Philosophy SIG events

Find out more about the Philosophy SIG's events. 

A meal with Socrates: The PhilSIG drop-in sessions

The PhilSIG drop-in sessions are intended as a regular semi-informal forum for mutually rewarding discourse between philosophers and psychiatrists. They reflect essentially what this SIG was set up for.

There is no end to the number of subject matters on which we could philosophise. Life throws phenomena and experience at us, and we must make sense and meaning out of them. This is the task of the philosopher psychiatrist. Amateurs are most welcome! We hope you will be satisfied both in conceptual and clinical terms.

Biological psychiatrists and the philosophy of biology

  • Session date: Wednesday 28 January 2026
  • Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
  • Panel members:
    • Dr Temi Metseagharun, Chair of RCPsych Philosophy SIG, FRANZCP
    • Dr Riadh Abed, Chair of RCPsych Evolutionary Psychiatry SIG
    • Professor Samir Okasha, Professor and philosopher of Biology, University of Bristol

The session will attempt to define 'biological psychiatrist' and then ask how 'biological' is the practice of the biological psychiatrist? and what is 'the biology of mental illness'?

The audience will be introduced to the philosophy of biology and why it is important for mental health science.

What theory/theories do biological psychiatrists apply? This is where the theory of evolution and evolutionary psychiatry would come in: Is there possibly something truly 'biological' if it does not include its natural or evolutionary history?

A bit of history: Are we all neo-Kraepelinians? What about the Kraepelinian dichotomy, why is it not gone?

Genes and genetics in mental health: Like language, are all mental disorders 'developmental' with only the capacity inherited?

As an interactive session, the audience and attendees would include not just psychiatrists, RCPsych members and/or medical trainees, but also (external/university) philosophy students who may be interested.

Register for the PhilSIG drop-in session

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