Habit and Attention
March 12–13, 2026
Habits, understood as actions carried out with minimal conscious oversight, have long intrigued thinkers because they blur the boundary between innate and acquired dispositions. Attention, by contrast, denotes the mind’s deliberate orientation. Both are conceptually interdependent: attention can crystallize into habit and conversely disrupt or reshape habitual patterns, a dynamic explored historically in philosophy, theology, aesthetics, and cognitive practice. In light of contemporary concerns—especially digital distraction—the workshop seeks to unite scholars and practitioners to examine how cultivating resilient habits of attentiveness can inform ethical, clinical, and contemplative approaches across disciplines.
Convener
Contact
Participants
Lorraine J.
Daston
Permanent Fellow
Max-Planck-Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte, Berlin
Giovanni
Galizia
Permanent Fellow
Universität Konstanz
Karin
Jensen
Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
Benjamin
Piekut
Fellow
2025/2026
Cornell University
Karma
Ura
Fellow
2025/2026
Centre for Bhutan and Gross National Happiness Studies, Thimphu