WIAS Workshop:
“Neurotechnologies and Approaches to the Mind”（Apr. 7）
Abstract
Recent advances in neurotechnology—from brain imaging and neural decoding to non-invasive stimulation and computational modelling—have transformed the ways in which we investigate perception, cognition, and consciousness. Yet these tools do not merely provide new data; they reshape the very questions we ask about the mind. This workshop brings together philosophers and cognitive scientists to examine how emerging neurotechnologies inform, constrain, and sometimes challenge our theoretical frameworks about mental states and conscious experience. By integrating experimental findings from vision science and multisensory research with philosophical analysis of representation, agency, and subjectivity, the event aims to foster dialogue across disciplinary boundaries. Key themes include: how neural measures relate to subjective reports; whether decoding and prediction alter our understanding of agency and intention; and how methodological innovations influence debates about consciousness and its substrates. Through collaborative discussion, the workshop seeks to clarify both the epistemic power and the conceptual limits of neurotechnological approaches to the mind.
プログラム / Program
10:00 – 10:10 Chair Opening Speech: Katsumi Watanabe (Waseda University)
10:10 – 11:00 Talk 1: Tony Cheng (Waseda University)
11:00 – 11:10 Break
11:10 – 12:00 Talk 2: Louis Longin (LMU) & Ophelia Deroy (LMU)
12:00 – 12:10 Break
12:10 – 13:00 Talk 3: Shao-Min Hung (Tohoku University)
13:00 – 13:50 Lunch Break
13:50 – 14:40 Talk 4: Bahador Bahrami (LMU)
14:40 – 14:50 Break
14:50 – 15:40 Talk 5: Toyokawa Wataru (Riken)
15:40 – 15:50 Break
15:50 – 16:40 Talk 6: Aiko Murata (NTT)
16:40 – 16:50 Break
16:50 – 17:40 Talk 7: Pascal Barone (UT)
Speakers
Katsumi Watanabe: Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering, School of Fundamental Science and Engineering, Waseda University
Tony Cheng: Associate Professor, Waseda Institute for Advanced Study, Waseda University
Louis Longin: Assistant Professor, Faculty of Philosophy, Faculty of Science and Religious Studies, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Ophelia Deroy: Professor, Faculty of Philosophy, Faculty of Science and Religious Studies, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Toyokawa Wataru: Unit Leader, Computational Group Dynamics Collaboration Unit, Riken Center for Brain Science
Bahador Bahrami: Chair of General and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Shao-Min (Sean) Hung : Assistant Professor, The Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tohoku University
Aiko Murata: Senior Research Scientist, Human Information Science Laboratory, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone
Pascal Barone: Professor, Research Centre for Brain and Cognition, University of Toulouse
Date&Time
April 7, 2026 (Tue) 10:00 – 17:00
Venue
Room 610, 6th floor, Bldg. 19, Waseda Campus, Waseda University
Prospected Audience
Students, Graduate students, Faculty members, Research members, General Participants
Language
English
Organizer
Waseda Institute for Advanced Study (WIAS)
Co-Organizer
Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University
Host
Tony Cheng, Associate Professor, Waseda Institute for Advanced Study
Registration
Pre-registration not required
