Weatherford College
\n8th Annual Philosophy of Religion Conference
\n&ldquo\;Philosophy of Religion and Ethics&rdquo\;
\nIn every age\, we wrestle with moral questions. Debates about justice\, responsibility\, human dignity\, and the good life emerge wherever individuals and communities seek to live together meaningfully. Religious traditions continue to shape ethical reflection&mdash\;sometimes grounding moral insight\, sometimes generating deep disagreement about what we owe to one another. How should religious belief inform ethical reasoning? What role does moral philosophy play in evaluating religious commitments and practices? And can philosophy of religion help clarify the ethical demands of life in a pluralistic world?
\nIt is in light of questions such as these that Weatherford College presents the 8th Annual Philosophy of Religion Conference\, held April 10&ndash\;11\, on the theme &ldquo\;Philosophy of Religion and Ethics.&rdquo\;
Matthew Hallgarth\, Ph.D. (Tarleton State University) will deliver two Ben Arbour Memorial Lectures addressing central issues at the intersection of ethics and philosophy of religion.
Dr. Matthew W. Hallgarth is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Tarleton State University and a retired Air Force officer. On active duty he taught philosophy for several years at the Air Force Academy. He earned his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Florida in 2003. At Tarleton\, Dr. Hallgarth teaches philosophy courses for the honors college\, manages the curriculum\, assessment\, and course rotation schedule. He has numerous service commitments to Tarleton and the Stephenville community. He is developing a &ldquo\;leadership and humanities&rdquo\; course for Tarleton&rsquo\;s Corps of Cadets and a medical ethics course for Tarleton&rsquo\;s new health professions college. His interests are ethical theory\, political theory\, world religions\, philosophy of religion\, and applied ethics\, not necessarily in that order.
In addition\, a call for papers is being extended to professional philosophers\, professionals working in philosophy of religion or ethics\, students of philosophy\, and scholars or students in any field intersecting religion and ethical theory. Proposals on the conference theme are especially welcome\, including&mdash\;but not limited to&mdash\;topics such as moral theology\, virtue ethics and religion\, divine command theory\, religious responses to moral disagreement\, applied ethics and religious belief\, moral responsibility\, justice\, and the ethical implications of religious practice. While proposals related to the conference theme will be given special consideration\, any proposal on a topic related to the philosophy of religion will be considered.
Proposals should be 250&ndash\;350 words and must be submitted no later than March 13\, 2026. Proposals may be submitted to Greg Trickett at gtrickett@wc.edu. Presentations will be limited to a 45-minute time frame (approximately 30 minutes for presentation and 15 minutes for Q&\;A). Presenters are encouraged to submit a full version of their paper for consideration in a possible published volume.
Conference registration for Weatherford College faculty\, staff\, and students is free\, though registration is still required (Weatherford College registrants may be asked to present a school ID at the registration table). Registration for non-Weatherford attendees is $40. You can register HERE. In addition to paper presentations and plenary sessions\, the conference will conclude with a Q&\;A dinner featuring the keynote speaker and select presenters. The dinner will be held at a local restaurant and will be self-pay. \;For more information (including a conference schedule once it is finalized) see the conference webpage HERE!
This two-day conference\, hosted by the Saul Kripke Center at the CUNY Graduate Center\, will focus on the role and prospects of \;dynamic semantics \;in the theory of meaning. The aim is to bring together philosophers and linguists&mdash\;both supporters and critics of dynamic approaches&mdash\;to ask whether we \;need \;dynamic semantics\, discuss the phenomena most strongly motivate it (modals\, conditionals\, anaphora\, presupposition\, assertion/retraction\, etc.)\, and how it compares against static or alternative accounts.
\n\nConfirmed invited speakers: \;
\nMatt Mandelkern (NYU)
\nSimon Charlow (Yale)
\nKaren Lewis (Barnard/Columbia)
\nChris Barker (NYU)
\nDaniel W. Harris (Hunter/CUNY)
\nWillow Starr (Cornell)
\nJustin Bledin (Johns Hopkins)
\nConfirmed junior speakers:
\nRichard Roth (NYU)
\nPatrick Skeels (Kentucky) \;
\nCaleb Kendrick (Dartmouth)
\nEno Agolli (CUNY)
\nCal Howland (Rutgers)
\nThe conference will take place on \;April 23rd - April 24th\, 2026 \;at CUNY (Graduate Center).
