biology, artificial intelligence, philosophy of science and epistemology.
A space has to be reserved to two domains that are apparently very different, but that on the contrary show, very surprisingly, some convergences: the one of Quantum Physics, and the one of Contemplative Practices. While the first constitutes the most advanced approach to the study of the physical world, which also extends to phenomena that take place at the nanoscopic level in biological tissues, the latter allows to explore in a profound and accurate way aspects of the problem that are not accessible with objective methods and that concern the first-person experience.

For these reasons, the School will be organized in order to explore the enigma of Consciousness from different points of view, with the participation of teachers who are experts in all these disciplines.

The School will take place in a residential form, thanks to a Convention between the University of Pisa and the Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, 35 Km from Pisa, renowned for the excellent quality of its study programs of Buddhist philosophy and psychology.

A specific space will be reserved for the experiential aspect in order to integratethe lessons with familiarization sessions with contemplative practices (Yoga andMeditation). The sessions will be conducted by highly qualified teachers withspecific experience and will also be usable by the students who will attend theschool online.

The 2023 edition of the Summer School Consciouseness and Cognition is organized by University of Pisa in collaboration with the Lama Tzong KhapaInstitute, with the patronage of the Italian Buddhist Union.

The program will be activated both on campus and online.

ECTS: 6