Everyday Diversity: Individual Differences and Philosophy of Mind
Organisers: Léa Salje (Leeds), Heather Logue (Leeds), Laura Gow (Liverpool)
The Everyday Diversity Project is putting on an interdisciplinary workshop bringing together philosophers and psychologists to explore the conceptual and methodological implications of natural variation in human mentality. Of particular interest to the project is not only the variation associated with recognised forms of neurodiversity such as autism or ADHD, but also the much broader range of differences in how people think, feel, and experience their mental lives. The workshop will be at the University of Leeds, 10th and 11th June 2026, room TBA.
While psychological science has long recognised that people differ in emotional processing, perceptual processing, cognitive architectures, reasoning strategies, and self-experience, philosophy of mind has historically tended to gravitate more towards generalised or typified models of the mind. This workshop explores how attention to mental diversity might enhance our philosophical understanding of the mind, and how psychologists’ attention to individual differences can inform and challenge philosophical theorising. It also offers an opportunity to reflect on psychology’s own issues in this space – for instance, on how best to reflect individual variations among experimental groupings, or issues around neurodevelopmental disorders being treated as discrete groups vs neurodiversity existing on a spectrum.
This workshop seeks to explore these themes by bringing together perspectives from philosophy and psychology to reflect on the implications of everyday mental diversity for theories and methodological approaches to the study of the mind.
We will hear from philosophers, psychologists, and researchers working at their intersection, operating with a wide range of approaches – conceptual, empirical, methodological, and applied.
Schedule:
Wednesday 10th June
11.15-11.45 Léa Salje (Leeds): Intro on project themes
11.50-12.50 Raamy Majeed (Manchester): 'Emotional Diversity Without Theoretical Collapse' | abstract here
1.50-2.50 Silvia Castellano (Salford): 'Exploring trans-diagnostic patterns of musical preferences, reward and behaviour to understand heterogeneity and complexity across neurotypes' | abstract here
3.20-4.20 Georgie Brighouse (Liverpool): 'Different Minds, Not Deficits: Understanding Aphantasia' | abstract here
4.30-5.30 Giulia Martina (Nottingham): 'Imperfect perception' | abstract here
Thursday 11th June
9.30-10.30 Juha Saatsi (Leeds): ‘Meditative Phenomenology and Philosophy of Mind' | abstract here
10.50-11.50 Max Jones (Bristol): ‘Interoceptive Variation and Embodied (Neuro?)diversity' | abstract here
12-1 Sena Dokmeci (Salford): 'Social Understanding Depends on Interpersonal Attunement Across Neurotypes' | abstract here
1-3 lunch/open discussion
***
There is no registration fee for this event, but if you would like to come along please let us know at [email protected] by 20th May. Room information will be emailed to those who have registered nearer the time.
Any questions, [email protected].
Organisers: Léa Salje (Leeds), Heather Logue (Leeds), Laura Gow (Liverpool)
The Everyday Diversity Project is putting on an interdisciplinary workshop bringing together philosophers and psychologists to explore the conceptual and methodological implications of natural variation in human mentality. Of particular interest to the project is not only the variation associated with recognised forms of neurodiversity such as autism or ADHD, but also the much broader range of differences in how people think, feel, and experience their mental lives. The workshop will be at the University of Leeds, 10th and 11th June 2026, room TBA.
While psychological science has long recognised that people differ in emotional processing, perceptual processing, cognitive architectures, reasoning strategies, and self-experience, philosophy of mind has historically tended to gravitate more towards generalised or typified models of the mind. This workshop explores how attention to mental diversity might enhance our philosophical understanding of the mind, and how psychologists’ attention to individual differences can inform and challenge philosophical theorising. It also offers an opportunity to reflect on psychology’s own issues in this space – for instance, on how best to reflect individual variations among experimental groupings, or issues around neurodevelopmental disorders being treated as discrete groups vs neurodiversity existing on a spectrum.
This workshop seeks to explore these themes by bringing together perspectives from philosophy and psychology to reflect on the implications of everyday mental diversity for theories and methodological approaches to the study of the mind.
We will hear from philosophers, psychologists, and researchers working at their intersection, operating with a wide range of approaches – conceptual, empirical, methodological, and applied.
Schedule:
Wednesday 10th June
11.15-11.45 Léa Salje (Leeds): Intro on project themes
11.50-12.50 Raamy Majeed (Manchester): 'Emotional Diversity Without Theoretical Collapse' | abstract here
1.50-2.50 Silvia Castellano (Salford): 'Exploring trans-diagnostic patterns of musical preferences, reward and behaviour to understand heterogeneity and complexity across neurotypes' | abstract here
3.20-4.20 Georgie Brighouse (Liverpool): 'Different Minds, Not Deficits: Understanding Aphantasia' | abstract here
4.30-5.30 Giulia Martina (Nottingham): 'Imperfect perception' | abstract here
Thursday 11th June
9.30-10.30 Juha Saatsi (Leeds): ‘Meditative Phenomenology and Philosophy of Mind' | abstract here
10.50-11.50 Max Jones (Bristol): ‘Interoceptive Variation and Embodied (Neuro?)diversity' | abstract here
12-1 Sena Dokmeci (Salford): 'Social Understanding Depends on Interpersonal Attunement Across Neurotypes' | abstract here
1-3 lunch/open discussion
***
There is no registration fee for this event, but if you would like to come along please let us know at [email protected] by 20th May. Room information will be emailed to those who have registered nearer the time.
Any questions, [email protected].