Opportunity Overview
Context
This research will explore the nature of depression, moving beyond clinical and biochemical analysis. There is growing recognition that these conditions should be understood as changes to how individuals experience the world. For instance, Ratcliffe demonstrates that depression can be characterised as the experience of diminished possibilities (Ratcliffe, 2015, p.48). Similarly, Fuchs shows that psychiatric conditions involve a shift in one's experience of their body (Fuchs, 2010, p.554). These insights, while valuable, are phenomenological in nature; they are derived from the close analysis of human experience. Phenomenological ideas are often relegated to a status of description (Noë, 2007, p.232). They are said to describe what depression feels like, but they do not tell us what depression is. Addressing this requires a deeper investigation into the nature of experience itself.
To conduct this investigation, the project aims to integrate phenomenological insights with process philosophy -specifically drawing on the work of Whitehead. While phenomenology offers detailed analysis of human experience, process philosophy contends that experience itself is a complex mechanism, not limited to human subjectivity (Sherburne, 2010, p.7). According to Whitehead, experience is a mechanism by which entities relate to each other (Whitehead, 1985, p.23). While Ratcliffe and Fuchs provide valuable insights into the experience of depression, process philosophy reveals that experiences themselves are evolving processes with a temporal nature. I am to provide a framework for understanding how depressive states change over time, focussing on the development and treatment of the condition. Moreover, by grounding research into depression in the metaphysics of experience, the project will be able to provide a solid foundation for phenomenological observations; rendering them genuine insights, as opposed to descriptive ones.
Research Objectives:
- To transcend the...
This research will explore the nature of depression, moving beyond clinical and biochemical analysis. There is growing recognition that these conditions should be understood as changes to how individuals experience the world. For instance, Ratcliffe demonstrates that depression can be characterised as the experience of diminished possibilities (Ratcliffe, 2015, p.48). Similarly, Fuchs shows that psychiatric conditions involve a shift in one's experience of their body (Fuchs, 2010, p.554). These insights, while valuable, are phenomenological in nature; they are derived from the close analysis of human experience. Phenomenological ideas are often relegated to a status of description (Noë, 2007, p.232). They are said to describe what depression feels like, but they do not tell us what depression is. Addressing this requires a deeper investigation into the nature of experience itself.
To conduct this investigation, the project aims to integrate phenomenological insights with process philosophy -specifically drawing on the work of Whitehead. While phenomenology offers detailed analysis of human experience, process philosophy contends that experience itself is a complex mechanism, not limited to human subjectivity (Sherburne, 2010, p.7). According to Whitehead, experience is a mechanism by which entities relate to each other (Whitehead, 1985, p.23). While Ratcliffe and Fuchs provide valuable insights into the experience of depression, process philosophy reveals that experiences themselves are evolving processes with a temporal nature. I am to provide a framework for understanding how depressive states change over time, focussing on the development and treatment of the condition. Moreover, by grounding research into depression in the metaphysics of experience, the project will be able to provide a solid foundation for phenomenological observations; rendering them genuine insights, as opposed to descriptive ones.
Research Objectives:
- To transcend the...
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Start FreeSolicitation Details
| Issuing agency | AHRC |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Category | Research Development |
| Published | September 30, 2024 |
| Procurement stage | Active solicitation |
| Closed | Closing date not published |
| Status | Closed — no longer accepting responses |
| Official source | View original notice |
| Last verified | October 10, 2026 |
Source: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) — Open Government Licence v3.0.
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