Psychiatry Beyond Scientism: explanatory models, professional practices, and socio-cultural contexts
22-24 January 2015
Theme
This international three-day conference investigates the role and nature of knowledge in psychiatry, both as a scientific discipline and as a professional practice. It aims to create a platform for an in-depth philosophical discussion on different forms of theoretical knowledge (e.g., statistical, molecular, genetic, psychological, social) and their interrelatedness, what happens when these forms of knowledge are applied in psychiatric practice, and how they are translated to and received by the general public.
In general terms, scientism is the claim that only science can provide us with knowledge about ourselves and the world around us. In the context of psychiatry, this manifests itself most clearly in the tension between theoretical knowledge acquired in a scientific setting and practical knowledge applied to the concrete cases in the consultation room. The aim of the conference is to investigate this tension, and explore how scientific knowledge can be integrated with other sources of knowledge, such as practical understanding, expertise, experience, intuition and wisdom.
Keynote speakers
- Denny Borsboom (University of Amsterdam)
- John Campbell (UC Berkeley)
- Bill Fulford (University of Warwick)
- Mona Gupta (Université de Montréal)
- Gerben Meynen (Tilburg University)
- Erik Rietveld (University of Amsterdam)
- John Sadler (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center)
More information
This conference was part of the ‘Science beyond Scientism’ project.
