The 19th Cologne Summer School in Philosophy (CSSiP) on
Folk Epistemology and Science Skepticism
takes place in Cologne from August 10 to August 14, 2026. In 2026 our special guest will be Mikkel Gerken (University of Southern Denmark).
Cologne Summer School Themes: The 2026 Summer School will address a range of issues from foundational to applied social epistemology. Many of the discussions will revolve around an important real-life problem – namely, science skepticism. For example, we will examine how science skepticism is related to varieties of philosophical skepticism. Furthermore, we will consider how folk epistemological heuristics and conversational norms may fuel public skepticism about science. We will also consider ways in which epistemologists and philosophers of science may play a role in combating science skepticism. Thus, some of the discussions overlap with issues in philosophy of science. Throughout, there will be an emphasis on philosophical methodology and epistemology’s relationship to empirical research in the social and cognitive sciences.
Topics will include
• Philosophical skepticism and real-life (science) skepticism
• Folk epistemology and its relation to epistemology
• Epistemic norms of assertion and science communication
• Internalism and externalism in epistemology and mind
• Intuitive judgments and philosophical methodology
• The epistemic roles of science in society
The Summer School is free but limited to 50 participants. Online application is possible through April 15. Please supply a short letter that sketches your academic background and main motivation for participating in the Summer School. If you are interested in giving a brief presentation (approx. 20 minutes) related to Gerken’s work, please also send an abstract of no more than 1,000 words. We will inform you about the result of your application soon after the deadline.
Apply via email to:
summerschoolphilosophy@uni-koeln.de„>summerschoolphilosophy@uni-koeln.de
http://cssip.uni-koeln.de/
