Workshop topic: \;our lives are pervaded by commitments: you might be committed to meeting a friend for dinner\, exercising four times per week\, learning a language\, being considerate\, sustaining a friendship\, promoting a political cause. \; Some commitments are relatively trivial and readily set aside. \; Others are deeper and more resistant to change. \; When people display extreme degrees of commitment\, we sometimes describe them as \;devoted. \; \;Devotion \;seems to involve a particularly robust form of commitment\, which might differ from standard forms of commitment in its intensity\, stability\, resistance to compromise\, epistemic status\, or deliberative weight. \; \;
This conference seeks to explore the relationship between devotion and \;meaning in life. \;How does devotion connect to our desire for a meaningful or purposeful life? \; What needs\, longings\, or motivations drive us to express devotion? \; Do different objects of devotion (such as devotion to fitness communities\, to sports teams\, to political causes\, etc.) fulfill these needs in different ways? \; Is devotion linked in important ways to our identity? \; To our sense of what is important?
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Confirmed Speakers:
Ruth Chang \;(Oxford\, Philosophy/Jurisprudence) \;
Joshua Hicks \;(Texas A&\;M\, Psychology)
Antti Kauppinen \;(Univ. of Helsinki\, Philosophy)
\nSimon May (King's College London\, Philosophy)
\nCrystal Park \;(UConn\, Psychology) \;
Plus approximately five additional talks selected from abstract submissions. \;
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\nCALL FOR ABSTRACTS:
\nPlease submit a brief abstract (approximately 500 words\, prepared for blind review) to \;DevotionConf@gmail.com. \; In the body of your email\, include your paper title\, name\, institutional affiliation\, and contact information. \; If you are interested in being a commentator\, please indicate this in your email. \;
\nSubmissions are due by August 30\, 2024. \; We hope to issue acceptances by the end of September. \;
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