Fifth Italian Conference on Analytic Ontology (including a Workshop on Contingentism)

CALL FOR PAPERS: Fifth Italian Conference on Analytic Ontology (including a Workshop on

Contingentism)

Padova, June 27th-28th 2016

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: March 30th 2016

The Fifth Italian Conference on Analytic Ontology will be held in Padova

on June 27th-28th 2016. Previous Italian Conferences on Analytic

Ontology have been held, since 2003, in Padova, Pisa, Bergamo and Torino

and their organizers were Andrea Bottani, Maurizio Ferraris, Massimo

Mugnai.

The Conference is an occasion for discussing innovative research in

analytic ontology and metaphysics. We invite submissions on the

following broad research areas:

1) Methodology of Ontology and Metaphysics (Metaontology;

Metametaphysics; Descriptive vs Revisionary Ontology; Grounding;

Metaphysical Explanation);

2) Time and Change (Theories of Persistence; Ontology and Metaphysics of

Time; Philosophy of Time-Travel; Metaphysical Relevance of Relativity

Theory);

3) Abstract and Fictional Entities (Nominalism vs Realism;

Indispensability Arguments; Fictionalism; Ontology of Mathematics;

Abstract-Concrete Distinction);

4) Substance and Properties (Metaphysics of Substance; Properties and

Relations; Universals vs Tropes; Instantiation);

5) Mereology and Constitution (Mereological Essentialism; Classical

Mereology vs. Hylomorphism; Ordinary Objects; Composition and 5)

Vagueness; Monism vs Dualism about Material Constitution);

6) History of Metaphysics (Aristotle and Neo-Aristotelian Approaches in

Metaphysics; Leibniz and Analytic Metaphysics, History of Early Analytic

Metaphysics; The Metaphysical Turn in Analytic Philosophy; History of

Mereology);

7) Metaphysics and Semantics (Propositions, Facts, Events, States of

Affairs; Truthmaking; Ontological Commitment; Quantifier Variance; Mass

Terms and Stuff Ontology);

8) Modal Metaphysics (Possible Worlds and Possibilia; Dispositions and

Powers; Counterpart Theory);

9) Social ontology (collective intentionality, group agency,

documentality, metaphysics of persons, ontology of law and money).

INVITED SPEAKERS

Carola Barbero (University of Torino)

David Braddon-Mitchell (University of Sydney)

Daniel Korman (University of Illinois)

Henry Laycock (Queen's University)

Matteo Morganti (University of Roma 3)

Kevin Mulligan (University of Genève)

Thomas Sattig (University of Tübingen)

Friederike Moltmann (CNRS Paris / New York University)

WORKSHOP ON CONTINGENTISM

In the recent literature, the word “contingentism” is used in two

seemingly disparate ways. On the one hand, metaphysical contingentism

(K. Miller, “Defending Contingentism in Metaphysics”, Dialectica 63,

2009) is the view that at least some metaphysical truths (e.g.: that

properties are universal, that composition is identity, that objects

persist through time) are contingently true if true.

On the other hand, according to T. Williamson (Modal Logic as

Metaphysics, OUP  2013), contingentism and necessitism are modal theses

about what there is. Namely, according to necessitism, necessarily

everything is necessarily something. Contingentism is the negation of

necessitism, and is the view that it is possible that something is

possibly nothing.

The aim of this workshop is to explore the possible connections between

these two kinds of contingentism (and the corresponding kinds of

necessitism) and to investigate more specific issues, such as:

a. contingentism and mathematical objects;

b. contingentism and set-theory;

c. contingentism and the metaphysics of properties;

d. contingentism, necessitism and grounding; 

e. contingent identity;

f. contingentism and a priori/a posteriori knowledge;

g. expressive limitations of contingentism. 

INVITED SPEAKER: Kristie Miller (University of Sydney)

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: March 30th 2016

SUBMISSIONS

Contributors will have 40 minutes, ideally divided into 30 minutes of

exposition and 10 minutes of discussion. The language of the conference

will be English.

Those wishing to deliver a talk should submit an abstract of maximum 700

words. The abstract should be prepared for double-blind review and sent

to the following email address as a PDF attachment:

[email protected]. The outcome of the refereeing process will be

notified by April 30th 2016. Please indicate in the headline of your

submission if you intend to submit your abstract for the general

conference or for the workshop on contingentism.

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

- Massimiliano Carrara ([email protected])

- Ciro De Florio ([email protected])

- Giorgio Lando ([email protected])

- Vittorio Morato ([email protected])

IMPORTANT DATES

- Deadline for submissions: March 30th 2016.

- Notifications of acceptance: April 30th 2016.

- Conference dates: June 27th-28th 2016.