Dr. phil.

Sabrina Coninx

Philosopher

I am an Assistant Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, co-coordinating the Master Philosophy of Neuroscience. Before that, I worked at Ruhr University Bochum as a postdoctoral researcher and scientific coordinator of the Research Training Group Situated Cognition

I obtained a PhD in philosophy at the Ruhr University Bochum under the supervision of Albert Newen and Colin Klein I obtained a Master degree in philosophy and a Bachelor degree in philosophy and psychology at the University of Bonn.

Please see my Biography for more information. You may also find me on Philpaper, Researchgate, Academia, and Twitter

My VU research profile provides an overview of and access to my publications. For more information see also Research & Publications.

Contact: s.coninx [at] vu.nl

Research

I am interested in multiple core aspects of the philosophy of mind, taking into account research findings and questions from neuroscience, psychology, linguistics,  medicine, and healthcare.

My research focuses on mental phenomena related to human suffering which appears to me as one of the most enigmatic, but also fascinating research subjects. I have intensively worked on diverse philosophical questions related to acute and chronic pain. For example, I am interested in tools to systematically model the phenomenal experiences of people living with pain and how they can be accounted for within a naturalistic framework. Furthermore, I use core concepts of situated cognition to address the question of how biological, psychological, and social factors interact in chronic illnesses and can be targeted in  clinical contexts to reduce human suffering. I have become increasingly interested in the role of technology and narratives in these processes.

Another research area of mine is the philosophy of social understanding, especially the plurality of epistemic strategies we use in interaction with others. Furthermore,I use expertimental approaches to study the folk concept of pain and suffering.

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Areas of Specialisation

Philosophy of Mind

Philosophy of Neuroscience

Philosophy of Psychiatry

Philosophy of Healthcare

Situated Cognition

Social Cognition

Experimental Philosophy

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Research Subjects

Pain

Human Suffering

Chronic Illnesses

Affective Disorders

Scaffolding & Niche Construction

Affordances

Disruptive Technologies

Mindreading & Mindshaping

Current Collaborations & Networks

In Development

Network Project on Technological Niche Disruption

Since 2024

Knowledge transfer project ‚From Pain Theory to Practice: A Community-Initiated Knowledge Translation Project’ funded by the Canadian Chiropractic Research Foundation

German-Taiwanese Project ‘COMPAIN – The Complexity of Pain and Its Normative Implications’ funded by ERA-NET NEURON

Since 2022

Research Network ‘The Role of Ambivalence in the Agency of Suicidal Individuals’ (German Research Foundation) (since 2022)


Biography

Information about my academic career, educational background, funding, & grants

Research & Publications

Detailed description of research projects & related publications

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Presentations

List of selected talks & other conference contributions

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Science Communication

Informationen concerning outreach activities, such as podcast or lectures for non-philosophers

Academic Activities

Teaching, conference organization, & administrative work

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me.