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.
Program
9:10 – 10:00 Talk 1: Ophelia Deroy, Relating privacy and responsibility
10:00 – 10:10 Break
10:10 – 11:00 Talk 2: Louis Longin, A contextual integrity framework integrating data sources
11:00 – 11:10 Break
11:10 – 12:00 Talk 3: Bahador Bahrami, Measuring responsibility: can we use regret, credit or blame?
12:00 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 14:20 Talk 4: Katsumi Watanabe
14:20 – 14:30 Break
14:30 – 15:20 Talk 5: Eisuke Nakazawa
15:20 – 15:30 Break
15:30 – 16:20 Talk 6: Arisa Ema
16:20 – 17:00 Roundtable Discussion
Speakers
Katsumi Watanabe, Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University
Ophelia Deroy, Professor, Faculty of Philosophy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Tony Cheng, Associate Professor, Waseda Institute for Advanced Study
Louis Longin, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Philosophy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Bahador Bahrami, Professor, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Eisuke Nakazawa, Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo
Arisa Ema, Associate Professor, Institute for Future Initiatives, University of Tokyo
Date&Time
April 7, 2026 (Tue.) 9:10 – 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
