CFP: Manipulation: What it is, Why it matters, and How it shapes our lives
Submission deadline: June 25, 2025
Conference date(s):
July 23, 2025 - July 25, 2025
Conference Venue:
Centre fo Ethics and Philosophy in Practice, LMU Munich
Munich,
Germany
Details
Manipulation is a pervasive but poorly understood feature of our lives. It influences how we interact online, shop, vote, and even fall in love. From subtle marketing tactics to political messaging, and from nudging interfaces to AI-driven recommendation systems, manipulation seems to be everywhere and may be growing harder to detect. Technological advances such as deepfakes, algorithmic persuasion, and AI personalisation have made the need to understand manipulation more urgent than ever. Yet despite its practical importance, systematic philosophical inquiry into manipulation is still in its early stages.
Philosophical progress has been made, particularly on two foundational questions: (1) What distinguishes manipulation from other forms of influence, such as persuasion or coercion? (2) When, and why, is manipulation morally problematic? Competing answers to these questions are emerging, but no consensus has formed. Meanwhile, philosophical work in ethics, political theory, and the philosophy of technology increasingly engages with manipulation, but often without engaging with these emerging theories. This presents a dual challenge: to determine which theory best accounts for manipulation, and to explore how such theories can inform broader normative debates.
The year 2025 marks a turning point for the international debate, with the publication of the first two English-language monographs on the topic, by Robert Noggle and Shlomo Cohen, respectively. Both monographs offer comprehensive but competing accounts of the nature and normative status of manipulation. Alongside these, a new theory developed by Michael Klenk proposes yet another framework. This symposium takes the occasion to critically examine these three competing accounts and to assess their implications both within the philosophical study of manipulation and for broader debates in ethics, political philosophy, and the ethics of AI.
** Aims **
The symposium seeks to:
(1) Critically evaluate the leading philosophical theories of manipulation
(2) Compare and contrast the views of Noggle, Cohen, and Klenk
(3) Explore connections between manipulation and debates in normative ethics, political philosophy, and the ethics of AI
(4) Foster a growing intellectual community engaged in the philosophical study of manipulation and influence
** Symposium **
Each day will focus on one theory. The featured author will introduce their view, followed by at least three prepared commentaries and extended discussion. The symposium is pre-read: selected chapters will be distributed to participants in advance.
Day 1: Robert Noggle — The Mistake Account
Day 2: Shlomo Cohen — The Deflationary Account
Day 3: Michael Klenk — The Indifference View
** Keynote Speakers **
Robert Noggle (Central Michigan University)
Shlomo Cohen (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev)
** Talks and Commentaries **
Ron Aboodi (LMU)
Marius Baumann (LMU)
Gabriel DeMarco (University of Oxford)
Michael Klenk (LMU / TU Delft)
Vladimir Krstic (United Arab Emirates University)
Silvia Milano (LMU / University of Exeter)
Eric-John Russell (University of Potsdam)
Katharina Sodoma (LMU)
Gyburg Uhlmann (Nuremberg University of Technology)
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** Call for Abstracts **
We welcome submissions for 60-minute commentary presentations (30–40 minutes presentation + 20–30 minutes discussion) that engage with one or more of the featured accounts. Selected readings for fully preparing the commentaries will be shared with selected speakers before July 11, 2025.
Possible contributions may include but are not limited to: A critical assessment of a specific theory of manipulation; A comparative analysis of the competing accounts; An exploration of their relevance to normative ethics, political philosophy, or technology ethics; The presentation of own work that originally draws on or challenges the featured theories. We especially encourage cross-disciplinary perspectives and welcome submissions from philosophers of all career stages. Submissions from groups underrepresented in the current lineup of the symposium are particularly welcome.
*Submission details:
Abstracts should be no more than 3 pages (excluding references) and prepared for blind review. Include a separate cover sheet with your name, affiliation, and contact information. The abstract should outline ideas for the commentary and any preference you might have in terms of the theory you’d like to comment on.
Send submissions to Michael Klenk at [email protected] with the subject line: “Manipulation Symposium Submission”
Submission deadline: June 25, 2025
Notification of acceptance: June 30, 2025