CFP: Workshop “Responsibility: What’s the Point?”

What’s the point or value of responsibility and blame attributions? Lately, the debate has developed quickly on this fundamental question. Recent proposals include: the point is to increase alignment of moral understanding (Fricker 2016), to scaffold each other’s moral sensitivities (McGeer 2019), to facilitate shared knowledge about the normative changes resulting from a wrong (Sliwa 2019), to remind each other of our values (Mason 2019), or to signal one’s commitment to norms (Shoemaker & Vargas 2021). Some authors have even suggested that it is essential to recognize the capacity to take responsibility as an essential part of our responsibility practices (Calhoun 2021). The purpose of this workshop is to get informed about the latest developments in the debate, and to discuss the direction we think it should take.

We will invite Leonhard Menges and the Salzburg Responsibility Group to give a presentation about their recent project “The Sense of Responsibility Worth Worrying About”. Moreover, we have space for 3 to 4 external speakers to present a paper on topics related to the workshop’s theme. If speakers prefer, we will also be able to arrange commentators for full papers.

If you’re interested, send your abstract of up to 500 words and prepared for blind review to Dominik Boll ([email protected]) by May 20. Any questions related to the workshop can be directed to the same address. We encourage applications from junior scholars and people from groups underrepresented in academic philosophy. We aim to inform successful applicants by June 3. Please include your name, title of the paper, and institutional affiliation in the body of the e-mail.

The workshop will in all likelihood be in person. Unfortunately, we will be unable to cover travel and accommodation costs for speakers. Food and drinks will be provided during the day and the workshop, kindly supported by the Dutch Research School in Philosophy (OZSW).

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Ethics of Cooperation Research Group

https://research.vu.nl/en/organisations/moral-and-political-philosophy/persons/

OZSW study group Philosophy of Responsibility

https://www.ozsw.nl/study-group/responsibility/