Human Success: Evolutionary Origins and Ethical Implications

Conference
CALL FOR PAPERS
Human Success: Evolutionary Origins and Ethical Implications
KU Leuven June 10-11, 2019 Event website: here Confirmed Speakers:

Susan Antón (New York University) Matt Grove (University of Liverpool) Marion Hourdequin (Colorado College) Dan McShea (Duke University) Peter Richerson (UC Davis) Bernd Rosslenbroich (Witten/Herdecke University) Geerat Vermeij (UC Davis)     Conference Theme  
The tale of the human species is a tale of evolutionary success. No large mammal – and some even claim no other species – comes close to Homo sapiens in geographic range, ecological dominance, or population size. 
  Yet, speaking of the ‘extraordinary’ or ‘remarkable’ success of the human species raises all sorts of questions. First of all: how should such claims be understood and analyzed? What are the relevant measures? And is an anthropocentric bias at play? Attributing a high (or the highest) degree of ‘success’ to our own species raises old worries whether human values and interests are unjustifiably entering scientific discourse.

It also raises questions concerning the causes of success. What happened in human evolutionary history that has led us to this point of (apparent) success? Is this success in any way relevant for understanding who we are – for understanding human nature? To what extent is human success a temporary fluke resulting from chance factors?   Finally, in light of pressing contemporary issues such as climate change and biodiversity destruction, it seems there is such a thing as ‘excessive’ success. How should we cope with the realization that the factors that allowed for human evolutionary success, now also threaten it? Should we perhaps seek out novel forms of success to help direct the future of our species? Might we do this through directly engineering human evolution by enhancing our physical, cognitive, and even moral capacities?   As these issues cut across disciplines, we invite contributions from philosophers and scientists (especially paleobiology, paleoanthropology, evolutionary psychology, and cultural evolutionary anthropology) to better understand the nature of our species and its apparent success.    Some questions the conference will focus on are the following:   (1)  What does it mean to say that a species is ‘successful’? What are the parameters for measuring ‘success’? And is ‘success’ an anthropocentric concept? Can anthropocentric bias seep into evolutionary science, even today? If so, is it always problematic when it does? (2)  What have been the causes of (apparent) human evolutionary success? What does this success mean for human nature – who we are? (3)  Looking forward, what does our evolutionary success imply for the future of our species? Should we reconceptualize human evolutionary success in light of our destructive propensities? Submission information We invite submissions of abstracts of around 500 words, excluding references and footnotes. The length of the talks is 30 minutes, with 15 minutes for Q&A.

Abstracts must be blinded, but include personal information (affiliation, contact info) in your submission email. Send to [email protected]   Deadline: March 15, 2019.  Notification: March 30, 2019.   
Travel grants We may have funds to award travel grants to PhD students and early career researchers. Please indicate in your submission whether you would like to be considered for such an award.    Practical Info
Location: Higher Institute of Philosophy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Dates: June 10 – 11, 2019
  Organising Committee   Dr. Hugh Desmond (KUL) Prof. Dr. Grant Ramsey (KUL) Bendik Aaby (KUL) Dr. Stijn Conix (KUL) Prof. Dr. Johan Braeckman (UGent)