CFP: The Ethics of Doubt

CFA: “The Ethics of Dobut” Workshop

The Institute of Philosophy at KU Leuven, Belgium, will host The Ethics of Doubt workshop on May 29 and 30, 2025. The event will bring together philosophers working on the ethics of doubt to present their current research on this topic. We are excited to announce that our keynote speakers will be Sophia Dandelet (Cambridge), Georgi Gardiner (Tulane), Eleanor Gordon-Smith (Princeton), and Jonathan Ichikawa (UBC).

1. Description

1.1 The Topic

Philosophers have extensively focused their attention on identifying when it is a mistake to believe. However, this focus has led them to overlook the following question: when, if ever, is it a mistake not to believe and instead suspend judgment? Doubting, wondering, and being skeptical are traditionally associated with being cautious, thoughtful, and deliberate—traits considered hallmarks of rationality. This association makes it harder to recognize and correct mistaken suspensions of judgment. Yet, suspending judgment can sometimes lead to consequences just as harmful as holding a mistaken belief. Consider, for example, cases of vaccine hesitancy or mistrust of sexual assault allegations. The Ethics of Doubt workshop aims to address and answer this and related questions.

1.2 The Event

The workshop will have a mixed format with parts centered around talks and Q&As and parts featuring less conventional discussion strategies or other activities. The final program and activities will be announced in due time.Conceived as the second in a series of three events hosted at the Institute of Philosophy at KU Leuven, this workshop is part of Dr. Francesco Praolini’s FWO-sponsored research project, New Perspectives on Epistemic Obligation. This workshop is also generously sponsored by Ethics@KU Leuven and the Hoover Foundation through the Hoover Ethical Initiatives funding scheme.

2. The Call for Abstracts

We seek four additional speakers to round out our lineup and soinvite submissions of abstracts on questions in the ethics of doubt.

One contributed speaker slot will be reserved for current PhD students or scholars who have earned their PhD within the past two years.

Submissions from academics from underrepresented groups in philosophy are especially encouraged. 

Abstracts should be: i) no more than 1000 words long, ii) prepared for anonymous review, and iii) suitable for a forty-five-minute presentation.

All submissions and inquiries should be sent to: [email protected]. We kindly ask you to send the author’s name, paper title, and affiliation in the body of the e-mail.

The submission deadline is April 25, 2025.

Expect notifications about the outcome by April 28, 2025.