CFP: The “Imperative of Responsibility” 40 years later

Submission deadline: June 30, 2019

Conference date(s):
October 2, 2019 - October 3, 2019

Go to the conference's page

Conference Venue:

Department of philosophy, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Santiago, Chile

Topic areas

Details

In The Imperative of ResponsibilityHans Jonas rethinks the foundations of ethics in light of the awesome transformations wrought by modern technology: the threat of nuclear war, ecological ravage, genetic engineering, etc. Though informed by a deep reverence for human life, Jonas’s ethics is grounded in a doctrine that makes explicit man’s duties toward himself, his posterity, and the environment. Jonas offers an assessment of practical goals under present circumstances, ending with a critique of modern utopianism.

The colloquium is neither on Hans Jonas exclusively nor on the concept of responsibility in all its breadth. We invite submissions capable of assessing the problems and the theses discussed in The Imperative of Responsibility(IR) in light of the contemporary philosophical debate. The capacity to engage with IR in a critical, original, and constructive way will be mostly valued. Topics include (but are not limited to):

1. Responsibility and ethics of investigation

2. Responsibility and politics

3. Responsibility and ecology/environmental ethics

4. Responsibility and technology 

5. Responsibility and theology

6. The ontological foundation of responsibility

7. Responsibility and Utopia

We encourage submissions of presentation proposals from young scholars (Ph.D. students or Postdoctoral fellows).

The Proposal

Papers shall address the topics mentioned above.

Submissions must be received through e-mail. Please write your proposal (extended abstract) in English or in Spanish and save it in Microsoft Word. The text of the extended abstract should not exceed 5000 characters and must include the name of the author and a title and some references. Proposals must be received by 30 June 2019 at: [email protected];[email protected]

Authors will be informed if their proposals have been accepted in due time. The Conference will be both in English and Spanish with simultaneous translation.

Structure of the Conference

The conference will run for two days, October, 2-3. Invited keynote presentations will be 45 min long, while contributed papers will be 30 min long (20 min paper + 10 min Q&A) for contributed papers. 

Conference Venue

The conference will be hosted by the Department of Philosophy (http://filosofia.uc.cl), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago de Chile, Av. Vicuña Mackenna, 4860.

Contact

Inquiries about the conference should be directed to the local organizer, Prof. Luca Valera ([email protected]).

Grants

The two best proposals will each be awarded a 300USD travel grant. 

Supporting material

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