Practical Philosophy at Institutional Intersections

In recent years, philosophy has focussed significant attention on aspects of the social world that structure and shape our everyday lives. Examining our experience from a socially embedded perspective, this work aims to not only explain common and troubling social phenomena but also contribute to practical ameliorative impact in the world. The topic of our conference is where this growing scholarship in practical philosophy intersects with institutional boundaries, where robust understandings of experiences and social phenomena can be challenged by different disciplinary perspectives and institutional viewpoints/priorities.

We invite novel contributions from early-career (within 3 years of PhD) and postgraduate philosophers, legal scholars, political theorists and others using philosophy to tackle social, political and ethical issues that arise at the intersection of institutions. We understand ‘institutions’ in broad terms, encompassing both formal (whether that be public or private) and informal institutions (such as social practices, customs, and shared language use). We welcome scholars bringing personal, practical and interdisciplinary perspectives to their philosophical work.

The full conference schedule is as follows:

Day One (Wednesday, 21st of May)

13.30 - Symbolic Speech and Civic Agency at Institutional Intersections

Jimena Zapata - Ludwig Maximilians Universität München

14.20 – Break

14.30 - The Paradox of Online Self-Presentation: Shame, Control, and Bad Faith

Wanda von Knobelsdorff - University College London

15.20 - Tea and Coffee Break

16.00 - Context Collapse Online (Keynote)

Lucy McDonald - King’s College London

17.30 - Day One Closing Remarks

Day Two (Thursday, 22nd of May)

9.30 - Breakfast

10.00 - Humanitarian Intervention, Consent and the Consideration Requirement

Gregor Hofstede

10.50 – Break

11.00 - On Sovereignty, Legitimacy, and the “Common Good” After Neoliberalism: A Normative Reconstruction

Alessandro Volpi - Vita-Salute San Raffaele University

11.50 – Break

12.00 - How to Think About the Power of Numbers

Theodore Becker-Jacob - Princeton University

12.50 - Lunch

14.00 - The Burden of Proof: Should Adolescents be Legally Presumed Incompetent on an Age-Based Distinction?

Katerina Jennings - University of Oxford

14.50 – Break

15.00 - What is Conversion Therapy? What is Wrong with Conversion Therapy?

Samuel Cole - University of Cambridge 

15.50 – Break

16.30 - Consent, Refusal, and Other Unsettled Speech Acts (Keynote)

Quill Kukla - Georgetown University / Leibniz University Hannover

18.00 - Day Two Closing Remarks