ORGANIZER;CN=Eno Agolli;CN=Yale Weiss: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Warsaw:20260423T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Warsaw:20260425T170000 SUMMARY:Reading the Gospel of Matthew with Thomas Aquinas UID:20260405T182347Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Europe/Warsaw LOCATION:Plac Frelichowskiego 1\, Toruń\, Poland ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260424T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260426T170000 SUMMARY:Intelligence and Imitation: Mind\, Mechanism\, Mimesis UID:20260405T182348Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:America/New_York LOCATION:Johns Hopkins University\, Baltimore\, United States\, 21218 DESCRIPTION:Intelligence and Imitation: Mind\, Mechanism\, Mimesis
\nInaugural Humanities of AI Workshop \;
Johns Hopkins University\, April 24-26\, 2026
As a \;creative aspiration\, the Greek notion of mimesis (&ldquo\;imitation&rdquo\;) manifested not only in artistic works imitating reality and philosophical speculations but also in scientific theories and mechanical artifacts. Plato and Aristotle&rsquo\;s nous as a non-bodily principle of intelligibility underwriting cosmic order and thought\; Hobbes and LaMettrie&rsquo\;s machinelike mind and world\; the Jaquet-Droz family&rsquo\;s musical automata\; Wolfgang von Kempelen&rsquo\;s \;chess-playing Turk\; Norbert Wiener&rsquo\;s cybernetic \;analogy between human\, animal\, and machine\; Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori&rsquo\;s \; observation of the revulsion to imperfect verisimilitude \;(Bukimi \;no Tani: &ldquo\;uncanny valley&rdquo\;)\; and Soviet semiotician Yuri Lotman&rsquo\;s culture as collective mind\, exemplify the broad relevance of &ldquo\;imitations&rdquo\; to science\, literature\, and culture.
\nDevelopments in artificial intelligence (AI) participate in the legacy of mimesis but also complicate and challenge it. \; In the course of AI&rsquo\;s research history\, AIs have variously been claimed to represent\, simulate\, assist\, improve upon\, provide a surrogate for\, or replace the functioning of human minds. Concepts such as &ldquo\;optimization\,&rdquo\; &ldquo\;satisficing\,&rdquo\; and &ldquo\;superintelligence&rdquo\; run orthogonal to the classical concept of mimesis.
\nAt the same time\, developments in science and society have deeply challenged both mimesis and mindedness as concepts and ideals. Darwinian and embodied cognitive approaches challenge the primacy of abstract reasoning over embodiment\; and reflections on human labor&rsquo\;s relation to material (re-)production\, social stratification\, and human experience from Marx\, Wallerstein\, Pasquinelli and others call into question the social &ldquo\;value-added&rdquo\; of material imitations as well as the veracity of accounts of &ldquo\;intelligent&rdquo\; labor&rsquo\;s nature and origins. Deep divisions in the societal uptake of AI &ndash\; exemplified in anti-AI activism\, dueling governance regimes\, and popular critical slang like &ldquo\;AI slop&rdquo\; &ndash\; exemplify and give opportunity to inform these theoretical challenges.
