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<p>Dear all,</p>
<p>The scientific study of consciousness came to maturity in the
1990's as a response to seminal contributions to cognitive
neuroscience, fundamental physics and analytic philosophy. It has
become a major source of interest for researchers around the world
and, as a field of study, has produced hundreds of papers in
well-respected journals. In particular, the subject now generates
sustained interest among mathematicians, physicists and other
scholars who aim to translate the results of conceptual and
empirical investigations into formal-mathematical models in order
to derive insights that are otherwise not amenable to a less
formal analysis.</p>
<p>However, these researchers have pursued this work largely in
isolation and outside of the academic mainstream. As such, we are
organizing the conference "Models of Consciousness" at the
Mathematical Institute of the University of Oxford from September
9-12, two which you are cordially invited.</p>
<p>The specific goals of this conference are two-fold. First, the
conference aims to explore foundational issues, such as the
relation of consciousness to complexity, and, more generally, to
uncover the underlying formal structures of existing theories of
consciousness. This relies on establishing new formal frameworks
in which one can pose these questions in a rigorous way and which
allow novel comparisons and generalizations as well as the design
of experimental tests of already existing models. For this to
happen, relevant mathematical structures that could guide our
thinking need to be identified and coherently combined. The
conference will also encourage participants to explore questions
in a way that is neutral with respect to philosophical
presuppositions that have dominated much of the previous research
programs.</p>
<p>Second, given the highly interdisciplinary nature of the
endeavor, we intend to create a platform for researchers from
different fields to connect and to facilitate collaboration. It is
a milestone of the project to create a network of researchers
dedicated to the topic. This is essential for the long-term goal
of higher visibility and acceptance of this exciting new field of
research that pertains to the understanding of the fundamental
nature of agency, intelligence and consciousness in relation to
the physical world.</p>
<p>The selection of confirmed speakers, include Roger Penrose, Peter
Grindrod, Chetan Prakash, and Adrian Kent, among others. Apart
from invited speakers we will have talks selected through a
competitive application process as well as extended discussion
sessions. All details can be found on the conference website:<br>
</p>
<p> <font size="+1">Models of Consciousness</font><br>
Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford<br>
September 9 - 12, 2019<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://models-of-consciousness.org/">https://models-of-consciousness.org/</a><br>
<br>
With best wishes on behalf of all organizers,</p>
<p>Johannes Kleiner<br>
<br>
<br>
</p>
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<br>
<br>
Johannes Kleiner<br>
Institute for Theoretical Physics<br>
Leibniz University of Hannover<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:johannes.kleiner@itp.uni-hannover.de">johannes.kleiner@itp.uni-hannover.de</a><br>
<a href="https://jkleiner.de/">jkleiner.de</a><br>
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