CFP: Love and Loneliness

Recent philosophical work treats loneliness as a phenomenon that arises when one fails to be loved, whether loved at all or loved properly. This workshop seeks to explore the relationship between loneliness and various forms of loving relationship. In addition to abstracts for projects that examine how love and loneliness intersect, we welcome submissions only on love or only on loneliness.

Keynote Speakers: Kyla Ebels-Duggan (Northwestern University), Vida Yao (UCLA)

We welcome presentations on the following (non-exhaustive) list of questions:

• How might certain forms of loving relationship serve to alleviate experiences of loneliness? Might certain forms of love (e.g. agapic, attentive, gracious) be better able to do this?
• What explains the persistence of loneliness even in loving relationships? Are there forms of loneliness that cannot be ameliorated or resolved by loving relationships?
• What is the normative significance of loneliness?
• What is the relevance of love’s grounding to loneliness as a psychological phenomenon (if any)?
• What accounts for idiosyncrasies among different individuals’ experiences of loneliness? How might one’s experiences of loneliness be shaped by socialization into certain expectations or values related to love? Might various forms of social oppression restrict one’s ability to engage in fulfilling loving relationships, thereby making loneliness more likely?
• What are the differences between different kinds of loving relationship? Are certain forms of loving relationship necessary for human flourishing? What are our obligations (if any) to the unloved or lonely?

Call for abstracts: Please submit a brief abstract (approximately 500 words) to [email protected]. In the body of your email, include your (i) paper title, (ii) name, (iii) institutional affiliation, and (iv) contact information. If you are interested in being a commentator, please indicate this in your email. Submissions are due by August 31, 2024. Program decisions will be announced by mid-September 2024.

Questions about the workshop can be directed to Kaitlyn Creasy at [email protected].