Fordham Philosophy Graduate Student Conference: Philosophy & Crisis

2026 Fordham University Philosophy Graduate Student Conference

Conference Theme: Philosophy and Crisis

April 10 & 11, 2026

Invited Keynote Speaker: Dr. José Medina (Northwestern University)

In every domain of modern life, crisis seems to have become the defining condition of our age. Our TV stations and social media feeds are bloated with images of political violence, global conflict, and ecological catastrophe brought about by human-driven climate change. Yet the very technologies that inform us of these crises have generated another of their own: a crisis of knowing. The acceleration of information exchange has destabilized trust in once-stable systems of knowledge and knowledge dissemination, leaving the boundary between truth and falsehood increasingly opaque. Economic precarity has compounded this condition, producing crises of identity and purpose as younger generations struggle to form a coherent sense of self amid dwindling opportunity and accelerating inequality. And yet, these crises are not confined to politics or economy alone: the erosion of public education, the privatization of healthcare, and the growing alienation between men and women all point to a broader collapse of the social fabric itself.What, then, is philosophy’s task in this age of mass crisis?

This conference will provide a platform to examine how philosophy can evaluate, diagnose, and respond to crisis through our attempts at understanding it: is our task limited to interpretation and analysis, or do we have a role to play in articulating solutions and developing theoretical frameworks along which meaningful praxis can be carried out and crises be ameliorated?

Questions along this line of inquiry might include, but are not limited to:

• How can we grapple with the precarious conditions that underpin contemporary existence?

• In what ways can philosophy address political, economic, epistemic, environmental, relational, religious, identity, or health crises?

• How can we make sense of political instability?

• In times of crisis, how do we know which institutions we can rely on?

• How should we consider questions of trust during institutional instability?

• In what ways should we question the legitimacy of political authority when the institutions through which it is maintained and carried out are in flux?

• How can we make sense of violence in times of crisis? Can violence resolve crisis, or only deepen it? 

• How can we think of living in the wake of crisis and catastrophe?

• How have philosophers throughout history made sense of crisis? Are their approaches still valid?

• What is hope, and how is it useful in our encounter with crisis? In what forms can hope be manifested? In what ways can it be manipulated?

• Can hope actually lead to meaningful change?

• How should we define crisis? What is the criteria to say that we experience a current crisis?

Other work broadly related to “Philosophy and Crisis” is also welcome. We appreciate your participation and look forward to your contributions.

Please submit a 300-500 word abstract prepared for blind review to [email protected] in PDF format. In the body of the email, please include:

Name

Email

Paper title

Keywords (maximum five)

Institutional Affiliation

Submissions are due by January 10th. After anonymous review, applicants will be notified by January 25th.  Presentations will be limited to 20 minutes followed by a 10-minute Q&A.

The conference will take place in person on April 10th & 11th, 2026 on Fordham University’s Rose Hill campus located at 441 East Fordham Road, Bronx, NY 10458.

For questions, please contact the conference organizers at [email protected]