Part 1:
Giuseppe Pagnoni (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia), Juliane Britz (Université de Fribourg, Switzerland), Klaus Oberauer (University of Zurich), Ryan McKay (Royal Holloway, University of London)
Moderation: Olaf Blanke (EPFL, Lausanne)
To understand the world and express ourselves creatively, we continuously manage uncertainty through the interplay of memory, perception, and belief. What happens when these processes lead to misinterpretations of reality? In what ways does the ongoing integration between external sensory inputs and internal belief updating give rise to consciousness, and how do fluctuations in these processes shape our awareness? Furthermore, how do artistic practices—in literature, music, and visual arts—use symbolic representation to construct virtual realities that capture and transform the shifting contours of uncertainty in our lived experience? This symposium brings together leading experts in cognitive science, neuroscience, and disciplines in aesthetics and art studies to illuminate the dynamic interplay between the cognitive mechanisms that mitigate uncertainty and the creative endeavors that reimagine it.