Virtues and vices across philosophical traditions

Overview: In recent decades, there has been a lot of notable work undertaken by contemporary philosophers (e.g., Heather Battaly, Jason Baehr and Nicholas Bommarito) to examine how different kinds of virtues and vices develop and flourish in non-ideal contexts as a result of a variety of different factors. While some of this work has engaged with non-Western traditions, this engagement has been so far somewhat limited. To address this, we welcome submissions for a conference that will take place at Duke University on May 18th-19th on the topic of virtues and vices in non-ideal contexts across philosophical traditions. The goal of this conference is to ideally bring in conversation scholars engaged in comparative work across different philosophical traditions (e.g., Ancient Greek and Roman, Chinese, Mexican, Indian, etc.) to discuss how virtues and vices have been viewed by philosophers in different traditions. Some possible topics for submissions are the following ones:

-Are certain virtues or vices tied to certain forms of social organization or certain social values?

-What is the impact of social conditions on the development of certain virtues or vices?  

-How do gender and social expectations shape the development of certain virtues or vices across cultures?

-Are there certain virtues or vices that individuals are more susceptible to develop in light of certain specific conditions (e.g., oppression, immigration to a different country, etc.)? 

We especially encourage submissions from members of marginalized groups.

Format: During this workshop, we will have 8 speakers to discuss questions in relation to virtues and vices across different philosophical traditions. Each session will be 1.5 hour (40-minute presentation, 5-minute comment, and 45-minute open discussion). If your abstract is selected, you must submit the full paper to the organizer at [email protected] by May 1. You might also be asked to comment on another paper at the workshop, if there is natural alignment among topics and interests.

Time and Location: Duke University, May 19-20

Currently Confirmed Speakers: 

                                   Cinzia Aruzza (New School)                                  

                                   Lori Gallegos (Texas State University)

                                   Sofia Ortiz Hinojosa (Vassar College)

                                   Rachel Singpurwalla (Maryland, College Park)                                                                                                         

Organizers: Francisco Gallegos (Wake Forest University)

                     Sergio Gallegos (John Jay College-CUNY)

                     Wenjin Liu (Duke University)

Submission Guidelines: Please submit an abstract of approximately 300 words (excluding bibliography), prepared for blind review. Please also submit a separate cover page that includes your name, affiliation, and email address. All submissions and inquires should be sent to [email protected]. The deadline for submission is April 7. We plan to notify selected presenter by April 14. 

Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we are able to offer a 300-dollar stipend to each presenter whose abstrract is selected.