Teaching the Philosophy of Persuasion

Teaching the Philosophy of Persuasion Online Workshop

August 20th, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time

Many philosophy classes aim to teach students to write strong arguments, and students often expect that their training in philosophy will make them more persuasive outside of the classroom. But real world persuasion requires more than strong arguments, and raises difficult ethical and epistemological questions.

This workshop aims to help develop syllabus content and teaching techniques for classes addressing philosophical issues relating to persuasion. For example:

• Using work in recent psychology to help identify the circumstances in which people are most receptive to well-constructed arguments.

• Understanding the distinction between respectful persuasion and disrespectful manipulation, and how it applies to interpersonal conversations vs. marketing.

• Analyzing the epistemological dimensions of influential conspiracy theories, and developing rebuttals.

We invite proposals for 15 minute presentations, each of which will be followed by a short Q&A. Each presenter will receive a $250 stipend. We anticipate having 6 sessions in total. Proposals should be submitted by August 3.

The workshop will also be open to non-presenters, though registration is required.

To submit a proposal or register, please use this form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfSIlYru0aKyESBWDnZ27FJv1yKKKS2gaJuTaFCBxNrNnx0XA/viewform?usp=sf_link