CFP: Collective Responsibility for the Future
Submission deadline: December 22, 2014
Conference date(s):
June 15, 2015 - June 16, 2015
Conference Venue:
Department of Philosophy, Georgia State University, Jean Beer Blumenfeld Center for Ethics
Dublin,
Ireland
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Call for Papers
‘Collective Responsibility for the Future’
A conference to be held at University College Dublin, 15-16 June, 2015
Sponsored by:
School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin, Ireland
The Jean Beer Blumenfeld Center for Ethics, Georgia State University, USA
Keynote speakers:
Simon Caney (Political Theory, University of Oxford, UK) - “The Collective Duty to Resist Injustice and to Create Just Institutions”
Philip Pettit (Political Theory, Fall Semester: University Center for Human Values, Princeton University, USA; Spring (northern) Semester: School of Philosophy, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT Australia) - “Incorporating for Responsibility”
Collectives sometimes unjustly harm people, either intentionally or by accident. Scholars and laypersons increasingly discuss whether and how they can be considered responsible for these wrongs, and what, if anything, those collectives should then do. Some have suggested various forms of reparations, commemoration, or memorialization. However, the most important lesson to be learned from any instance of historic injustice should be preventing such things from happening again. Since collectives are in a position to cause great harms, and may have significant resources, they may have prospective responsibilities to invest in moral, political, and social safeguards against injustice.
Responsibility as such is a complex issue. It is difficult to identify clearly the relevant criteria for causal and moral responsibility (backwards-looking responsibility) and any rectificatory duties that follow from this. It is no easier to determine who has prospective responsibilities with regard to any particular issue, and under which circumstances. Finally, we also need to determine the relevant justifications for allocating remedial responsibility for addressing problems that concern society, irrespective of who or what had been their cause.
Discussing these questions in the context of collectives rather than individuals adds a further layer of complexity. To what extent either of these can be conceived in collective terms is a matter of debate. Even if this were agreed, it remains to be considered upon which collectives such responsibilities fall and how responsibilities are distributed between collectives and individuals.
This conference will be a forum for presenting recent scholarship on whether, why, how, and what kinds of responsibilities collectives might have with regard to the future. Possible topic areas include:
• joint action and collective agency
• collective/group identities
• group intentionality and moral responsibility
• the distribution of group responsibilities to members
• bridging the gap between retrospective and prospective orientations
• epistemic limits to assignments of group responsibility
• analyses of how responsibilities differently apply to nations/states/peoples
• collective rights and responsibilities
• the particular challenges of climate change
• collective responsibility and war
• and related themes
Submitting a proposal:
1. Prepare an extended abstract as an attachment in MS Word or a .pdf (500-750 words, including select bibliography). The abstract should be suitable for blind review.
2. Include in the body of the email relevant contact information: the author(s), department(s) and affiliation(s), mailing address(es), email address(es); and phone number(s).
3. Email the abstract and contact information to Claire Murata Kooy at kkooy[at]gsu[dot]edu by Monday, 22 December 2014.
Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by mid-February 2015. Completed papers would be due 20 April, 2015.
Conference registration information: coming in early 2015 - http://ethics.gsu.edu/
Travel and accommodations information: coming in early 2015 - http://ethics.gsu.edu/
Contacts:
Andrew I. Cohen
Director, Jean Beer Blumenfeld Center for Ethics
Department of Philosophy
Georgia State University
P. O. Box 3994
Atlanta, GA 30302-3994 USA
aicohen[at]gsu[dot]edu
[1] 404-413-6111
Iseult Honohan
UCD School of Politics and International Relations
University College Dublin
Belfield, Dublin 4
Ireland
iseult.honohan[at]ucd[dot]ie