PLM Masterclass

PLM MASTERCLASS: PHILOSOPHY OF MEMORY

Kourken Michaelian (Université Grenoble Alpes)
Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
17 February 2026

The Philosophy of Language and Mind (PLM) Network will organise a masterclass with Prof. Kourken Michaelian (Université Grenoble Alpes) on 17 February 2026. The event will take place at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, and will be held one day before the PLM workshop Traces and Engrams - Philosophical and Neuroscientific Perspectives on Memory (18–20 February 2026).

The masterclass is devoted to the philosophy of memory and aims to provide an intensive forum for discussion of core debates and emerging directions in the field. It will combine two lectures by Prof. Michaelian with presentations by selected participants.

Masterclass lectures by Prof. Michaelian

Introduction to the philosophy of memory

The philosophy of memory is a young field, but it is no longer so young that it does not have a history. The talk will review the history of the field, beginning with its emergence in the mid-2010s with a renewal of interest in the nature of episodic memory and a new emphasis on naturalistic approaches to that nature, turning to the debates that have shaped it since then (e.g., continuism vs. discontinuism), and discussing the debates that currently animate the field (e.g., mnemic reference). It will call attention to underexplored issues within the field (e.g., forms of memory other than episodic memory) and speculate about potential future directions (e.g., increased interaction between analytic philosophy of memory and approaches to memory in nonanalytic philosophical traditions, such as phenomenology).

The simulation theory of memory: The state of the art

The talk will discuss the current state of the simulation theory of memory. The theory, according to the initial version of which remembering is a matter of reliably imagining the events of the personal past, was first proposed roughly ten years ago (Michaelian 2016) and has since been the target of numerous objections by proponents of its older rival, the causal theory of memory, and their sympathizers. Addressing some of these has resulted in significant modifications to the theory: McCarroll's (2020) claim that simulationism is unable to account for infantile amnesia led to a radical version of the theory according to which one can remember events that do not belong to one's personal past (Michaelian 2023, 2024), while addressing Robins' (2016) claim that simulationism is unable to account for unsuccessful remembering led to an aretaic version of the theory according to which remembering is a matter of virtuously imagining (Michaelian 2020, 2021, 2023). Many other objections have yet to be addressed. The talk will review these and discuss whether addressing them will require further modifications to the theory.

Submission

Students or early career researchers (within three years of receiving a doctoral degree) are invited to participate in the masterclass. Those who wish to present may submit abstracts of papers or work in progress to be considered for a presentation. Each presentation will be allocated a 45-minute slot including comments by Prof. Michaelian followed by a general discussion.

Abstracts should be anonymous, no more than 250 words (not including references). Please submit your anonymized abstracts through our submission page: https://forms.gle/zKoN8R3MDTPHJrJYA

Submission deadline: 15 January 2026
Notification of acceptance: 20 January 2026
Registration opens: 16 Dec 2025