Autonomy: Theory and Practice

The New York University Center for Bioethics and the New York Institute of Philosophy are pleased to present the inaugural ‘Autonomy: Theory and Practice’ workshop to be held at New York University on Friday and Saturday, October 3-4, 2025.

The goal of the workshop is to bring together scholars working on theoretical approaches to autonomy with those seeking to better understand how autonomy and respect for autonomy manifest in practice.

The workshop is organized by Daniel Fogal (New York University), Sophie Gibert (New York University/University of Pennsylvania), and Ben Schwan (Case Western Reserve University). Funding is generously provided by the New York Institute of Philosophy (https://as.nyu.edu/research-centers/nyip.html), directed by Paul Boghossian and Miranda Fricker.

We have limited space for in-person attendance at this event (and there will be no Zoom option). Please register using the link below. The workshop organizers will follow up with you to confirm your spot for participation as an audience member.

Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SCHyRYjp-5YgOpmNk5R8ucG0Df_lIhtT9QE0dKwSqtQ

Friday, October 3

12:30-1:00pm - Coffee, light refreshments (provided)

1:00-2:15pm - Jimmy Goodrich (Wisconsin-Madison) - ‘Wage Slavery (Or Why You Can’t Consent to Exploitation)’; Chair: Nick French (NYU)

2:30-3:45pm - David Wendler (NIH) - ‘Fixing Responsibility’; Chair: Jen Semler (Cornell Tech)

4:00-5:15pm - Natalie Stoljar (McGill) - ‘Two Conceptions of Relational Autonomy’; Chair: Laura Specker Sullivan (Fordham)

5:30-7:00pm - Workshop reception (everyone invited)

Saturday, October 4 

9:00-9:30am - Coffee, light breakfast (provided)

9:30-10:45am - Ben Schwan (Case Western Reserve) - ‘Desiderata for a New Measure of Patient Autonomy’; Chair: Sophie Gibert (Penn)

11:00-12:15pm - Lindsey Chambers (Kentucky) - ‘Enhancement, Autonomy, and the Limits of Beneficence’; Chair: Shen Pan (NIH)

12:15-1:45pm - Lunch

1:45-3:00pm - Jennifer Hawkins (Duke) - TBA; Chair: Marie Nicolini (Harvard)

3:15-4:30pm - Andrew Franklin-Hall (Toronto) - ‘Decision-Making Capacity as Answerability’; Chair: Daniel Karel (NIH)

4:45-6:00pm - David Enoch (Oxford) - ‘Why Isn’t (Purely) Epistemic Autonomy of Value?’; Chair: Daniel Fogal (NYU)