WIAS Seminar: “Conundrums of Consciousness” [Consciousness Club Tokyo] (Dec 3)
Overview
This event celebrates the recent publication of Tony Cheng’s new book, Conundrums of Consciousness: In Search of Several Non-fundamental Theories (Routledge, 2026). Consciousness remains one of the most persistent and difficult subjects in philosophy and the cognitive sciences. In the book, Cheng approaches this broad terrain through ten interconnected conundrums, distinguishing five comparatively “easy” problems from five “hard” ones, while examining what different kinds of theories can—and cannot—reasonably be expected to explain.
In this talk, Cheng will introduce the central motivations and arguments of the book, with particular attention to the possibility that consciousness may be better understood through several complementary, non-fundamental theories rather than a single all-encompassing account. The discussion will also consider the methodological relationship between philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, and contemporary consciousness science.
The event is organised by the Waseda Institute for Advanced Study (WIAS) in collaboration with Consciousness Club Tokyo, a Tokyo-based interdisciplinary forum promoting discussion across philosophy, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, complex systems, computer science, robotics, and related fields. The talk will be followed by an open discussion.
Profile of Speaker
Tony Cheng, Associate Professor, Waseda Institute for Advanced Study
Program
16:00 – 17:00 Registration and Preparation
17:00 – 18:00 Lecture: Why do we still need “philosophy” of consciousness?
18:00 – 18:45 Roundtable Discussion
Venue
Room 711, 7th floor, Building 19, Waseda Campus, Waseda University
Prospected Audience
Students, Graduate students, Faculty members, Research members, General Participants
Language
English
Organizer
Waseda Institute for Advanced Studies (WIAS)
Co-organizer
Registration
Pre-registration not required.
