We are pleased to announce Plato 2022,an interdisciplinary workshop that will investigate the contemporary relevance of Plato’s ethical and political thought. The workshop will be held virtually on June 9-10, 2022. We welcome papers on Plato’s ethical and political thinking and encourage submissions that relate to contemporary events.

In a time of great social and political change, how might scholars of Plato respond in kind? This topic is broad, and avenues for investigation are wide-ranging. The following are some questions that fall within the scope of the conference. What aspects of the dialogues are most pertinent to our current social and political debates? How might Plato’s ideas about virtue, happiness, knowledge and their interconnection influence our own thinking? Is the assumption that there is a single human good compatible with the ideals of tolerance and pluralism? How do the dialogues balance individual and societal interests? What are Plato’s views about the best sort of society (egalitarian, totalitarian, dystopian)? How do pleasure, desire, love, and relationships figure into his ethical and political thought? How ought we to understand Plato’s treatment of class, ability, and natural talents? What can we determine about his views on sex, gender, race, ethnicity, and regional identity, and how have these views influenced scholars and society in the ensuing millennia? Given the differences between our general assumptions about social and political issues today and what Plato seemed to assume, why should we continue to read and study these texts today?

To submit a paper for consideration, please send an abstract of 300-500 words to [email protected]. Abstracts should be attached as either a PDF or Word doc and include no identifying information. The body of the email should include your name, paper title, affiliation, position, and contact information. Abstracts should be submitted by December 1, 2021. Accepted applicants will be notified of their acceptance by December 20, 2021. Full papers are due on May 20, 2022 and should be prepared for circulation to all registered participants. We welcome submissions from any discipline and hope to include a diverse group of participants and approaches. Early career scholars are encouraged to apply.

If you have any questions for the organizers, feel free to contact Gwen Nally, Doug Reed, or Georgia Sermamoglou at [email protected].

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To register for Plato 2022, please email your name and any relevant affiliation(s) to [email protected]. Registration is free, but all attendees will need to register in order to receive the meeting link.