Gießener Friend-Stiftung Sommerseminar mit Amy Kind (Claremont McKenna College)

 

»Since I am very interested in the (philosophy of the) imagination, I was excited about the opportunity to meet prof. dr. Amy Kind, one of the leading philosophers working in this field, during the Friend Summer seminar in Gießen. While the opening lecture on Monday evening already made it worth the trip, the following three days, which consisted of interactively-designed seminar sessions, as well as joint lunches and dinners with prof. Kind and the other seminar and staff members were undoubtedly the highlight of the experience. Not only did prof. Kind discuss three as-of-then-unpublished articles with us but she was also extremely approachable and friendly both in and outside the lecture hall. Furthermore, the relatively small size of our seminar group quickly lead to a feeling of familiarity, which enabled a comfortable atmosphere and encouraged lively conversations between all members. On topic, we discussed prof. Kind’s perspective on imagination as a skill that can be trained and used for a variety of tasks. Off-topic, we talked about the pros and cons of an academic career, the role of the philosophy of mind in the context of neuroscience, and our favorite movies. Since I was at the time still unsure whether I wanted to pursue a career in academic philosophy, talking with academics at all levels (PhDs, postdocs, professors) about their views and experiences was an extremely valuable experience and I have nothing but gratitude for the staff from the Justus-Liebig-Universität for creating this great opportunity. Sitting in a room (or a garden) with like-minded people and discussing your and their ideas, this is philosophy in its most pleasant form. I warmly recommend to anybody who finds that a topic of a future Friend Summer Seminar resonates with them to sign up for this unique and rewarding experience.«

 

 

»I’m almost sure that every philosopher working on the imagination comes across Amy Kind’s ideas at some point in their research. After all, the U.S. philosopher is widely acknowledged as an authority in the current state of the art. Moreover, her papers are both insightful and clarifying – which is a match I always appreciate. Meeting her in person allowed me to realize that, beyond the philosopher, there also is a friendly person interested in others’ perspectives. Her workshop was focused on some recent proposals such as the notion of imaginative scaffolding, the role of creativity in our imaginative efforts and a skill-based account of the imagination (along with the awareness that we can train ourselves to become better imaginers!). I do believe that such an event was worthwhile for so many people at different stages of their careers and studies. Nothing else to say – many thanks to the University of Gießen for allowing me to live such an interesting experience.«