Guest lecture: Hanne de Jaegher (University of the Basque Country)
Evening lecture as part of the workshop “An enactive approach to psychiatry and (psycho)therapy”. Internal link to conference website
Abstract for talk:
There seems to be something missing in how we understand understanding. For Kym Maclaren (2002), understanding something means “letting it be”. We can understand something in more or less accordance with its nature only to the extent that we do not attempt to fully determine this nature externally. When we understand it wrongly, we can even do an injustice to it.
“Letting be” is a careful balancing act between different autonomies at play. I will address this through the enactive theory of intersubjectivity, participatory sense-making (De Jaegher & Di Paolo 2007, etc.). This theory does not precisely address the issue of “letting be” yet, though I believe it can, if appropriately deepened and enriched. I propose to do this by thinking about some of the inherent tensions in love, or in loving relationships. From there, I will invite us to think about the question: what does it means to “let be” in psychiatric interactions; in diagnosis, in treatment?
All are welcome!
