March 19 - 20, 2026

Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum and Convention Center, Biloxi, MS

updated 03/03/2026

THURSDAY, MARCH 19: Hall D Room 7

8:20-8:30
Gregory Johnson

8:30-9:00
Kevin Morris, Tulane University
THE FALL OF EMERGENTISM AND THE RISE OF PHYSICALISM REVISITED

9:00-9:30
Kali Killingsworth, Arizona State University and Barrett: The Honors College
HYPERDIMENSIONAL NEUTRAL MONISM AND THE PROTO-PANPSYCHIST STRUCTURAL SOLUTION

9:30-9:40
Break

9:40-10:10
Fuyao Zhang, Tulane University
PHYSICALISM DEGENERATION

10:10-10:40
Gregory Ashby, University of New Orleans
MIND AS PROCESS: RECONSTRUCTING ENACTIVISM THROUGH PRIGOGINE AND WHITEHEAD

10:40-10:50
Break

10:50-11:50
INVITED KEYNOTE ADDRESS
John Bickle, Mississippi State University and University of Mississippi Medical Center
THE STORY OF ‘THE STORIES OF NEUROPHILOSOPHY’

11:50-1:30
Lunch

1:45-2:15
Kelly Dinneen, CUNY
MAPPING CONSCIOUSNESS ACROSS SPECIES: AN EXPERIMENTAL INTERFACE DESIGN

2:15-2:45
Gregory Johnson, Mississippi State University
WHY LLMs CAN’T THINK LIKE YOU

2:45-3:15

Kenneth Butler*, University of Mississippi Medical Center
Hamed Benghuzzi, Jackson State University
Michelle Tucci, University of Mississippi Medical Center
Gary Hamil, University of Mississippi Medical Center

THE ILLUSION OF CONSCIOUSNESS IN AI SYSTEMS

POSTER PRESENTATION
Silvia Boaventura, University of New Orleans
ONTOLOGICAL EVOLUTION: ARISTOTLE’S RELEVANCE IN MODERN SCIENCE

FRIDAY, MARCH 20: Hall D Room 12

8:30-9:00
Paula Smithka, University of Southern Mississippi
HOMEORHETIC DYNAMIC KINDS: COMPLEMENT OR REPLACEMENT OF HOMEOSTATIC PROPERTY CLUSTER KINDS?

9:00-9:30
Benjamin Aguda, University of New Orleans
THE CULTURAL-HISTORICAL LENS FOR HISTORICAL EPISTEMOLOGY

9:30-10:00
Lucas Rader, Mississippi State University
THE RESILIENCE OF KANT’S TRANSCENDENTAL GEOMETRY

10:00-10:15
Break

10:15-10:45
Jiusi Guo, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
SELECTING HYPOTHESES FOR PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRIES

10:45-11:15
Lillian Sisson*, Ralph Didlake (University of Mississippi Medical Center
TRACING THE ORIGINS OF MALARIA DIAGNOSTICS: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF AIMEE WILCOX’S SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS

11:15-11:45
Daniel Stearman, Tulane University
WALKING THROUGH THE DOORS OF PERCEPTION: GADAMER AND THE COMFORTING DELUSION OBJECTION

11:45-1:30
Lunch

1:30-2:00

Gary Hamil*, University of Mississippi Medical Center
Michelle Tucci, University of Mississippi Medical Center
Hamed Benghuzzi, Jackson State University
Kenneth Butler, University of Mississippi Medical Center

BALANCING AUTONOMY, COMPETENCY, AND SELF-DETERMINATION IN INDIVIDUALS WITH NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES

2:00-2:30
Kenneth Butler, University of Mississippi Medical Center
Gary Hamil*, University of Mississippi Medical Center
CHALLENGES WITH INFORMED CONSENT FOR BROAD INCLUSION AND LONGITUDINAL MEDICAL RECORDS RETRIEVAL

2:30-2:45
Break

2:45-3:15
Robert Waltzer, Belhaven University
STRESSES AND STRAINS: HOW IS MUSCLE DESIGNED TO HOLD UP?

3:15-3:45
John Neiswinger, Belhaven University
IN DEFENSE OF THE REALITY OF BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION

3:45-4:00
Business Meeting