The inaugural conference of the recently established International Center for Consciousness Studies (ICCS), titled "Uncovering the Magic of Consciousness: Philosophy, Neuroscience, AI," took place from June 27–29, 2024, at the Santa Maria della Scala Museum in Siena.
The event was organized by Riccardo Manzotti, Pietro Perconti, Dmitry Volkov, and Alessio Plebe in collaboration with the University of Siena, the University for Foreigners of Siena, IULM, the University of Messina, and under the patronage of the Municipality of Siena, represented by Councillor Vanna Giunti.
The event registered 150 participants and has become a moment of high significance for the City of Siena, showcasing its potential and capability to host major international conferences. The conference welcomed internationally acclaimed philosophers, neuroscientists, AI researchers, and students. Held in one of the city's most prestigious locations, rich in history and cultural value, and just a stone's throw from Piazza del Campo, ready to host the Palio, the event was a great success.
Dmitry Volkov, one of the founders of the ICCS, explained the mission of the center: "To support interdisciplinary discussion, help philosophers engage with science and encourage scientists, cognitive psychologists, neuroscientists, computer scientists to address hard philosophical issues. We have an ambition to solve the mind-body problem, but even if we wouldn't be able to do it right away, we want to contribute to the solution of practical challenges like building anthropomorphic ethical robots."
"There is great potential for further growth of the center," declared Francois Kammerer, a philosopher of mind and cognitive sciences, CNRS (Strasbourg), at the end of the event. "This was a beautiful conference in a fantastic location, with a dense line-up of international speakers from various disciplines relevant to consciousness. We heard many interesting talks and had relevant discussions in a collegial and stimulating atmosphere."
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