The Wedding Conference: The Social Philosophy and Business Ethics of the American Wedding

This conference is about weddings themselves - not about marriage, in general. It will take place at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia on the weekend of November 3-5

Select conference presentations will be given by invited speakers, including:

David Velleman

Samantha Brennan

Alastair Norcross

Elizabeth Brake

Daniel Halliday

Additionally, the program is open to submissions of long abstracts for 5-7 open presentation slots on the program. Please see CFP.

Some prospective conference questions will be:

·         Is it wrong to make promises that we know we are statistically unlikely to keep? 

·         What role does an audience play in promise-making? (And breaking)

·         Commercially, do wedding markets involve wrongful exploitation? If so - what and whom is being wrongfully exploited?

·         Do wedding markets give rise to problems in business and consumer ethics? (e.g. false advertising; purchasing of products from immoral markets - e.g. diamonds)

·         Are anti-discrimination laws that (arguably) curtail religious freedom appropriately applied in consumer markets related to weddings: e.g. wedding cakes?

·         People spend a lot of money, time, and emotional energy on weddings. Is there any philosophical justification for it? What role do events like this play in the narrative of our lives? Our cultural heritage?

·         Do we owe it to our parents to have weddings - given that there are few other moments of public recognition for the parents of adult children in American social life?

·         Do idealizations about a bride's body (idealizations about size, age, and virginity) prove to be oppressive (and is there anything interestingly new a philosopher might add to this discussion)?

·         People make religious and cultural compromises when planning their weddings. (e.g. religious compromises to parents) Do these compromises threaten cultural heritage? Do they result in commitments of bad faith?