The Unconventional Memory Workshop

Photo of in-person speakers at event. Top row (left to right): Me, Anne Cleary (Colorado State University), Sarah Robins (Purdue University), Nathália de Ávila (Universität Wien; Universität zu Köln), Urim Retkoceri (LMU Munich), Markus Werning (Ruhr-Universität Bochum), James Openshaw (Université Grenoble Alpes; Ruhr-Universität Bochum). Bottom row: Deepa Rajan (University of California, San Francisco), Aliya Dewey (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg), Bas van Woerkum (Radboud University)

September 12th & 13th, 2023

Workshop Description:

Recent philosophical and scientific research has aimed to widen the boundaries of what we think memory is as well as where and how we think it occurs. This workshop is dedicated to the implications of research on these “unconventional” cases of memory. These cases include, but are not limited to:

• Odd memory phenomena (or memory quirks) in humans

• Memory in non-humans, including other biological and non-biological systems

• Systems that are conventionally thought to be orthogonal to memory, such as hereditary or immune systems

• Accounts of memory from research programs like 4E cognition, minimal cognition, basal cognition, or ecological psychology 

• Non-synaptic explanations of memory phenomena

This workshop will be in person at LMU Munich.

Schedule (for full schedule and abstracts, please click here):

Day 1 – 12.09

Introduction

David Colaço (LMU Munich)

9:00-9:15

Session 1

Aliya Dewey (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg) & Urtė Laukaitytė (University of California, Berkeley)

·      (Basal) memory as sensitivity to backward-facing concerns 

Deepa Rajan (University of California, San Francisco)

·      Learning and memory without a brain

Urim Retkoceri (LMU Munich)

·      Can inherited memories be considered memories?

9:15-11:15

Break 1

11:15-11:30

Invited Speaker 1

Oded Rechavi (Tel Aviv University) virtual

·      Transgenerational memory and forgetting in C. elegans

11:30-12:30

Lunch (On your own)

12:30-2:30

Session 2

José Carlos Camillo (Universidade Federal de Goiás) virtual

·      Episodic memory in non-human animals: An epistemic approach

Bas van Woerkum (Radboud University)

·      Episodic memory in non-human animals: An ecological-enactive approach

Tomy Ames (Washington University in St. Louis) virtual

·      Memory without mental imagery: What aphantasia tells us about remembering

2:30-4:30

Break 2

4:30-4:45

Invited Speaker 2

Sarah Robins (Purdue University)

·      Memory error errors

4:45-5:45

Day 2 – 13.09

Session 3

Nathália de Ávila (Universität Wien; Universität zu Köln)

·      The extended body: Vicarious memories and mimetic capacities in collective PTSD

James Openshaw (Université Grenoble Alpes; Ruhr-Universität Bochum) & Kourken Michaelian (Université Grenoble Alpes)

·      Referential mnemic confabulation: A case against causal theories of remembering

Anne Cleary (Colorado State University)

·      Is memory essentially attention? A reason to pay attention to déjà vu

9:15-11:15

Break 3

11:15-11:30

Invited Speaker 3

Markus Werning (Ruhr-Universität Bochum)

·      Predicting the past from minimal traces – and what may go wrong if trace minimalism about episodic memory is true

11:30-12:30

Invited Speakers:

Sarah Robins (Purdue University)

Oded Rechavi (Tel Aviv University)

Markus Werning (Ruhr-Universität Bochum)

Call for Abstracts (Submissions are now closed):

We have space for a small number of talks that fit the topic of unconventional memory. Works that take formal, empirical, historical, and philosophical perspectives on the topic are welcome. Talks that are supportive or critical of unconventional memory are welcome as well, as are talks that address its implications for philosophy of science or cognitive science. 

Please submit an abstract no longer than 1000 words to david.colaco@lmu.de. Please put “Unconventional Memory” in the subject line of your email, list author(s) and affiliation(s) in the body of the email, and include the abstract as an attachment. Please submit by July 7th July 15th, 2023 for consideration. There is a preference for in person talks, but virtual talks will be considered for a subset of the workshop. Please indicate this in the body of the email.

Please email david.colaco@lmu.de if you have any questions.

Organizer:

David Colaço (LMU Munich, Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy)

This workshop is supported by the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy and funds from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.