CFP: Collectivity

In recent years, “Collectives” have received increasing attention.
Researchers from different disciplines have investigated questions about
collective rationality, agency, decision making, as well collective
obligations, collective responsibilities and collective harms. This
conference aims to bring together philosophers and scholars from other
disciplines working on the various aspects of collectives. Questions
addressed at the conference include : Under what conditions do collectives
make decisions that satisfy consistency and coherence conditions? Are
collective decision-making procedures epistemically superior to the
procedures of individuals? How can we understand collective “consciousness”?
When do collectives have agency? What are collective intentions and how do
they relate to collective obligations? Are collective obligations ultimately
reducible to individual obligations? How do we assign responsibility among
members of a collective? How do group harms figure in the obligations –
responsibility framework? Are we responsible for the harms done by a group
we happen to be a member of? Do we have duties to collectivize?

Confirmed Keynote speakers so far:
Stephanie Collins (Manchester)
John Horton (Keele)
Holly Lawford-Smith (Sheffield)
Christian List (LSE)
Tariq Modood (Bristol)
Adam Rieger (Glasgow)

We invite paper proposals (of no more than 500 words) on those or related
issues.  Please send abstracts to: [email protected] by
20/6/2014. You will be informed about acceptance by early July. If you have
any queries, please also email: [email protected]

There will be a conference fee of £40; the conference is free for students,
the unwaged and members of the University of Bristol.

The conference is supported by the Department of Philosophy (European
Research Council), University of Bristol, the Centre for the Study of
Ethnicity and Citizenship at the University of Bristol, the Mind Conference
Grant and the Aristotelian Society Conference Grant.