\nOrientation to these developments requires approaches that scholars in the humanities may be uniquely positioned to provide. We hereby announce a three‑day workshop on &ldquo\;Intelligence and Imitation: Mind\, Mechanism\, Mimesis&rdquo\; for presentation and discussion of new humanities research engaging with this \;theme. \;
\nOur aim is to foster a collective critical engagement with AIs in their history\, socioeconomic context\, architecture\, and other dimensions of significance with the assistance \;of resources from literature\, philosophy\, history\, or other humanities fields. We invite contributions from both early‑career (including graduate students) \;and established \;academic researchers\, whose work-in-progress \;projects \;straddle disciplinary boundaries \;to illuminate aspects of the diverse mind-machine relations exemplified in AI&rsquo\;s history\, current reality\, and imagined futures. \;
\nSome possible avenues \;of investigation include: \;
\n
In addition to presented papers\, some time at the conference will be devoted to reflection on &ldquo\;humanities of AI&rdquo\; as a research domain\, including its current state and possible futures\, disciplinary articulation\, conditions of success\, relations with natural and social sciences\, and potential impact on sociotechnical systems involving AI. \; \;
\;
Featured Speakers \;
Yulia Frumer\, \;Bo Jung and Soon Young Kim Professor of East Asian Science\, Johns Hopkins University\; Author of &ldquo\;Cognition and emotion in Japanese humanoid robots\,&rdquo\; \;History &\; Technology \;(2018) and \;Making Time: Astronomical Time Measurement in Tokugawa Japan \;(Univ. of Chicago Press\, 2018)
\nN. Katherine Hayles\, Distinguished Research Professor at the University of California\, Los Angeles\, and the James B. Duke Professor Emerita from Duke University\; Author of Bacteria to AI: Human Futures with Our Nonhuman Symbionts (Univ. of Chicago Press\, 2025)\, Unthought: The Power of the Cognitive Nonconscious (Univ. of Chicago Press\, 2017) and How We Think: Digital Media and Contemporary Technogenesis (Univ. of Chicago Press\, 2015)
\nMatthew L. Jones\, Smith Family Professor of History\, Princeton University\; Author (with Chris Wiggins) of \;How Data Happened: A History from the Age of Reason to the Age of Algorithms \;(Norton\, 2023)
\nMatthew Kirschenbaum\, Commonwealth Professor of AI and English\, University of Virginia\; Author of \;Bitstreams: The Future of Digital Literary Heritage (Univ. of Pennsylvania Press\, 2021)
\nPatrick McCray\, Professor of History\, University of California\, Santa Barbara\, Kluge Chair in Technology and Society (2025) at \;the Library of Congress (2025)\; Author of \;README: A Bookish History of Computing from Electronic Brains to Everything Machines \;(MIT Press\, 2025) \;
\nAlexander Williams Tolbert\, Assistant Professor of Data and Decision Sciences\, Emory University\; Author of &ldquo\;Why Causal Inference is Necessary for Algorithmic Fairness\,&rdquo\; Synthese (2025) and &ldquo\;Causal Agnosticism about Race: Variable Selection Problems in Causal Inference\,&rdquo\; Philosophy of Science (2024).
\n\;
\nSubmission Instructions
\nSubmit a single Word or PDF file to Jiantong \;Liao (jliao20@jh.edu) by January 31 \;containing: (i) \;an abstract roughly 300 words\; (ii) a short bio including your name\, institutional affiliation\, and contact email\; and (iii) up to five key words. Decisions will be communicated within one month of the deadline. Authors of accepted abstracts will be asked to send up to 3000 \;words (a short paper or portion of a paper-in-progress) for distribution before the workshop. Questions may be directedto the address above.
\n
Supporting Institutions
Alexander Grass Humanities Institute\, Johns Hopkins University(https://krieger.jhu.edu/humanities-institute/)
\nCenter for Equitable AI &\; Machine Learning Systems (CEAMLS)\, Morgan State University(https://www.morgan.edu/ceamls) \;
\n
Organizing Committee
Jiantong Liao (Chair)
PhD Student\, German Program\, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures
jliao20@jh.edu
Ksenia Tatarchenko (Faculty Sponsor)
Faculty\, Medicine\, Science &\; Humanities Program\, Johns Hopkins University
ktatarc1@jh.edu
Phillip Honenberger (Faculty Sponsor)
AI Ethicist &\; Researcher\, Center for Equitable AI &\; ML Systems (CEAMLS)\, Morgan State University
jaywilliam.honenberger@morgan.edu
Chicago Talks on Agency \;(CTA) \;is a series of three annual conferences in the philosophy of action.
\nAn aim of the series is to promote dialogue and community among philosophers thinking about agency from a range of different perspectives.
