CFP: Boston University Graduate Student Philosophy Conference: “Sustainability and Environmental Ethics”

Call for Papers/Abstracts:

Boston University Graduate Student Philosophy Conference:

“Sustainability and Environmental Ethics”

Date: April 21-22, 2022

Location: Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

Keynote Speaker(s):

First Keynote: Brian Burkhart, University of Oklahoma

Second Keynote: TBD

The philosophy graduate students at Boston University are soliciting papers and abstract from graduate students in any area of philosophy for the Boston University Annual Graduate Student Conference on “Sustainability and Environmental Ethics.” The two-day in-person meeting will feature seven graduate student presentations and two keynote addresses, along with a small sustainable art exhibition and a roundtable on environmental philosophy and the role philosophers should play in public debate. 

The event will confront issues of sustainability, climate responsibility, and environmental justice from a philosophical perspective. As a philosophical community, we recognize the urgency of addressing the climate and ecological crises and wish to provide a safe and diverse platform for philosophers to discuss the conceptual, ethical, political, aesthetic, and spiritual dimensions of climate change and sustainability as it is perceived today. Our chief motivation for organizing this conference is to show how the challenges we face in light of the climate and biodiversity crises are scientific, technological, and social, but also deeply and fundamentally philosophical

We are eager to receive submission addressing questions such as:

• What kind of moral obligation do we have towards communities that are most affected by climate change? 

• What does it mean to say that climate change is real? 

• Who has the responsibility of reducing their ecological imprint — societies, individuals, or both?  

• Why is the public so resistant to change in the face of urgent biodiversity and climate crises?

• How can philosophy contribute to fostering environmental and climate activism? 

• How do we know how severe the climate or the biodiversity crises are? 

We look forward to submissions on the following topics:

• Climate and environmental justice

• Questions of individual/societal/political obligation to ‘the environment’

• Ecofeminism

• Conservation

• Socioecology 

• Agriculture

• Health and the environment

• Sustainable development

• Non-Western approaches to sustainability

• The anthropocene

• Biodiversity

Information for submissions:

• Submissions will be accepted in either the form of a paper or extended abstract. Papers should be no more than 5,000 words with a 200-250 word abstract. Extended abstract submissions should be from 750-1,000 words. Please include a word count.
  
  

• Papers and abstracts should be prepared for anonymous review. Please omit any self-identifying marks within the body of the documents.

• Authors must be current graduate students in philosophy.
  
  

• Selected presenters will be given 30 minutes to present and will be assigned a commentator.

• Please submit your abstract or paper by filling this form 
  https://forms.gle/usLrikj1aHLZzHLJA
  by  December 19th.

• Successful applicants will be contacted by January.
  
  

• Authors of accepted extended abstract submissions will be required to submit the complete paper by March (so that commentators have time to prepare comments).

• Women, minorities, people with disabilities, and members of other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply.

• We plan to provide partial or total funding for selected students whose institutions cannot reimburse the expenses and who would otherwise be unable to attend the conference in person.
  
  

• Send any questions to [email protected]

This conference is organized by the graduate students of the Department of Philosophy at Boston University. The conference is supported by the Boston University Department of Philosophy.