Research & Publications
I. Pain
The phenomenon of pain is commonly understood in terms of a corresponding phenomenal quality: there is a certain subjective feeling of what it is typically like for us to experience pains in contrast to non-pains. This is merely the starting point, however. Most researchers ultimately aim to explain and predict the circumstances under which pains occur. To do so, they search for a certain type of property that is common to all pains and at the same time specific to pains, besides the previously described subjective feeling. The guiding question for me is whether a property of this kind exists; and if not, which consequences we need to draw from such insight. This issue constituted the basis of my PhD thesis and resulting follow-up projects.
Related Publications
Monograph
Coninx, S. (2020) Experiencing Pain: A Scientific Enigma & Its Philosophical Solution. De Gruyter.
Publication Reading Sample
Research Article
Coninx, S. (under review): overview article concerning recent debates in pain philosophy and promising strands of future research.
Phenomenal Quality & Memory
We are commonly able to identify pains as pains in a straightforward manner: pains typically feel a certain way to us. The corresponding subjective feeling has been addressed in the philosophical literature under different labels – phenomenal quality, qualitative character, or quale. In a recent subproject, I provide an overview concerning different possibilities of how to analyze said phenomenal quality and critically discuss the most promising interpretations of the ‘orthodox view’. In another subproject, I outline how we could model the phenomenal facets of pain in terms of a multidimensional quality space, similar to color spaces. Moreover, in a commentary on the work of Barbara Montero, I address the question of which conditions need to be met in order for us to plausibly assume the lack of a qualitative memory for pain.
Related Publications
Research Articles
Coninx, S. (under review): paper on different versions of the orthodox view, arguing for the existence of a pain quality and a meta-cognitive interpretation thereof
Coninx, S. (2022) A Multidimensional Phenomenal Space for Pain: Structure, Primitiveness, and Utility. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 21, 223–243. Publication
Commentary
Coninx, S. (2020) Pain, Amnesia, and Qualitative Memory – Conceptual and Empirical Challenges. Commentary on Barbara Montero’s paper ‘What Experience Doesn’t Teach: Pain-Amnesia and a New Paradigm for Memory Research.’ Journal of Consciousness Studies, 27(11-12), 126-133. Publication Draft
Bodily Sensations & Intentionality
In consideration of empirical findings, I argue that there exists no property common to all pains and pains only. This is due to the substantial variation across pains and the systematic similarity between pain and other phenomena, such as emotions and other bodily sensations. In particular, I argue against strong intentionalist theories presuming the existence of a certain type of intentional content necessary and sufficient for pain. I address indicative as well as imperative versions of strong intentionalism and focus on arguments based on causal covariance and biological function. My considerations focus on pain but also include other bodily sensations, such as hunger and itch.
Related Publications
Research Articles
Coninx, S. (2021) Strong Representationalism and Bodily Sensations: Reliable Causal Covariance and Biological Function. Philosophical Psychology, 34(2), 210-232. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2020.1858476 Publication Postprint Draft
Coninx, S. (2020) Pain Experiences and Their Link to Action: Challenging Imperative Theories. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 27(9-10), 1104-126. Publication
Neurophilosophy of Pain
Pain continues to be one of the most controversial subjects in neurophilosophy. One focus of current debates is the apparent absence of an ideal brain-based biomarker that could function as a coherent and distinct indicator for pain. One prominent reaction to this in the philosophical literature is scientific pain eliminativism. Instead, I argue for a non-eliminative alternative that builds on family resemblances and provides a useful heuristic in the tradeoff between the idiosyncrasy of the neural processes corresponding to different pain cases and the demand for generalizability in pain research.
Related Publications
Research Article
Coninx, S. (2023) The Notorious Neurophilosophy of Pain: A Family Resemblance Approach to Idiosyncracy and Generalizability. Mind & Language, 38(1), 178-197. Publication
Blog Post
Coninx, S. (2018) The Frustrating Family of Pain. iCog Blog. Post Draft
II. Situated Affectivity & Clinical Practice
In my recent research, I address the more general phenomenon of human suffering, shifting my focus to chronic pain and other chronic conditions as well as affective phenomena, such as loneliness, depression, and suicidal ideation. This research field is of particular relevance in its application to clinical contexts. I am therefore increasingly concerned with the interface between philosophy, clinical medicine, and healthcare, whereby the influences of situated approaches come into play concerning concepts of affordances, scaffolding, and niche construction. In particular, I address the question of the extent to which environmental conditions shape our affective lives and can be actively addressed, for example, in therapeutic contexts.
