Call for Papers: Hegel and contemporary theories of cognition

One of the main axes of the Hegelian project is to offer a renewed way of thinking about cognitive practices. Since his youthful manuscripts, for example, we find Hegel's concern with bringing ethical procedures closer to the theoretical dimensions of reason. This concern will culminate in the Phenomenology of Spirit, in which Hegel explains the social embeddedness of the concrete cognition of subjects. Moreover, drawing especially on his Philosophy of Nature, much attention has also been given in recent scholarship to the (dis)continuities between human and non-human cognitions in Hegel’s oeuvre.

This issue aims to gather contributions on how Hegel relates to contemporary philosophy of cognitive science, broadly construed. Of particular interest are his relations with embodied theories of cognition (4-e cognition) and ecological psychology; criticism or support of representationalism; social epistemology; cognition of non-human animals and artificial intelligence; criticism or support of neuroscientific or physicalist theories of mind.

Some examples of questions of major interest are: to what extent does the Hegelian project approximate (or distance itself from) research trends in the current empirical sciences of the mind? Can Hegelian dialectics help us think about the cultural and political dimensions of advances in artificial intelligence? Are artificial intelligences spiritual (geistige) artefacts? Are Hegel's criticisms of Kantian transcendentalism relevant for contemporary cognitivists? To what extent does his reflection on non-human organisms help us think about advances in embodied theories of cognition, including their ethical aspects?

In line with the interweaving of practical and theoretical procedures through which Hegel conceives cognition, the editors invite contributors to also think about cognition from the perspective of its relationship with other dimensions of the Hegelian system, such as aesthetic experience, language, and ethics.

Submissions must be made through the journal’s website in accordance with the publication guidelines.

We accept texts in Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, English and German.

Deadline for submissions:  April 30, 2026.

Publication scheduled for the second half of 2026.

Contact: Pedro Pennycook (pennycook@uky.edu)