Dr. phil.
Sabrina Coninx
Philosopher

I am currently located at the Institute for Philosophy II at the Ruhr University Bochum. I am a postdoctoral researcher and scientific coordinator of the Research Training Group Situated Cognition founded by the German Research Foundation. Before that I worked as an assistant professor and managing director of the Master’s program in cognitive science. I am part of the scientific organization of the newly founded Center for Mind & Cognition.
I obtained a PhD in philosophy at the Ruhr University Bochum under the supervision of Albert Newen and Colin Klein. During my PhD, I spent three months at the University of Memphis, working with Shaun Gallagher, and two months at the Australian National University in Canberra, working with Colin Klein. In 2019, I was allowed to visit Frédérique de Vignemont as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institut Jean Nicod in Paris.
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, Academia, and SWIP Germany e.V.
Research
My research is located in the empirically orientated philosophy of mind, or neurophilosophy. That is, I am interested in multiple core aspects of the philosophy of mind while taking into account findings from neuroscience, psychology, and clinical medicine.
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 pain and other bodily sensations. My research encompasses the phenomenality, neural implementation, causal embeddedness, and biological function of these mental phenomena. My investigations thereby relate to topics, such as the construction of quality spaces, the challenges of strong intentionalism, and the debate between psychophysicalism and psychofunctionalism as well as between scientific eliminativism and scientific pluralism.
Currently, I extend my field of research to different kinds of suffering, such as grief and depression, and develop a follow-up project located at the interface of philosophy and psychiatry. Concepts of situated cognition are proving to be increasingly influential. This includes a detailed investigation of core concepts of situated approaches, such as the field of affordances, scaffolding, and niche construction.
Another research area of mine is the philosophy of social understanding, especially the plurality of epistemic strategies and the role of mindreading.
Areas of Specialisation
Philosophy of Mind
Neurophilosophy
Philosophy of Situated Cognition
Philosophy of Social Cognition
Areas of Interest
Philosophy of Psychiatry
Experimental Philosophy
Research Topics
Phenomenal Quality
Quality Spaces
Intentionalism
Psychophysicalism
Psychofunctionalism
Pluralism & Eliminativism
Field of Affordances
Scaffolding
Niche Construction
Research Subjects
Pain
Bodily Sensations
Human Suffering
Emotions
Affective Disorders
Mindreading
Empathy
News
All the latest news concerning research projects, publications, talks, & collaborations
Research & Publications
Detailed description of research projects & related publications
Biography
Information about my academic career, educational background, funding, & grants
Talks
List of selected talks & other conference contributions
Academic Activities
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