Concepts in interaction: social engagement and inner experiences
Theme issue compiled and edited by Anna M. Borghi, Albertyna Osinska, Andreas Roepstorff and Joanna Raczaszek-Leonardi published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B
This theme issue views concepts, their acquisition, and their use through the lens of social interaction. Thus, it bridges two fields: studies on concepts and research on social cognition. We discuss unsolved problems in literature on concepts, emphasizing the distinction between concrete and abstract concepts. In the first part, we illustrate recent trends in social cognition, showing how interacting with others influences our concepts. The second part addresses how social interactions can become part of our inner world; it deals with concepts and interoception, emotions, metacognition, and inner language. Overall, the theme highlights the potentialities of an integrated and interactive approach that can give fresh life to a topic, that of concepts, that has interested scholars for ages.
The special issue was initiated by the partners in the Traincrease project, but also includes external contributors. The entire issue is based on the Traincrease Kick-off Meeting and the following Virtual Symposium ‘Fresh Perspectives on Abstract Concepts’ in March 2021, which can be re-watched on youtube here https://www.youtube.com/@Traincrease/streams. Our IMC partners at Aarhus University are Kristian Tylén, Karsten Olsen, and Andreas Roepstorff, and you can find more information about the Traincrease project here https://traincrease.uw.edu.pl/en/main/.
