N°84
-
2025/1
Prospective reflections in cognition sciences
Athéa Héloïse, Cohen Laura, Monier Cyril
Call for Papers: Special Issue of Intellectica
The journal Intellectica invites submissions for a special issue dedicated to a reflection, both prospective and retrospective, on cognitive sciences, and their current academic and institutional situation. This special issue builds upon initiatives such as the PIRSTEC prospective (2008–2010) and previous issues published by Intellectica, notably issue 64 (2015). The latter established a collective inquiry into epistemological tensions, conceptual divergences, and institutional challenges that structure this interdisciplinary field.
Ten years later, shifts in political, societal, climatic, health-related, and technological contexts call for updating these reflections. Cognitive sciences continue to evolve, notably driven by recent advances in neuroscience and artificial intelligence. They now feature prominently in media and public discourse, where terms like "brain" and "neuro" are pervasive, employed across varied contexts such as education, management, health, marketing, and personal development. This heightened media presence often leads to oversimplifications or even instrumentalization of scientific results, occasionally fostering neurocentric myths.
Paradoxically, however, cognitive sciences as an institutional field are experiencing a decline in France. Following enthusiasm in the 1990s and 2000s, incentive policies have waned, and regional networks have fragmented. Cognitive sciences still lack a dedicated CNU (French National Council of Universities) section and remain dispersed across various institutes. Concurrently, disciplines studying cognition (social sciences, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, health, philosophy, psychology, etc.) are becoming increasingly fragmented, accompanied by the emergence of diverse and sometimes competing conceptions of cognition. For instance, the rapid growth of artificial intelligence challenges the embodied and situated views of cognition. While this diversity is legitimate and productive, the absence of genuinely interdisciplinary working spaces risks compartmentalizing these approaches. Currently, there is a lack of regular, structured dialogue platforms to compare perspectives, better understand specific positions within each field, and identify key interlocutors across disciplines.
A synthesis effort seems necessary to clarify major trends, current conceptual and methodological challenges, and how knowledge from various disciplines can (or cannot) integrate. It is precisely in this context that Intellectica, committed to its interdisciplinary mission, seeks to foster structured dialogue. We hypothesize that this effort will help propose directions on how cognitive sciences could or should structure themselves to address emerging scientific and societal challenges. Thus, this special issue aims to critically review past developments to shed light on contemporary issues and identify innovative pathways and approaches for studying cognition and structuring the field.
This issue aligns with the current French national initiative CogGames – Prospective in Cognition – sparked by nearly 150 researchers from diverse disciplines who aimed to unify cognitive sciences. This initiative led to workshops whose themes were identified by our collective in January 2024 following a national consultation. It also culminated in a congress in Bordeaux in November 2024, where these themes were discussed (https://www.labri.fr/perso/falexand/CogGames2024.html). This gathering highlighted shared observations: the need to strengthen connections between sub-disciplines and better articulate scientific challenges with societal issues. This special issue of Intellectica aims to extend this momentum by providing an editorial platform for these collective reflections to be explored, debated, and contextualized.
Potential Themes for Contributions
Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes inspired by our workshops:
1. Theoretical Challenges in Cognitive Sciences
How have theories and key concepts in cognitive sciences evolved?
Interdisciplinarity and methodological plurality: how can knowledge integration be achieved?
What are the new methodological paradigms and associated epistemic challenges?
2. Institutional Challenges in Cognitive Sciences
Research policies and funding
Local and national institutional partnerships
Structuring cognitive research within institutions
3. Cognitive Sciences and Education
Transmission of cognitive sciences knowledge
Contribution of cognitive sciences to educational processes
Transfer of cognitive research findings to society
4. Cognitive Sciences and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Emerging scientific perspectives: modeling, data analysis, new technologies (robotics, autonomous agents)
AI's influence on our understanding of human cognition
Integrating AI into cognitive sciences as both a tool and an object of study
5. Cognitive Sciences and Society: Knowledge Transfer
How can cognitive sciences address societal challenges?
The role of cognitive sciences in resilience against misinformation campaigns, information bubbles, and digital manipulation
6. Cognitive Sciences and the Environment
How are cognitive sciences engaging with major ecological challenges?
7. Cognitive Sciences, Innovation, and Enterprise
Insights from cognitive sciences for understanding workplace behavior
Applications of cognitive sciences in business
Major industrial issues linked to cognitive science advances
Interactions between cognitive sciences, defense, and cybersecurity for analyzing human behavior in sensitive or conflictual environments
8. Cognitive Sciences and Health
Contributions to addressing major challenges in mental health, neurological, and psychiatric disorders
Effectiveness of cognitive science-based intervention techniques and assistive health technologies
Contributions to preventing health-risk behaviors (addictions, compulsive behaviors, psychoactive substance use, etc.)
We welcome contributions accessible to a broad, informed readership, analyzing and synthesizing complex issues without requiring extensive technical expertise.
Submission Guidelines
Articles in French or English (for non-French-speaking authors)
Expected length: 12–20 pages
Submit manuscripts or inquiries to: soumission@intellectica.org
Complete author guidelines: https://intellectica.org/fr/auteurs
Submission Deadline: October 31, 2025
We eagerly await your contributions for this special issue, which promises to be a pivotal moment of collective reflection, potentially shaping the future practices of cognitive sciences.
