CFP: Art, Imagination and Morality

We invite submissions for Art, Imagination and Morality, a conference to be held at Trinity College, Oxford on 20-21 June 2024.

This conference aims to bring into dialogue graduate and early-career researchers working in Aesthetics, Ethics and Philosophy of Mind to discuss the various philosophical issues that occur at the intersections of Art, Imagination and Morality.

The conference will feature two keynote speakers, Dr. James Grant (Oxford University) and Dr. Ella Whiteley (Sheffield University), in addition to eight accepted papers from a mixture of graduate students and early-career researchers (5 years since PhD conferral, excluding career breaks) which will receive comments from faculty.

We invite submissions on topics at the the intersection of Art, Imagination and Morality, including (but not limited to):

• Immoral art and artists
• Cancel culture
• Ethics of imagination and fantasy
• Art challenging moral norms
• Pornography
• Imaginative engagement with video games and virtual reality
• Immoral humour
• Art as fostering empathy
• The interaction of aesthetic/ethical value
• Imaginative resistance
• The role of art and imagination in producing ethical knowledge


Submissions for 30 minute (in-person) presentations should comprise an anonymised .pdf containing a title and 500 word abstract. Please include a separate document including name, paper title, institution, PhD conferral date (past or expected) and contact details. Submissions should be sent to Alex Fisher at [email protected]. Receipt of submission will be confirmed by email. Please note that we cannot accept more than one submission per person, nor submissions to present online.

The deadline for submissions is 1st March. We aim to notify authors of decisions in mid-March. Full papers of 3,500 words maximum (excluding abstract, footnotes, and references) will be due by 20th April for distribution to commentators.

We will offer accommodation for all accepted speakers, though we cannot provide reimbursement for travel costs. There will be no attendance fee. We will cover the cost of a conference dinner for all speakers on Thursday 20th.

We are able to cater to those with dietary requirements, our venue is wheelchair accessible, and we are very happy to provide further information about childcare options in Oxford. Please do contact us with any queries about these aspects.

We adhere to the BPA/SWIP good practice guidelines and especially encourage submissions from women and other under-represented groups.

This conference is supported by the Aristotelian Society, the British Society of Aesthetics, the Mind Association, the Society for Applied Philosophy, and Trinity College, Oxford.

For any further information, please contact Alex Fisher at [email protected]

Conference organisers:

Dr Zoe Walker (Trinity College, Oxford)

Alex Fisher (University of Cambridge)