Location: Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
Date: 4th-6th of April 2024
Keynote speakers: Kristin Andrews, Leda Berio, Judith Burkart, Thomas Bugnyar, Hans-Johann Glock, Sally Haslanger, Daniel Kelly, Richard Moore, Albert Newen, Hannes Rakoczy
Scientific organization: Leda Berio, Kristin Andrews, and Albert Newen
New theoretical and empirical developments in the study of animal social cognition in the last decade (e.g. Whiten, 2021, Cox and Reichel, 2020; Lameira et al, 2022; van Schaik et al. 2003; Kano et al, 2019; Tomasello, 2023) have re-ignited the debate on the role of material culture, as well as social cognition skills, in non-human animals. These new empirical and theoretical contributions push us not only to expand our understanding of social cognition in other species, but also to apply this new understanding to the questions regarding the evolution and development of human behaviour, as well as its normative constraints, from a comparative perspective.
The workshop aims to bring together perspectives from philosophers, psychologists, and biologists on some of the pressing questions regarding our understanding of the role of norms in social cognition in humans as well as non-human animals. Is normative behaviour uniquely human, or are some of the newly observed behaviours in other species to be understood in a normative light? What does the comparison between non-human and human cognition tell us about the role of normative constraints in social interaction? Should we redefine the notion of normatively-constrained behaviour, as we have been revisiting that of social complexity (like for example Bouchrie et al, 2019)?
We invite submissions for poster and paper presentations in the form of 500 words abstracts. The workshop features several slots for speakers as well as for poster presentations. Selected speakers will have 45 min. time slots including Q&A.