Philosophy SIG Winter Conference 2026 - The mind-body problem revisited: Could physics help?
In-person event
| Timings | 9:25 AM - 6:00 PM |
| Location | RCPsych, 21 Prescot Street, London, E1 8BB |
| CPD | 1 CPD point per hour attended, subject to peer approval |
| Non-Member | £170 |
|---|---|
| Consultant | £150 |
| Resident Doctor / SAS Doctor | £100 |
| Medical Student / Foundation Doctor / Subsidsed and Retired Member / Other Graduates and Undergraduates | £50 |
Event Information
“With so many questions remaining unanswered in the field of mental health, we need to return to the basics and fundamentals. Perhaps, the field of mental health is not a fully formed science. For example, before we identify a patient as having a delusion, we may need to ask basic and fundamental questions such as what is reality and how do we know it? Welcome to the field of metaphysics and epistemology.”
- Dr Temi Metseagharun, Chair RCPsych Philosophy SIG
What is reality? Could psychiatric phenomena, phenomenology and nosology be affected and/or reshaped by our understanding of physics? And for the physicist interested in psychiatric phenomena, could phenomena as described in psychopathology provide insights into the mysteries of quantum mechanics?
Could all reality be reduced to the study of physics and physical phenomena?
Is the mind basically the brain?
Has 21st Century AI not resolved the so-called mind-body problem? If so, could predictive processing/coding theories and computational psychiatry inform our understanding of psychosis, decision-making, criminal responsibility, and expert evidence in legal settings?
Just as fundamental particle physics is reflected in the glorious IT of today, why not in our understanding of the brain and its "biological information technology"? If it can, would genuine practical clinical utility come with understanding true psychopathology that is not merely undesirable states of mind, cultural constructs, and human values?
Or:
"...the term mental disorder unfortunately implies a distinction between 'mental' disorders and 'physical' disorders that is a reductionistic anachronism of mind/body dualism." (DSM-IV)
We have neuroscientists like Karl Friston to enlighten us at the conference.
Danko Georgiev may tell us a bit about The Emperor's New Mind, Maya and Tao of physics, or why such talk cannot lead anywhere.
The conference will include a panel discussion and debate to help clarify mental phenomena and the perception of "reality", and then relate them to physics, abnormal emotions and perceptions, and ultimately psychopathology.
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 9:25am - 9:30am | Conference Opening by Dr Temi Metseagharun, Chair RCPsych Philosophy SIG |
| 9:30am - 10:15am | A World Inside: knowable to a degree yet beyond us absolutely David Taylor |
| 10:15am - 11:00am | Res Potentia: between mind, matter and potential - exploring the work of Heisenberg and Bohm as a quantum bridge between matter and mind” Jonathan Allday |
| 11:00am - 11:30am | Morning Break |
| 11:30am - 12:15pm | 3 × 15-minute presentation sessions from selected abstracts, e.g. General Philosophy, Physics, Neuroscience, Clinical |
| 12:15pm - 1:00pm | Quantum information theoretic approach to the hard problem of consciousness Danko Georgiev |
| 1:00pm - 2:30pm | Lunch Break |
| 2:30pm - 3:15pm | From Synapse to Sentience Karl Friston |
| 3:15pm - 4:00pm | 3 × 15-minute presentation sessions from selected abstracts, e.g. General Philosophy, Physics, Neuroscience, Clinical |
| 4:00pm - 4:30pm | Afternoon Break |
| 4:30pm - 5:15pm | Qualium Mechanics: Interactionist Dualism as a Scientific Hypothesis Percepts are physical events occurring within the brain. By conservation laws, physical events solely and fully account for our behavior. Qualia are the percepts' infamously enigmatic companions. They are not physical, as there is no explanation for their appearance alongside the percepts. Neither, apparently, is there a behavior that can be ascribed only to qualia and not to their percepts. Hence, by the same conservation laws, qualia must be devoid of any causal role. I beg to differ. Qualia take an active part in our brain's operation at least in one case, namely, when some humans express bafflement over their qualia's existence and their relation to their percepts. So much the worse, then, for conservation laws. Hence, qualia are likely to operate in other behaviors as well, strengthening their percepts. Alternative explanations for this bafflement over qualia dismiss it as a mere perceptual error, which makes percepts and qualia look distinct. These arguments fail to point out the physical mechanism of this alleged error – a self-contradiction. Can quantum mechanics remedy the violation of conservation laws? Perhaps only within its radical (yet fully consistent) formulation, Aharonov's Two State-Vector Formalism, where causality can sometimes be time-reversed. I briefly describe a few novel quantum effects of this kind, which may enable the brain to outsmart causality. |
| 5:15pm - 6:00pm | Panel Discussion |
| 6:00pm | Close of Day |
This year’s conference is unique, and in pursuit of the raison d'être of the SIG - a dialogue between philosophers and psychiatrists. The conference will have six 15-minute slots for abstract presentations relevant to the theme.
The PhilSIG welcome any academic with an existing paper or unpublished research that is relevant to the theme of "The Mind-Body Revisited: Could Physics Help?" .
Word Count: 300
Deadline: 15 October 2026
Please complete the PhilSIG Winter Conference 2026 - Abstract Submission Form
Email sigs@rcpsych.ac.uk if you have any questions.
Bookings for this event will close Monday 30 November at 10am.
We recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment.
The PhilSIG warmly invites attendees to continue the conversation over a post-conference dinner after the event. This is a great opportunity to network with colleagues and speakers in an informal setting.
Please note that the dinner is not funded by the College or PhilSIG, and attendees will be responsible for their own expenses.
If you're interested in joining, please complete the Philosophy SIG Post-event Dinner form.
We will contact you closer to the event date to confirm.
Please read our terms and conditions before making your booking.