CFP: Re-evaluating Social Essences

// COVID-19 Update (19 March 2020): This workshop remains scheduled as planned. But to accommodate the chaotic effects of the pandemic, the submission deadline has been extended. Please check back for updates as the situation develops.

It was once common to investigate the various items of the social world (institutions, nations, races, genders, artifacts, and so on) by investigating their essences or natures. But many theories of essence relied on assumptions that were scientifically unsupported, philosophically unsubstantiated, or socially unjust. Recent developments in philosophy, however, are rehabilitating essence. The guiding theme of this workshop is to reevaluate the prospects for social essences in particular. The workshop will be hosted by the University of Victoria from August 28-30, 2020, and will coincide with the fourth annual meeting of the Canadian Metaphysics Collaborative.

Because space is limited, those who wish to attend but who are not on the program must request registration by emailing [email protected].

Submission instructions.

The submission deadline is April 15, 2020 (decisions are expected in April 2020).

Accepted papers will be considered for publication in the journal Metaphysics. For this reason, submissions must not already be accepted for or committed to publication in any other venue. Submitting a paper will constitute acknowledge and acceptance of all this.

To submit a paper, please use EasyChair:

    Submit a pdf file containing your paper:

• Papers should engage with topic that are broadly concerned with the workshop’s guiding them.
• Papers should be prepared for anonymous review.
• Papers should be no longer than 8000 words (including notes and references).

    When submitting your paper, you must also include:

• Authors’ name(s) and affiliation(s);
• The title of the paper;
• A brief abstract (150 words or less); and
• At least three keywords.