ORGANIZER;CN=Mikayla Kelley;CN=Martin W. Niederl: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260430T234500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260430T234500 SUMMARY:MANCEPT 2026: Who "knows" what Gender is? Arguments and Debates at the Intersection between Epistemic Injustice and Gender Identity UID:20260405T182350Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Europe/London LOCATION:Manchester\, United Kingdom DESCRIPTION:Who "knows" what Gender is? Arguments and Debates at the Intersection between Epistemic Injustice and Gender Identity
\nOrganisers: Miriam Ronzoni (University of Manchester)\; Esa Dí\;az Leó\;n \;(University of Barcelona).
\nApplication form:
\n\nIn \;recent years\, the "Gender Wars" have dominated public debates in several Western countries. Whilst in the US the debate is largely one between progressives and conservatives\, the UK debate\, and many other European debates\, are often framed as being internal to feminism and what a feminist public policy should look like. Gender critical feminists argue that gender is an oppressive social construct\; thus\, the feminist thing to do with it is simply to destroy it (while failing to recognize trans identities). Trans-inclusive scholars contend that both gender and gender identity cannot be erased without committing very serious harms to some of the already most marginalised people. Predictably\, very different public policy agendas follow.
\nAt closer look\, however\, trans-inclusive scholars and activists agree that gender is largely a social construct. The idea that trans activists and scholars consider gender identity (whether cis or trans) as immutable and innate is largely a myth. The trans-inclusive claim is\, however\, that something can be a social construct yet be very real and serve important social purposes within a certain social context &ndash\; such that destroying the concept *whilst maintain the broader social context* would produce significant harms. Most trans-inclusive actors also agree that gender has many oppressive elements &ndash\; yet contend that\, all things considered\, trans-inclusion is the most promising way to deconstruct those elements. Gender critical feminists usually counter-argue that this stand is simply confused: if gender and gender identity are not something innate but social constructs\, then what are they if not just the oppressive creation of the patriarchy? What else can they be? Thus\, according to gender critical feminism\, either gender identity is conceived as something immutable and innate &ndash\; and that is an implausible claim\, or it is part of an oppressive ideology which should be dismantled. Everything else is mysterious.
\nThis workshop aims to bring together this debate with developments in feminist epistemology. Recently\, much has been written about how the marginalised can be wronged not just in material terms\, but also in their &ldquo\;capacity as knowers&rdquo\; (Fricker 2007). This can happen because their very plausible accounts of their lived experiences are discredited\; because mainstream language and knowledge lack the terms and concepts for their experiences\; and because\, as a result\, marginalised people have struggled to make sense of their own experiences &ndash\; both to themselves and to others. All of this is compatible with marginalised people being\, in spite of all\, very competent or even uniquely insightful knowers in certain domains (Medina 2013).
\nThe workshop asks whether this can be the case for the concepts of gender and gender identity. Could it be that\, when the opponent says that trans-inclusive accounts of gender identity are &ldquo\;confused\,&rdquo\; &ldquo\;mysterious\,&rdquo\; or &ldquo\;don&rsquo\;t make sense\,&rdquo\; epistemic marginalisation is playing a role? It would not\, after all\, be the first time. A standpoint of uncertainty and puzzlement is not necessarily one of ignorance: it can indeed be the starting point of productive epistemic innovations. Indeed\, paradigmatic cases of hermeneutical injustice confirm that: the working women who struggled to make sense of their experience of unwelcome sexual flirtation in the workplace are the very same women who went on and developed a new concept for it &ndash\; workplace sexual harassment.
\nThe aim is to explore whether this can apply to trans-inclusive conceptual innovations about gender and gender identity and\, if so\, how barriers of intelligibility can be overcome. Conceptions of gender identity are undergoing revisions in feminist philosophy (e.g.\, Barnes 2022\, Cosker-Rowland 2023\, Cull 2024\, Hernandez &\; Bell 2025\, Jenkins 2023). Our aim is to further explore the connections between debates about conceptual innovations on gender and gender identity\, on the one hand\, and questions about epistemic injustice\, epistemic marginalization and conceptual interventions\, on the other hand.
\nIf you are unsure about whether your proposal might fit\, please feel free to reach out to the organisers before submitting. Abstracts should be between 500-1000 words.
\nTo apply\, please fill in and submit the application form below by 30th April:
\n\nReferences
\nBarnes\, Elizabeth (2022). Gender without Gender Identity: The Case of Cognitive Disability. Mind 131 (523):836-862.
