Two Social Philosophy Conferences
Kevin Richardson
December 11, 2024
I’m organizing two conferences this year. If you do social philosophy or ontology, consider submitting something to one of them!
Knowledge in Crisis Social Metaphysics Workshop
Knowledge in Crisis Social Metaphysics Workshop
The Knowledge in Crisis Social Metaphysics Workshop will be held on June 25-28, 2025 in Vienna, Austria. The workshop is hosted by Central European University (CEU) as part of its Knowledge in Crisis Project, supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). The conference is organized by Asya Passinsky (CEU) and Kevin Richardson (Duke University).
The keynote speakers are: - Kit Fine (NYU) - Katharine Jenkins (Glasgow) - Hans Bernhard Schmid (Vienna)
The workshop is about social metaphysics, broadly construed. We are interested in questions that include, but are not limited to, the following:
- What are social objects and how do they differ from other ordinary objects? What is the nature of money, laws, nations, borders, corporations, property, etc.?
- What is a social group? What is group agency/belief/intention? What are social structures and institutions?
- What are social kinds and how do they differ from natural kinds? What form of mind-dependence do social kinds exhibit? Are social kinds real? What is race, gender, sexuality, disability, and mental illness? Are these natural or socially constructed categories? What does it mean for something to be socially constructed?
- What is ontological justice? How does social ontology bear on considerations of justice and morality? How do considerations of justice and morality bear on social ontology?
- How can notions such as essence, real definition, grounding, fundamentality, and truthmaking be applied to the social world?
The workshop will consist primarily of pre-read sessions. Each of these sessions will have one speaker and two commentators. The conference uses a three-day (2 full days, 1 half day) schedule.
To be considered as a speaker, please submit a full-length philosophy paper (5,000 - 8,000 words) by February 1st, 2025 using this form: https://form.jotform.com/243055010684146. The cost of accommodation will be covered for accepted speakers. Two lunches and a conference dinner will also be covered. We are unable to cover travel expenses.
Speaker selections will be made partly on the basis of considerations having to do with diversity of topics and career stage. In particular, we will prioritize contributions from early-career social ontologists.
A call for commentators and non-presenting attendees will be posted at a later date. If you have any questions about the conference, please email kevin.richardson@duke.edu and passinskya@ceu.edu.
Important Dates
February 1st, 2025: deadline for submission
March 1st, 2025: notification of acceptance
June 25-28: conference
Duke Social Philosophy Conference
Duke Social Philosophy Conference
The Duke Social Philosophy conference will be held on May 13-14, 2025 in Durham, North Carolina. The conference is hosted by Duke University. The conference is organized by Kevin Richardson and Ásta. The two main goals of the conference are (a) to build community of social philosophers and (b) to share research across different areas of social philosophy.
Confirmed speakers are: * Jennifer Saul (Waterloo) - Shannon Sullivan (Charlotte) - Adam Hochman (Macquarie) - Jonathan Tsou (Dallas)
The conference is about social philosophy, broadly construed. Social philosophy includes, but is not limited to: - Social Ontology - Social Philosophy of Language - Social Epistemology - Non-Ideal Political Theory - Critical Theory - Feminist Philosophy - Philosophy of Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Disability - Philosophy of Social Science
The conference will feature several short talks across two days. Speakers will have 30 minutes to talk with 15 minutes Q&A. The first day (May 13) will be a half-day, starting in the afternoon. The second day (May 14) will be a full day.
There will be a boxed lunch on May 14, provided by the workshop. There will also be a dinner on May 13; the dinner will be for conference speakers and select individuals. Drinks and light refreshments will be available each day.
To be considered as a speaker, please submit an abstract by January 15, 2025 (https://form.jotform.com/243502097686160). Unfortunately, we are unable to offer travel funding or lodging for accepted speakers.
Speaker selections will be made partly on the basis of considerations having to do with diversity of topics and career stage. In particular, we will prioritize contributions from early-career social philosophers.
A call for commentators and non-presenting attendees will be posted at a later date. If you have any questions about the conference, please email us at kevin.richardson@duke.edu and asta.asta@duke.edu.
Important Dates
January 15, 2025: deadline for submission February 15, 2025: notification of acceptance May 13-14, 2025: conference