CFP: North American Society for Social Philosophy at the 2026 APA Pacific

North American Society for Social Philosophy at the 2026 APA Pacific

Children and an Uncertain Future

Sponsored by the North American Society for Social Philosophy

April 8-12, 2026

All-Online Meeting

NASSP plans to host two virtual affiliated group sessions during the APA Pacific Division Meeting on April 8-12, 2026. The theme for these sessions is Children and an Uncertain Future. This year's theme invites presentations on the future given challenges and opportunities presented by recent developments such as those in artificial intelligence, climate change, domestic and international conflicts, trade wars, and mass migration. Presentations may address these applied issues or engage theoretical topics such as longtermism and our responsibilities to future generations. Proposals for presentations in all areas of social philosophy (broadly construed) are welcome.

Abstracts of 250-500 words, prepared for anonymous review, should be submitted to the Pacific Division representatives on or before the deadline: September 15, 2025. Acceptance/rejection decisions will be emailed to authors by October 15, 2025, if not sooner.

Abstracts should:

• Convey an identifiable and engaging thesis, argument, or overall perspective.
• Motivate the author’s approach to the issue, by outlining the argument or explaining why a particular theoretical frame is helpful.
• Be clear and well-written, avoiding jargon when possible and explaining it when necessary.
• Demonstrate some engagement with the relevant literature, either through brief citations or an awareness of existing contributions.

Some possible topics on this year’s theme of Children and an Uncertain Future include:

• Choosing to have or not to have children in an uncertain future
• Responsibilities to future generations
• Moral claims of future generations
• Children and digital autonomy
• Social and racial justice in a world of algorithms
• Moral status of artificial intelligence
• Automation, work, and the next generation of obsolescence
• Children in conflict zones
• Perpetual war and armed conflict
• Human rights and the prospects of lasting peace
• Borders and the future
• The future of immigration justice and refugee rights
• The future of climate justice
• Trade war ethics
• Longtermism
• Prioritizing present or future lives
• The future of human flourishing
• Uncertainty and the ethics of future planning

The Pacific Division Representatives:

Chong Choe-Smith, California State University Sacramento ([email protected])

Christopher Innis, Boise State University ([email protected])

Accessibility and Inclusivity

NASSP is committed to creating an inclusive intellectual community where philosophers from historically marginalized groups feel welcome and are able to participate. NASSP recognizes that there are a variety of barriers of entry due to systemic discrimination and oppression that might prohibit participation in its events and governance (and in professional philosophy more broadly). NASSP is committed to removing those barriers and challenging oppressive norms within the profession more broadly, specifically (though not exclusively) for those related to race, ethnicity, Indigeneity, sexual orientation, ability, class, or gender.

Note: Some of the topics above were selected or modified from conversation with GPT-4: OpenAI. (2025, July 30). ChatGPT (GPT-4o) response to a user question about AI and philosophy conference topics. https://chat.openai.com/chat