Knowledge in Crisis Social Metaphysics Workshop

The Knowledge in Crisis Social Metaphysics Workshop will be held on June 25-28, 2025 in Vienna, Austria. The workshop is hosted by Central European University (CEU) as part of its Knowledge in Crisis Project, supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). The conference is organized by Asya Passinsky (CEU) and Kevin Richardson (Duke University). 

The keynote speakers are:

• Kit Fine (NYU)

• Katharine Jenkins (Glasgow)

• Hans Bernhard Schmid (Vienna)

The workshop is about social metaphysics, broadly construed. We are interested in questions that include, but are not limited to, the following:

• What are social objects and how do they differ from other ordinary objects? What is the nature of money, laws, nations, borders, corporations, property, etc.?

• What is a social group? What is group agency/belief/intention? What are social structures and institutions?

• What are social kinds and how do they differ from natural kinds? What form of mind-dependence do social kinds exhibit? Are social kinds real? What is race, gender,  sexuality, disability, and mental illness? Are these natural or socially constructed categories? What does it mean for something to be socially constructed? 

• What is ontological justice? How does social ontology bear on considerations of justice and morality? How do considerations of justice and morality bear on social ontology? 

• How can notions such as essence, real definition, grounding, fundamentality, and truthmaking be applied to the social world?

The workshop will consist primarily of pre-read sessions. Each of these sessions will have one speaker and two commentators. The conference uses a three-day (2 full days, 1 half day) schedule.

To be considered as a speaker, please submit a full-length philosophy paper (5,000 - 8,000 words) by February 1st, 2025 using this form: https://form.jotform.com/243055010684146. The cost of accommodation will be covered for accepted speakers. Two lunches and a conference dinner will also be covered. We are unable to cover travel expenses. 

Speaker selections will be made partly on the basis of considerations having to do with diversity of topics and career stage. In particular, we will prioritize contributions from early-career social ontologists.

A call for commentators and non-presenting attendees will be posted at a later date. If you have any questions about the conference, please email [email protected] and [email protected].

Important Dates

February 1st, 2025: deadline for submission

March 1st, 2025: notification of acceptance

June 25-28: conference