Mind-Brain Lecture: Dan Zahavi (Copenhagen)
Read more (internal link) One of the key questions within contemporary debates about collective intentionality concerns the notion and status of the we. The question however is by no means new. At the beginning of the last century, it was already intensively discussed within phenomenology. In my talk, I will present and evaluate some key ideas found in this heterogeneous discussion. One group of phenomenologists, including figures such as Stein, Walther and Husserl, insist on the importance of empathy for proper we-experiences. Husserl, for instance, argue that group-identification requires an element of self-alienation and that this might come about through a process of reciprocal empathy. Another group, including Heidegger and Gurwitsch (and more recently Hans Bernhard Schmid) argue that a focus on empathy is detrimental to a proper understanding of the we, and that the latter is more fundamental than any dyadic interaction. In my talk, I will present and assess both views and discuss whether they can be made compatible. All are welcome!