\nBriggs\, R &\; B. R. George (2023). What Even Is Gender? Routledge.
\nCosker-Rowland\, Rach (2023). Recent Work on Gender Identity and Gender. Analysis 83 (4):801-820.
\nCull\, Matthew J. (2024). What Gender Should Be. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
\nFricker\, Miranda (2007). Epistemic injustice: power and the ethics of knowing. New York: Oxford University Press.
\nHernandez\, E. M. &\; Bell\, Rowan (2025). Much Ado About Nothing: Unmotivating "Gender Identity". Ergo: An Open Access Journal of Philosophy 12 (50):1313-1340.
\nJenkins\, Katharine (2023). Ontology and Oppression: Race\, Gender\, and Social Reality. New York: Oxford University Press.
\nMedina\, José\; (2013). The Epistemology of Resistance: Gender and Racial Oppression\, Epistemic Injustice\, and the Social Imagination. New York: Oxford University Press.
ORGANIZER;CN=Esa Diaz-Leon;CN=Miriam Ronzoni: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260501T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260501T090000 SUMMARY:Balkan Analytic Forum 4: Semiotics & Semiotics in History UID:20260405T182351Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Europe/London DESCRIPTION:
\; \; \;
Semiotics &\; Semiotics in History
\nBalkan Analytic Forum 4
\n(November 26\, 2026 &ndash\; December 6\, 2026\, hybrid)
\n\nCenter for Contemporary Philosophy- Balkan Analytic Forum\, University of Belgrade\, Faculty of Philosophy
\nConference Venue: University of Belgrade\, Faculty of Philosophy\, Čika Ljubina Street 18-20\, Belgrade\, Serbia
\n\nWe invite submissions for \;the fourth meeting of \;Balkan Analytic Forum \;(BAF4) organized by the Balkan Analytic Forum to be held \;in person and online \;from November 26\, 2026 to December 6\, 2026. The topic of the BAF4 is Semiotics &\; Semiotics in History and it will be hosted by the Department of Philosophy at the University of Belgrade.
\nBalkan Analytic Forum is intended to establish a platform for discussion where scholars related to the Balkans and interested in analytic philosophy can meet on a regular basis and present their work-in-progress or recent publications\, but it also welcomes approaches that draw connections between analytic philosophy and other philosophical traditions and also invites scholars who are not related to the Balkans to get involved in the work of the Balkan Analytic Forum.
\nThe first part of the conference &ldquo\;Semiotics&rdquo\; will take place from November 26-29\, 2026\, the second &ldquo\;Semiotics in History&rdquo\; from December 5-6. However\, the period between will be open to other events\, such as individual talks related to semiotics.
\nI) For the first part we welcome submissions that consider the broad theme of semiotics in all its forms\, and from all perspectives. We are especially interested in the following themes: \; \;
\n- C.S. Peirce&rsquo\;s concept of quasi-mind as an interpreter of signs and its relation to the concept of artificial intelligence
\n- Saussurean vs. Peircean perspective
\n- semiotic foundations of cognition\, can we think without signs?
\n- natural signs\, e.g. the expressions of emotions or medical symptoms
\n- artificial signs and natural language
\n- semiotics in/of logic
\n- semiotics in/of art
\n- occurrent and dispositional signs.
\nII) "The past reality can be considered as semiotic by its very nature\, the past does not consist of events (and things\, etc.)\, but of their meanings\, and the goal of the historians and archaeologists alike are to investigate the systems of symbolizing people have developed in the past to give meaning to their existence." This powerful observation made by Tamm &\; Preucel is the basis for the theme of the second part of the conference.
\nSince the question of signs is unavoidable for thinking about the past\, the question of semiotics in history opens up. In the second part &ldquo\;Semiotics in History&rdquo\;\, we invite contributions dealing with these problems.