Affective Scaffolding &
Negative Niche Construction
A central aim of my current research is to contribute to the clarification and systematization of core concepts of situated cognition and to explore their useful application to affective phenomena. In cooperation with Achim Stephan, I have developed a taxonomy of affective scaffolding, emphasizing distinctions that are often conflated and identifying fields of application that are often overlooked. Furthermore, I aim to shed light on the dark side of niche construction, that is, the different manners in which organisms may modify environmental features that are in some way or another harmful to them. I thereby distinguish the concept of negative niche construction as a valuable instrument to better understand central aspects of modern medicine and the entangled contribution of evolutionary, socio-cultural, personal, and situational aspects to different health issues, using chronic pain as an illustrative case study.
Related Publications
Research Articles
Coninx, S. (2023): The Dark Side of Niche Construction. Philosophical Studies. Publication
Coninx, S. & Stephan, A. (2021) A Taxonomy of Environmentally Scaffolded Affectivity. Danish Yearbook of Philosophy, 54, 38–64. Publication
Affordance-Based Approaches to Chronic Ilnesses
In cooperation with Peter Stilwell, I have developed an affordance-based approach to pain. In our first paper, we conceptualize differences between acute and chronic pain, as well as the process of chronification, in terms of changes in the field of affordances. This is, in terms of the possibilities for action perceived by subjects in pain. In a second paper, we collaborate with Michael Ray, aiming to further unpack the complex concepts of an affordances-based model of chronic pain by means of an illustrative video game analogy. In a third paper, under the lead of Daniela Vaz, we explore in detail the potential of such affordance-based approaches for clinical practice and healthcare.
Related Publications
Research Articles
Coninx, S. & Stilwell, P. (2021) Pain and the Field of Affordances – An Enactive Approach to Acute and Chronic Pain. Synthese, 199, 7835–7863. Publication
Coninx, S., Ray, M., & Stilwell, P. (2023) Unpacking an affordance-based model of chronic pain: a video game analogy. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences. Publication
Vaz, D., Stilwell, P., Coninx, S., Low, M., & Liebenson, C. (under review): paper on the implications of an affordance-based model of pain for clinical practice and health care
Bio-Psycho-Social Models:
Enactivism and Dynamic Systems
Peter Stilwell and I argue that due to its limited theoretical foundation, the biopsychosocial model is too often implemented in a reductionist, fragmented, and linear manner. It remains too vague concerning the relation of the involved biological, psychological, and social processes. We differentiate five facets of such integration problem: (i) ontological, (ii) conceptual, (iii) explanatory, (iv) methodological, and (v) therapeutic. Based on enactive approaches, we outline possible solutions to these challenges. In another project with Ben Cormack and Jo Gibson, we indicate that many applications of the biopsychosocial model in recent clinical practice deviate from the original ideas of George Engel. We show that these deviations have led to suboptimal patient care and indicate more promising alternatives relying on humanistic and enactive principles.
Related Publications
Research Articles
Coninx, S. & Stilwell, P. (forthcoming) Chronic Pain, Enactivism, & the Challenges of Integration. In M.-O. Casper & G. F. Artese (eds.) Methodology of Situated Cognition Research. Springer.
Pre-Print
Cormack, B., Stilwell, P., Coninx, S., & Gibson, J. (2022) The Biopsychosocial Model is Lost in Translation: From Misrepresentation to An Enactive Modernization. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice. Publication
Blog Post
Stilwell, P. & Coninx, S. (2021) A New Paradigm to Understand Pain. IAI News. Post Draft
III. Folk Concept of Pain
Related Publications
Research Article
Coninx, S., Willemsen, P., & Reuter, K. (2023). Pain Linguistics: A Case for Pluralism. Philosophical Quarterly. Publication
Conference Proceeding
Coninx, S., Reuter, K., & Willemsen, P. (2022): An Experimental-Linguistic Study of the Folk Concept of Pain: Implication, Projection, & Deniability. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society. Publication
Blog Post
Coninx, S., Willemsen, P., Reuter, K. (2023). Pain Linguistics: A Case for Pluralism. The New Experimental Philosophy Blog. Post
IV. Social Understanding
Theories of social understanding have moved away from arguing that we merely rely on one socio-epistemic strategy. In contrast, the empirical evidence seems to support a pluralistic approach. In cooperation with Albert Newen and Julia Wolf, we address two central questions: (1) which role does mindreading play within a pluralistic framework, and (2) how do different strategies of social understanding relate to each other? First, we clarify the arguments that might be considered in evaluating the role that epistemic strategies play in a pluralistic framework: frequency, centrality, and reliability. On this basis, we argue that mindreading constitutes a core strategy in human social life. Second, we provide an account of the relation and dynamic interaction between different epistemic strategies in social understanding.
