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The aim of this conference at the Italian Centre of Analytical Psychology (CIPA) in Milan on 24th January 2009 was to bring together psychoanalysis, philosophy of science and neuroscience. The scientific activity of our Institute in Milan is an important part of our associative life and training. It is our responsibility as senior analysts in charge of training to bring new developments in the field of clinical and theoretical research to the attention of all our colleagues and students. Future generations of analysts will need to be familiar with relevant research in the scientific field as well as in analytical psychology. As pointed out by Solms, ‘the things we study in psychoanalysis are in fact the very same things that are studied by our colleagues in the neurological sciences … it is only our perceptual vantage points that are different. The underlying reality is the same’ (Solms 2003).
Scientific explanation and criticism are part of the validation of new discoveries. We had therefore invited colleagues who, in challenging the Jungian theorization of archetypes, had opened up new horizons in the understanding of the most controversial concepts of analytical psychology: Jean Knox and George Hogenson and with them the philosopher, Corrado Sinigaglia. Sinigaglia teaches Philosophy of Science and Epistemology of Human Science at Milan University and specializes in the field of mirror neurons. On at least two other occasions we had discussed with him the discovery of mirror neurons and their implications for the existing paradigms of psychology and psychoanalysis. We were privileged to have the opportunity to hear him discuss with Knox and Hogenson the early formation of mental concepts and the implications of these ideas for the future perspectives of analytical psychology.
The papers by Knox and Hogenson are published in this edition of the Journal of Analytical Psychology and Sinigaglia will be writing up his contribution for publication in a subsequent issue. H