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Exploring the Externalism and the Mental : A Dialogue with Prof Madhucchanda Sen
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Authors in Conversation
Exploring the Externalism and the Mental
A Dialogue with Madhucchanda Sen
On 15 March 2026 at 6:00 PM IST, Poorvam International Journal of Creative Arts and Cultural Expressions invites you to an engaging philosophical dialogue with Prof. Madhucchanda Sen on her important contribution to contemporary philosophy of mind.
At the heart of philosophical inquiry lies a persistent and profound question: What is the relation between mind and world? The debate between internalism and externalism—whether mental content is determined solely by what is inside the subject or partly by factors external to it—has shaped much of recent philosophy of mind and language. Yet, despite decades of argumentation, the terms of this debate often remain unquestioned.
In Externalism and the Mental, Prof. Sen revisits this foundational dispute with striking originality. While acknowledging her own sympathy toward externalist positions, she resists the simplicity of taking sides. Instead, she interrogates the conceptual scaffolding that has sustained the divide itself. What do we really mean by “external”? What counts as “internal”? And does the boundary between them hold under sustained scrutiny?
Through a rigorous analysis of the history of externalist thought, the book exposes tensions embedded within compartmentalised frameworks that have long structured philosophical reflection. It calls for a paradigm shift—one that reimagines the mind–world relation not as a binary opposition but as a dynamic, interwoven field.
Significantly, this work opens a rare and necessary conversation between analytic philosophy, phenomenology, and the precision of Navya-Nyāya logic. In doing so, it gestures toward a philosophical future that moves beyond inherited East–West divisions and cultivates a genuinely dialogical mode of thinking.
This event promises a rich discussion on:
The contemporary state of the externalism–internalism debate
The relationship between mind, language, and embodiment
The philosophical cost of rigid conceptual binaries
The possibility of cross-traditional philosophical engagement
Join us for an evening of rigorous inquiry and intellectual generosity as we explore how rethinking the “external” and the “mental” may transform our understanding of consciousness itself.
Date: Sunday, 15 March 2026
Time: 6:00 PM IST onwards
RSVP: editor@poorvam.com
Curated by Poorvam International Journal of Creative Arts and Cultural Expressions
Exploring the Externalism and the Mental
A Dialogue with Madhucchanda Sen
On 15 March 2026 at 6:00 PM IST, Poorvam International Journal of Creative Arts and Cultural Expressions invites you to an engaging philosophical dialogue with Prof. Madhucchanda Sen on her important contribution to contemporary philosophy of mind.
At the heart of philosophical inquiry lies a persistent and profound question: What is the relation between mind and world? The debate between internalism and externalism—whether mental content is determined solely by what is inside the subject or partly by factors external to it—has shaped much of recent philosophy of mind and language. Yet, despite decades of argumentation, the terms of this debate often remain unquestioned.
In Externalism and the Mental, Prof. Sen revisits this foundational dispute with striking originality. While acknowledging her own sympathy toward externalist positions, she resists the simplicity of taking sides. Instead, she interrogates the conceptual scaffolding that has sustained the divide itself. What do we really mean by “external”? What counts as “internal”? And does the boundary between them hold under sustained scrutiny?
Through a rigorous analysis of the history of externalist thought, the book exposes tensions embedded within compartmentalised frameworks that have long structured philosophical reflection. It calls for a paradigm shift—one that reimagines the mind–world relation not as a binary opposition but as a dynamic, interwoven field.
Significantly, this work opens a rare and necessary conversation between analytic philosophy, phenomenology, and the precision of Navya-Nyāya logic. In doing so, it gestures toward a philosophical future that moves beyond inherited East–West divisions and cultivates a genuinely dialogical mode of thinking.
This event promises a rich discussion on:
The contemporary state of the externalism–internalism debate
The relationship between mind, language, and embodiment
The philosophical cost of rigid conceptual binaries
The possibility of cross-traditional philosophical engagement
Join us for an evening of rigorous inquiry and intellectual generosity as we explore how rethinking the “external” and the “mental” may transform our understanding of consciousness itself.