Related Publications
Research Articles
Coninx, S. & Newen, A. (2018): Theories of Understanding Others: The Need of a New Account and the Guiding Role of the Person Model Theory. Belgrade Philosophical Annual, 31, 127-153. Publication
Wolf, J., Coninx, S. & Newen, A. (2021): Rethinking Integration of Epistemic Strategies in Social Understanding: Examining the Central Role of Mindreading in Pluralist Accounts. Erkenntnis. Publication
Conference Proceeding
Wolf, J. & Coninx, S. (2021): The Role of Mindreading in a Pluralist Framework of Social Cognition. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, 341-3047. Publication
Publications
Monograph
2020
1. Coninx, S. Experiencing Pain – A Scientific Enigma & Its Philosophical Solution. de Gruyter. Publication Cover Reading Sample
Peer-Reviewed Research Articles
2023
2. Coninx, S. (2023). The Dark Side of Niche Construction. Philosophical Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11098-023-02024-3 Publication
3. Coninx, S., Willemsen, P., & Reuter, K. Pain Linguistics: A Case for Pluralism. Philosophical Quaterly. Publication
4. Coninx, S., Ray, M., & Stilwell, P. Unpacking An Affordance-Based Model of Chronic Pain: A Video Game Analogy. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11097-023-09896-0 Publication
5. Coninx, S. The Notorious Neurophilosophy of Pain: A Family Resemblance Approach to Idiosyncrasy and Generalizability. Mind & Language, 38(1), 178-197. https://doi.org/10.1111/mila.12378 Publication
2022
6. Cormack, B., Stilwell, P., Coninx, S., & Gibson, J. The Biopsychosocial Model Is Lost in Translation: From Misrepresentation to An Enactive Modernization. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593985.2022.2080130 Publication
7. Ray, M., Kovaleski, A., Kelleran, K., Baraki, A., Stilwell, P., Coninx, S., & Eubanks, J. E. (2022). Exploration of Low Back Pain Beliefs from a North American Based General Population. Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, 61, 102591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msksp.2022.102591 Publication
8. Coninx, S. A Multidimensional Phenomenal Space for Pain: Structure, Primitiveness, and Utility. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 21, 223-243. htttps://doi.org/10.1007/s11097-021-09727-0 Publication
2021
9. Coninx, S. Strong Representationalism and Bodily Sensations: Reliable Causal Covariance and Biological Function. Philosophical Psychology, 34(2), 210-232. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2020.1858476 Publication Post-Print
10. Coninx, S. & Stilwell, P. Pain and the Field of Affordances – An Enactive Approach to Acute and Chronic Pain. Synthese, 199, 7835–7863. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-021-03142-3 Publication
11. Coninx, S. & Stephan, A. A Taxonomy of Environmentally Scaffolded Affectivity. Danish Yearbook of Philosophy, 54, 38–64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10670-021-00486-7 Publication
12. Wolf, J., Coninx, S. & Newen, A. Rethinking Integration of Epistemic Strategies in Social Understanding: Examining the Central Role of Mindreading in Pluralist Accounts. Erkenntnis. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10670-021-00486-7 Publication
2020
13. Coninx, S. Pain Experiences and Their Link to Action: Challenging Imperative Theories. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 27(9-10), 104-126. Publication
2018
14. Coninx, S. & Newen, A. Theories of Understanding Others: The Need of a New Account and the Guiding Role of the Person Model Theory. Belgrade Philosophical Annual, 31, 127-153. https://doi.org/10.5937/BPA1831127C Publication
Book Chapter
Forthcoming
15. Coninx, S. & Stilwell, P. Chronic Pain, Enactivism, and the Challenges of Integration. In M.-O. Casper & G. F. Artese (eds.) Methodology of Situated Cognition Research. Springer. Pre-Print
Commentaries
2020
16. Coninx, S. Pain, Amnesia, and Qualitative Memory – Conceptual and Empirical Challenges. Commentary on Barbara Montero’s paper “What Experience Doesn’t Teach: Pain-Amnesia and a New Paradigm for Memory Research.” Journal of
Consciousness Studies, 27(11-12), 126-133. Publication Draft
Conference Proceedings
2022
17. Coninx, S., Reuter, K., & Willemsen, P. An Experimental-Linguistic Study of the Folk Concept of Pain: Implication, Projection, & Deniability. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society. Publication
2021
18. Wolf, J. & Coninx, S. The Role of Mindreading in a Pluralist Framework of Social Cognition. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society 43, 3041-3047. Publication