Dear ISHers, 

Here are a couple of announcements:
(1) Talk - Hein Van den Berg - Wundt and Kraepelin: An Attempt to Ground Psychiatry as a Proper Science - Dec. 3
(2) Call for Applications | Obaid Siddiqi Chair in the History and Culture of Science, 2025-26
Best wishes, 
Lucie

(1) Dec. 3 - Hein Van den Berg - Wundt and Kraepelin: An Attempt to Ground Psychiatry as a Proper Science

The Center for Philosophy of Science invites you to join us for our Lunch Time Talk.  Attend in person, Room 1117 on the 11th floor of the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh or visit our live stream on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg.

Lunch Time Talk -   Hein Van den Berg
Meet Hein:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKDCP0rxOiA
Tuesday, December 3rd @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EDT
 In person at 1117 Cathedral of Learning (11th Floor)  or join online at 
https://pitt.zoom.us/j/92918314146
Title: Wundt and Kraepelin: An Attempt to Ground Psychiatry as a Proper Science
Abstract: In the early stages of his career, Emil Kraepelin (1856-1926), one of the founders of modern psychiatry, attempted to synthesize work done in the newly established science of experimental psychology and psychiatry. This work was influenced by the pioneering research of Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920), with whom Kraepelin studied. Kraepelin’s experimental research remains a relatively little studied field and is mostly interpreted in the context of a debate on whether his experimental work influenced his later nosological research.  In this work, I adopt a novel perspective on Kraepelin’s programme, and look into the extent into which Wundt’s writings on logic can shed light on the methodological foundations of Kraepelin’s research. By adopting this perspective, I demonstrate firstly that both Wundt and Kraepelin saw experiments as a means to apply the method of analysis, analyzing complex mental phenomena, including mental disorders, into their elementary parts. Secondly, I show that Kraepelin did not reject patho-anatomic studies of the brain in psychiatry, as is sometimes suggested, but that he applied Wundt’s method of experimental analysis to correlate elementary cerebropathic processes with elementary psychopathological processes. Thirdly, I show that the method of correlating cerebropathic processes with psychopathological processes was also due to Wundt, who in his physiological psychology attempted to correlate outer physiological processes with inner mental phenomena. Finally, I give a novel analysis of Kraepelin’s envisioned experiments.


(2) Call for Applications | Obaid Siddiqi Chair in the History and Culture of Science, 2025-26

The Archives at NCBS is delighted to announce a call for the fifth Obaid Siddiqi Chair in the History and Culture of Science, 2025-26!

Dates for Academic Year 2025-26
Deadline: Fri, Jan 10, 2025
Award Confirmation: April 2025
Duration: ~Aug 2025 - Jul 2026 (Start and end dates are flexible; the duration is one year)

Application details: https://archives.ncbs.res.in/os

Overview: The Obaid Siddiqi Chair will be awarded to a distinguished scholar with a substantial body of work that deepens our understanding of the history and culture of science. The applicant will be someone who is known for transcending disciplinary boundaries in their work and engaging with the public. The Chair will work closely with the Archives at NCBS to reimagine the role of the archive in both academic and the public spaces. This position is made possible with generous support from TNQ Foundation.

Duration: 12 months, in residence on the NCBS campus in Bangalore.

Eligibility: We invite applications from individuals around the world. There are no restrictions on the applicant’s discipline or on completed levels of education. Applicants could see their time at NCBS as a way to develop existing projects further. We look forward to applicants from wide-ranging fields such as history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, law, literature, journalism, archaeology, art, architecture, education, economics, engineering and the sciences.

Compensation and benefits: The Chair will be paid a monthly senior faculty-level salary commensurate with institute norms. NCBS will also provide campus housing for one year, and support toward some research expenses.