Somogy Varga
Philosophy of Psychiatry/Mind
Visiting International Professor
Aarhus University
Somogy Varga is Professor for Philosophy at the School of Culture and Society at Aarhus University as well as fellow at the Aarhus Institute for Advanced Studies. His main research interests are interdisciplinary approaches to (1) Cognitive Scaffolding, (2) Social Cognition and, (3) Philosophy of Psychiatry.
- In his book Scaffolded Minds (MIT Press, 2019) he redefines the concept of scaffolding-borrowed from developmental psychology-proposing it to be permanent enhancement of our cognitive toolkit rather than a temporary aid. He develops a taxonomy of different scaffoldings and links it to understanding common symptoms in mental disorders.
- Prof. Varga studies the nature development of social cognition and its role in adapting to social changes, focusing on perceptual aspects of mindreading such as emotion recognition. He applies this perceptual framework to enhance understanding of, for example, autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- His interest in the philosophy of psychiatry is twofold: firstly, he utilizes psychopathological phenomena as empirical tests for philosophical theories, blending experimental manipulations with observations of natural occurrences in mental disorders. Secondly, the unique position of psychiatry within medicine and science broadly influences philosophical debates, particularly concerning the limits of naturalism and realism. In his Naturalism, Interpretation, and Mental Disorder (OUP, 2015), he explores how psychiatry’s distinct challenges contribute new perspectives and insights to broader philosophical discussions.
Further, representative publications are:
Varga, S. (2019). Challenges to the Dimensional Approach. Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology, 26(1), 77–79. https://doi.org/10.1353/ppp.2019.0005
Varga, S. (2018). Toward a Perceptual Account of Mindreading. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 100(2), 380–401. https://doi.org/10.1111/phpr.12556
Gallagher, S. & Varga, S. (2015). Social Cognition and Psychopathology. World Psychiatry, 14(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20173