\n\nProposals are to be sent to \;baf@f.bg.ac.rs \;as anonymous abstracts (maximum 500 words in pdf format) and a separate title page by \;May 1\, \;2026. The title page should include: title\, name\, institutional affiliation\, email\, and an indication of whether you would like to present in person or online. Also\, please let us know if your submission is for the first part of the conference &ldquo\;Semiotics&rdquo\;\, or for the second &ldquo\;Semiotics in History&rdquo\;\, or is intended to be an individual talk in-between the two events. The conference is hybrid (online and in-person)\, free and open to the public.
\nDecisions will be communicated by May 20\, 2026.
\nThe authors of accepted submissions will be invited to contribute papers to an edited volume. Program and the book of abstracts of BAF1\, BAF2 and BAF3\, as well as the BAF1 and BAF2 Volumes you can find at this address: https://www.f.bg.ac.rs/balkanski_analiticki_forum/publikacije
\nProgram Committee:
\nTimothy Williamson\, New College\, University of Oxford\, United Kingdom
\nThodoris Dimitrakos\, University of Patras\, Philosophy Department\, Greece
\nEmily McWilliams\, University of Dayton\, USA
\nIvana Simić\, University of Florida\, Associate Director of Institutional Review Boards\, USA
\nAmber Riaz\, Lahore University of Management Sciences\, Pakistan
\nIris Vidmar Jovanović\, University of Rijeka\, Department of Philosophy\, Croatia
\nMarcin Trepczyński\, Faculty of Philosophy\, University of Warsaw\, Poland
\nMatthew Heeney\, Nazarbayev University\, Department of History\, Philosophy\, &\; Religious Studies\, Republic of Kazakhstan
\nDamir Smiljanić\, University of Novi Sad\, Department of Philosophy\, Serbia
\nDu&scaron\;ko Prelević\, University of Belgrade\, Department of Philosophy\, Serbia
\nMiroslav Radivojević\, University of Belgrade\, Department of History\, Serbia
\nBiljana Ristovska-Josifovska - Institute of National History\, Department for Cultural History\, North Macedonia
\n\nOrganizers:
\nMiroslava Trajkovski\, University of Belgrade\, Department of Philosophy\, Serbia
\nČedomir Antić\, University of Belgrade\, Department of History\, Serbia
\nStudent session coordinator:
\nSa&scaron\;a Grbović\, Institute for Philosophy\, University of Belgrade
\nIf you have questions or concerns\, please don&rsquo\;t hesitate to get in touch and contact the organizers at: \;baf@f.bg.ac.rs
\nRegistration
\nIs registration required? \;No
\n\n ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Bucharest:20260508T100000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Bucharest:20260510T170000 SUMMARY:Treasuring Old and New in Social Theology: from Rerum novarum to the Present Pontificate UID:20260405T182352Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Europe/Bucharest LOCATION:Strada General Berthelot 19\, Bucharest\, Romania\, 010164 DESCRIPTION:The Symposium of our Faculty (8&ndash\;10 May 2026) proposes an interdisciplinary reflection on social theology understood as a space of creative continuity between tradition and renewal. The notion of &ldquo\;old and new things&rdquo\; (cf. Matthew 13:52) expresses the fruitful tension between the Church&rsquo\;s doctrinal heritage and its capacity to interpret and orient the social realities of each historical period.
\nThe symposium aims to explore the theological\, biblical\, philosophical\, and cultural foundations of Christian social engagement\, as well as its concrete forms of expression within the life of the Church and in the public sphere. \;Rerum novarum \;is taken both as a point of departure and as a paradigmatic moment in the dialogue between theology\, society\, and public responsibility.
\nContributions are welcome from systematic and moral theology\, biblical exegesis\, patristics\, canon law\, social sciences\, and philosophy\, as well as from approaches that explore the spiritual\, symbolic\, and cultural dimensions of social theology. The symposium seeks to provide a space of encounter between different disciplines and methods\, united by a shared concern for human dignity\, the common good\, and the social vocation of Christian faith.
