Heidelberg Wild Thinking Workshop I Heidelberg Wild Thinking Workshop - The organism, its self and its environment: from philosophy to physics.

A Phyllodesmium nudibranch and a Prionospio annelid

 

19-20 May 2026

An interdisciplinary workshop and discussion meeting organised by Gáspár Jékely, Fred Keijzer (University of Groningen) and Peter Godfrey-Smith (University of Sydney) .

The aim of the workshop is to freely (wildly) explore topics related to organismal biology, sensing, movement, the self and consciousness, at the crossover between evolution, philosophy, and physics.

Venue:

Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg

Registration:

Please register on

https://conferencecentral.org/


Speakers:

John Dupre  (University of Exeter)

Kirsty Wan (University of Exeter)

Nick Lane (University College London)

Yogi Jaeger (freelance educator, facilitator, systems scientist, evolutionary biologist)

Detlev Arendt (EMBL Heidelberg)

Aneta Koseska (Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behaviour)

Núria Ros-Rocher (Institut Pastuer)

Gáspár Jékely (Heidelberg University)

Fred Keijzer (University of Groningen)

Mazviita Chirimuuta (University of Edinburgh)

Peter Godfrey-Smith (University of Sydney)

Alexis Maizel (Heidelberg University)


Schedule:

19 May 2026

COS INF230 seminar room 00.005

  • 9:45 - opening remarks by Gáspár Jékely

  • 10:00-10:45 - Nick Lane

  • 10:45:11:30 - Kirsty Wan

  • 11:30:12:00 - coffee break

  • 12:00-12:45 - Núria Ros i Rocher

  • 12:45-14:00 - lunch

  • 14:00-14:45 - Aneta Koseska

  • 14:45-15:30 - Detlev Arendt

  • 15:30-16:00 - coffee break

  • 16:00-16:45 - Gáspár Jékely

  • 17:00 - 19:30 - evening lectures for students (Dupre, PGS, Chirimuuta, Jäger; COS large lecture hall)

  • 20:00 - dinner

20 May 2026

COS INF230 seminar room 00.005

  • 10:00-10:45 - Mazviita Chirimuuta

  • 10:45:11:30 - Fred Keijzer

  • 11:30:12:00 - coffee break

  • 12:00-12:45 - Johannes Jäger

  • 12:45-14:00 - lunch

  • 14:00-14:45 - Peter Godfrey-Smith

  • 14:45-15:30 - John Dupre

  • 15:30-16:00 - coffee break

  • 16:00-16:45 - closing discussion

21 May 2026

COS INF230 seminar room 00.005

  • ‘wild-thinking’ discussion meeting