Date: Sunday, 15 March 2026
Time: 6:00 PM IST onwards
RSVP: editor@poorvam.com
Curated by Poorvam International Journal of Creative Arts and Cultural Expressions
Speakers
Prof Madhucchanda Sen
Speaker
Prof. Madhucchanda Sen is a Professor of Philosophy at Jadavpur University, where she has been teaching since 2011. She taught at Rabindra Bharati University from 2001 to 2011. She was educated at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and University College London. Her major areas of research interest are Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Language, Critical Thinking, and Epistemology. She was a faculty member of the Module on Critical Thinking under Project E-QUAL, Jadavpur University, funded by EU. She works in the area of computer-aided learning of Critical Thinking. She was a Visiting Professor under ERASMUS programme at Department of History, Cultures and Civilisation, University of Bologna, Italy, in April 2017.
Her publications include:
1. Externalism and the Mental, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2015.
2. Introduction to Critical Thinking, Pearson Education, New Delhi, 2010.
3. With Stan Baronett, Logic, Pearson Education, New Delhi, 2009.
4. With Marilyn Anderson and Pramod Nayar, Critical Thinking, Academic Writing and Presentation Skills, Pearson Education, New Delhi, 2009.
5. With Nilambar Chakraborty, “Sabichar Chintan – Ekti Bhumika” forthcoming from Pashchim Banga Rajya Pustak Parshad.
6. "The Self and the Other, The Inner and the Outer: Dissolving Binaries," in Culture and Dialogue, Vol. 1 No. 2, September 2011.
She has co-edited the following:
1. Mind and Cognition – An Interdisciplinary Sharing – Essays in Honour of Amita Chatterjee, D.K. Printworld, New Delhi 2019.
2. Indian Folk Psychology, Jadavpur University, Suryodaya Books, New Delhi, 2015.
3. Experiencing Self, Jadavpur University, Mahabodhi Society, Kolkata 2015.
4. Empiricism and the Two Dogmas, Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, 2006.
5. Language and Communication – A Philosophical Study, Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, 2005. Contributed paper entitled “Davidson, Dummett, and the Manifestation Argument.”
6. Knowledge, Truth and Realism – Essays in Philosophical Analysis by Pranab Kumar Sen, Indian Council of Philosophical Research, New Delhi.
Her publications include:
1. Externalism and the Mental, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2015.
2. Introduction to Critical Thinking, Pearson Education, New Delhi, 2010.
3. With Stan Baronett, Logic, Pearson Education, New Delhi, 2009.
4. With Marilyn Anderson and Pramod Nayar, Critical Thinking, Academic Writing and Presentation Skills, Pearson Education, New Delhi, 2009.
5. With Nilambar Chakraborty, “Sabichar Chintan – Ekti Bhumika” forthcoming from Pashchim Banga Rajya Pustak Parshad.
6. "The Self and the Other, The Inner and the Outer: Dissolving Binaries," in Culture and Dialogue, Vol. 1 No. 2, September 2011.
She has co-edited the following:
1. Mind and Cognition – An Interdisciplinary Sharing – Essays in Honour of Amita Chatterjee, D.K. Printworld, New Delhi 2019.
2. Indian Folk Psychology, Jadavpur University, Suryodaya Books, New Delhi, 2015.
3. Experiencing Self, Jadavpur University, Mahabodhi Society, Kolkata 2015.
4. Empiricism and the Two Dogmas, Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, 2006.
5. Language and Communication – A Philosophical Study, Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, 2005. Contributed paper entitled “Davidson, Dummett, and the Manifestation Argument.”
6. Knowledge, Truth and Realism – Essays in Philosophical Analysis by Pranab Kumar Sen, Indian Council of Philosophical Research, New Delhi.
Moderator
Nilambar Chakrabarti
Moderator
Phd research scholar at Jadavpur University, Sylff fellowship recipent, Former Research fellow at Smith College, south Asian studies.
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