Hosted by CEVI at the University of Gent in association with CAPPE\, \;University of Brighton
Anglophone philosophy began to supplant discussions of morals with \;deliberations on &lsquo\;ethics&rsquo\; in the 1980s. In reaction to both \;assertions of a &lsquo\;primacy&rsquo\; of morality by established interests and \;competing claims for either moral universalism or moral relativism\, \;&lsquo\;morality&rsquo\; fell out of favour\, to be replaced by &lsquo\;ethics&rsquo\;. \;Bernard Williams&rsquo\; Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy is the seminal \;text representing this shift. In a similar vein\, critical theorists \;influenced by Habermas have used a distinction between ethics and \;morality to rethink the ethical limits of particular communities\, a \;defence of moral universalism that has come to be widely questioned in \;recent years.
At the same time\, however\, these moves - whatever their original merits \;- have been made problematic as both the elusiveness of the concept of \;&lsquo\;ethics&rsquo\; and the business of &lsquo\;doing ethics&rsquo\; proliferate so \;wildly that they have arguably become uselessly empty. Ethics is \;everywhere - in the media\, in politicians&rsquo\; &ldquo\;policies&rdquo\; and even in \;the market\; and codes of conduct and \;organisational policies are replete \;with ethics. Consider for example the development of &lsquo\;professional \;ethics&rsquo\;\, &lsquo\;research ethics&rsquo\;\, &lsquo\;business ethics&rsquo\;\, public service \;integrity and standards and &lsquo\;bio-medical ethics&rsquo\;. While these sound \;differently eccentric from &lsquo\;getting the morality right&rsquo\;\, they \;constitute a contemporary mantra influencing political standards\, policy \;and professional practice.
The result is that &lsquo\;ethics&rsquo\; comes with as much baggage - different \;though that baggage is - as &lsquo\;morality&rsquo\;. The contemporary mantra of \;&lsquo\;getting the ethics right&rsquo\; obscures and impedes thinking about \;the good\, the right and the just no less effectively - perhaps more \;effectively? - than the moralism of &lsquo\;morality&rsquo\;.
This workshop thus seeks to:
We welcome discussion and position papers that speculate\, question and \;think as much as (if not more than) polished pieces\; and we hope to \;attract a group of scholars who will want to develop something more \;substantial from this small starting-point.
Contributions that will take no more than 20 minutes to present (though \;we will pre-circulate papers submitted early enough) are sought from \;scholars from any disciplinary or trans-disciplinary position\, whether \;their offer is philosophical and conceptual or explores the question \;through a particular paradigm\, perspective\, discipline or problem. The \;intention of the organizers is to choose a small number of papers in \;order to leave space for discussion and reflection and to privilege \;contributions where contributors will attend both full days of the workshop. Those wishing to offer a paper should send their abstract (no \;more than 300 words)\, name\, contact details and affiliations to both \;e-mail addresses below by Thursday December 6th at 12pm. Responses - \;acceptances and rejections with regret - will be mailed the following \;week. Non-presenting contributors are also welcome to participate\, though \;there are limited places to do so. They should e-mail name\, contact \;details and affiliations to both e-mail addresses below by Thursday \;December 6th by 12pm. Responses - acceptances and rejections with regret \;- will be mailed the following week
A fee of 120 Euros will be charged for administration\, conference pack\, \;refreshments and lunches for both days. \;There may be a publication arising from this project but this is not a \;primary intention of the workshop and will only be considered after the \;workshop has taken place. \;
All enquiries should be sent to all three of the \;organisers:
Prof. Bob Brecher\, CAPPE\, University of Brighton - \;r.brecher@brighton.ac.uk
Prof. Tom Claes\, Director\, CEVI\, Ghent University - Tom.Claes@UGent.be \;
Paul Reynolds\, Edge Hill University - \;reynoldp@edgehill.ac.uk