Conscious
and Unconscious
Mind:
Commonalities
and Differences

The aim of this two-day international conference is to explore the nature of unconscious processes in perception and cognition, and their relation to consciousness. We are especially interested in what the commonalities and the differences between conscious and unconscious mental states are with respect to their content and other aspects.

The questions we intend to address at the conference include:

• What are the principal differences between conscious and unconscious processes? In what sense can they be said to constitute the same fundamental kind?
• What is the nature of unconscious mentality? In what sense can it be said to have a representational or even qualitative nature?
• Are contents in different sensory modalities made conscious by different neural mechanisms?
• To what extent can we use behavioral evidence to determine the commonalities or differences between corresponding conscious and unconscious mental states?
• What are the typical properties of cognitive and emotional unconscious states?
• Can subjective and objective criteria for the detection of unconscious processes be successfully aligned, and are they sufficient to determine the content of these processes?
• Is gradualism a part of the solution of the transition from unconscious to conscious perception? Or do we need to draw a sharp dividing line between conscious and unconscious contents?
• To what extent does explaining how mental states become conscious need to invoke psychological notions and categories alongside the neuroscientific ones?