Coeditors of the issue:
Héloïse Athéa, Laura Cohen, Cyril Monier
The journal Intellectica invites submissions for a special issue dedicated to a reflection, both prospective and retrospective, on cognitive sciences, and their current academic and institutional situation. This special issue builds upon initiatives such as the PIRSTEC prospective (2008–2010) and previous issues published by Intellectica, notably issue 64 (2015). The latter established a collective inquiry into epistemological tensions, conceptual divergences, and institutional challenges that structure this interdisciplinary field.
Ten years later, shifts in political, societal, climatic, health-related, and technological contexts call for updating these reflections. Cognitive sciences continue to evolve, notably driven by recent advances in neuroscience and artificial intelligence. They now feature prominently in media and public discourse, where terms like "brain" and "neuro" are pervasive, employed across varied contexts such as education, management, health, marketing, and personal development. This heightened media presence often leads to oversimplifications or even instrumentalization of scientific results, occasionally fostering neurocentric myths.
Paradoxically, however, cognitive sciences as an institutional field are experiencing a decline in France. Following enthusiasm in the 1990s and 2000s, incentive policies have waned, and regional networks have fragmented. Cognitive sciences still lack a dedicated CNU (French National Council of Universities) section and remain dispersed across various institutes. Concurrently, disciplines studying cognition (social sciences, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, health, philosophy, psychology, etc.) are becoming increasingly fragmented, accompanied by the emergence of diverse and sometimes competing conceptions of cognition. For instance, the rapid growth of artificial intelligence challenges the embodied and situated views of cognition. While this diversity is legitimate and productive, the absence of genuinely interdisciplinary working spaces risks compartmentalizing these approaches. Currently, there is a lack of regular, structured dialogue platforms to compare perspectives, better understand specific positions within each field, and identify key interlocutors across disciplines.
A synthesis effort seems necessary to clarify major trends, current conceptual and methodological challenges, and how knowledge from various disciplines can (or cannot) integrate. It is precisely in this context that Intellectica, committed to its interdisciplinary mission, seeks to foster structured dialogue. We hypothesize that this effort will help propose directions on how cognitive sciences could or should structure themselves to address emerging scientific and societal challenges. Thus, this special issue aims to critically review past developments to shed light on contemporary issues and identify innovative pathways and approaches for studying cognition and structuring the field.
This issue aligns with the current French national initiative CogGames – Prospective in Cognition – sparked by nearly 150 researchers from diverse disciplines who aimed to unify cognitive sciences. This initiative led to workshops whose themes were identified by our collective in January 2024 following a national consultation. It also culminated in a congress in Bordeaux in November 2024, where these themes were discussed (https://www.labri.fr/perso/falexand/CogGames2024.html). This gathering highlighted shared observations: the need to strengthen connections between sub-disciplines and better articulate scientific challenges with societal issues. This special issue of Intellectica aims to extend this momentum by providing an editorial platform for these collective reflections to be explored, debated, and contextualized.
Potential Themes for Contributions
Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes inspired by our workshops:
1. Theoretical Challenges in Cognitive Sciences
How have theories and key concepts in cognitive sciences evolved?
Interdisciplinarity and methodological plurality: how can knowledge integration be achieved?
What are the new methodological paradigms and associated epistemic challenges?
2. Institutional Challenges in Cognitive Sciences
Research policies and funding
Local and national institutional partnerships
Structuring cognitive research within institutions
3. Cognitive Sciences and Education
Transmission of cognitive sciences knowledge
Contribution of cognitive sciences to educational processes
Transfer of cognitive research findings to society
4. Cognitive Sciences and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Emerging scientific perspectives: modeling, data analysis, new technologies (robotics, autonomous agents)
AI's influence on our understanding of human cognition
Integrating AI into cognitive sciences as both a tool and an object of study
5. Cognitive Sciences and Society: Knowledge Transfer
How can cognitive sciences address societal challenges?
The role of cognitive sciences in resilience against misinformation campaigns, information bubbles, and digital manipulation
6. Cognitive Sciences and the Environment
How are cognitive sciences engaging with major ecological challenges?
7. Cognitive Sciences, Innovation, and Enterprise
Insights from cognitive sciences for understanding workplace behavior
Applications of cognitive sciences in business
Major industrial issues linked to cognitive science advances
Interactions between cognitive sciences, defense, and cybersecurity for analyzing human behavior in sensitive or conflictual environments
8. Cognitive Sciences and Health
Contributions to addressing major challenges in mental health, neurological, and psychiatric disorders
Effectiveness of cognitive science-based intervention techniques and assistive health technologies
Contributions to preventing health-risk behaviors (addictions, compulsive behaviors, psychoactive substance use, etc.)
We welcome contributions accessible to a broad, informed readership, analyzing and synthesizing complex issues without requiring extensive technical expertise.
Submission Guidelines
Articles in French or English (for non-French-speaking authors)
Expected length: 12–20 pages
Submit manuscripts or inquiries to: soumission@intellectica.org
Complete author guidelines: https://intellectica.org/fr/auteurs
Submission Deadline: October 31, 2025
We eagerly await your contributions for this special issue, which promises to be a pivotal moment of collective reflection, potentially shaping the future practices of cognitive sciences.
Coeditors of the issue:
Héloïse Athéa, Laura Cohen, Cyril Monier