'Philosophies Meet Animals' Workshop
28 November 2026
Recent decades have witnessed advances in biology, cognitive science, and neuroscience which inspired and promoted philosophical discussions on animal cognition, animal behaviour, animal minds, and animal welfare. Empirical studies show extraordinary findings: rats and bats willingly aid kin; cetaceans communicate over vast distances with cultural traits; chimpanzee societies exhibit alliances and intrigues; elephants display grief and rage; crows craft tools and demonstrate causal reasoning and future planning. All these lead to interesting, important philosophical questions. How should we interpret these findings? What philosophical assumptions underlie them? What implications can we make for traditional philosophical issues? This workshop aims to explore new philosophical insights informed or inspired by empirical studies on animal cognition, animal behaviour, and etc. It is devoted to offer a platform for dialogues between philosophers and scientists to cross boundaries.
Keynote Speaker
Xitong Liang (Peking University)
Organising Committee
Xiaotao Liu (SEU) - Co-chair
Yafeng Shan (HKUST) – Co-chair
Qinyi Wang (HKUST)
Qiyue Zhang (HKUST)
Organisers
Centre for Philosophy of Science, HKUST
Symposium Limited
[registration] (by 28 October 2026)
[programme]