Dear all,
You are invited to attend the next Macquarie Philosophy Work-in-Progress Seminar on Tuesday 29 August 2023 from 1:00 to 2:00pm. Attend in-person at 25B Wally's Walk, Room B603. Attend online: https://macquarie.zoom.us/j/83678569910?pwd=SG4wWHpQa0h1aEFEdzBRUUM0dXRKdz09 Password: seminar Speaker: Dr Marilyn Stendera Title: ‘Phenomenology’ is blue: The synaesthetic dynamics of embodied cognition Abstract: Synaesthesia, in which particular perceptual or cognitive stimuli trigger anomalous secondary sensations, has proven to be remarkably difficult to explain. Neither hallucinatory nor pathological, synaesthetic sensations are experienced as both vivid and fictitious; their relationship to their triggers is seemingly arbitrary, yet automatic and regular. This also means that the phenomenon poses an interesting challenge for embodied models of cognition, with unusual linkages between perception and action. Taking up the latter point, this paper will suggest that it is precisely these tensions – the puzzling strangeness – of synaesthesia that enables it to shed light on the structures of cognition. Proceeding from Merleau-Ponty’s startling claim that “synaesthetic perception is the rule,” I will argue that synaesthesia is the kind of illuminating disruption that is well-known within the phenomenological tradition. Unlike Heidegger’s broken hammer, however, or indeed Merleau-Ponty’s own Schneider case, synaesthesia is not primarily a case of practical engagement breaking down. Instead, I will contend that it functions more like the work of Cézanne as analysed in Merleau-Ponty’s essays, representing both a snapshot and a heightening of key dynamics of practical, embodied sense-making. Bio: Marilyn Stendera is a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Wollongong; she previously taught at Deakin, Monash and the University of Melbourne, where she also completed her PhD. Her work focuses primarily on the phenomenological tradition, especially its intersections with philosophies of cognition and mind, and its conceptualisations of time. For any queries about the Macquarie Philosophy Work-in-Progress Seminars, please contact [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. Best regards, Regina Dr Regina Fabry (she/her) ARC Discovery Early Career Research Awardee Editor-in-Chief of Philosophy and the Mind Sciences<https://philosophymindscience.org> (Diamond Open Access) Department of Philosophy Level 7, 25B Wally’s Walk Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia E: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> | W: https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/persons/regina-fabry [Macquarie University]<http://mq.edu.au> I acknowledge that Macquarie University stands on the lands of the Dharug Nation. <https://www.mq.edu.au> I respect Elders, past, present, and future and recognise the continuity of knowledge <https://www.mq.edu.au/> that nurtures Country and community.<https://www.mq.edu.au/> CRICOS Provider 00002J. ABN: 90 952 801 237.
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