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260508T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260509T170000 SUMMARY:6th Annual NYU Philosophical Bioethics Workshop UID:20260405T182353Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:America/New_York LOCATION:42 Washington Mews\, New York\, United States\, 10003 DESCRIPTION:Friday\, May 8
\n12:30-1:00pm Coffee (provided)
\n12:50pm Welcome &mdash\; S. Matthew Liao (NYU)
\n1:00-2:15pm \;Ian Dunkle (UT Chattanooga)\, &lsquo\;Pregnancy\, Agency\, and Health&rsquo\;
\nChair: Isabel Herburger (Rutgers)
\n2:30-3:45pm \;Bob Fischer (Texas State)\, &lsquo\;Asymmetries in Animal Welfare: Explaining Higher Standards in the Laboratory&rsquo\;
\nChair: Jasmine Gunkel (Western)
\n4:00-5:15pm \;Sean Aas (Georgetown) and Dana Howard (Ohio State)\, &lsquo\;Defining Disability and the Social Process of Disablement&rsquo\;
\nChair: Malte Hendrickx (Michigan)
\n5:30-7:00pm Workshop reception (everyone invited)
\nSaturday\, May 9
\n8:45-9:15am Coffee\, light breakfast (provided)
\n9:15-10:30am \;Asher Shang (Pittsburgh)\, &lsquo\;Asymmetries in Nonarchimedean Population Axiologies&rsquo\;
\nChair: Jessica Fischer (KCL)
\n10:45-12:00pm \;Lukas Joosten (Oxford)\, &lsquo\;Networks Effects as Coercive: A Responsibility-Based Account of Digital Consent&rsquo\; (Graduate Student Prize Winner)
\nChair: Gary Ostertag (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai/CUNY GC)
\n12:00-1:30pm Lunch (on your own)
\n1:30-2:45pm \;Nir Eyal (Rutgers)\, &lsquo\;Disclaiming Research Ethics&rsquo\;
\nChair: Marcos Picchio (Oakland)
\n3:00-4:15pm \;Josey Aron (Alabama)\, &lsquo\;A Punishment of Recollection: War Crimes and Memory Modulation&rsquo\;
\nChair: Sam Segal (Chicago)
\n4:30-5:45pm \;Laurie Paul (Yale)\, &lsquo\;The Paradox of Transformation&rsquo\;
\nChair: S. Matthew Liao (NYU)
ORGANIZER;CN=Daniel Fogal;CN=S. Matthew Liao;CN=Claudia Passos-Ferreira;CN=Z Quanbeck: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260511T103000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260512T170000 SUMMARY:UK Northern Metaphysics Network UID:20260405T182354Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Europe/London LOCATION:11-14 Blenheim Terrace.\, Leeds\, United Kingdom DESCRIPTION:The second meeting of the UK Northern Metaphysics Network will take place at the University of Leeds on the 11th and 12th of May 2026. The network aims to bring together researchers working in metaphysics across the Universities of Leeds\, Sheffield\, York\, and Durham. This two-day event will feature presentations from ten graduate speakers\, alongside two keynote lectures delivered by faculty members from our member institutions.
\nThis year's keynote speakers are Professor Heather Logue (Leeds) and Professor Matthew Tugby (Durham).
\nThere is no registration fee. To help us to accommodate numbers\, we kindly ask that you register through this form by the 5th of May 2026. To avoid waste\, please contact us if you register and later realise that you are unable to attend.
\nWhile all are welcome to attend\, we especially welcome those who are currently members of one of our member institutions. \;
\nLocation: 11-14 Blenheim Terrace.
\nTimes: 11th May: 10.30 am - 5pm
\n12th May: 10am - 4pm
\nThis event is made possible through the generous financial support of the Arts and Humanities Research Council\, the White Rose College of the Arts and Humanities\, and the Centre for Theoretical Philosophy.
\nContact: Jonathon Hawkins (j.hawkins.pgr@leeds.ac.uk) \;
\nRegister using the link below.
ORGANIZER;CN=Jonathon Hawkins;CN=Helen Beebee: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Vienna:20260514T110000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Vienna:20260515T170000 SUMMARY:Self-Knowledge Conference UID:20260405T182355Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Europe/Vienna LOCATION:Graz\, Austria ORGANIZER;CN=Ursula Renz;CN=Bernhard Ritter;CN="Denis Džanić";CN=Tuomo Tiisala: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260518T230000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260518T230000 SUMMARY:MANCEPT Workshop - Speciesism\, Power and Human Prejudice UID:20260405T182356Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Europe/London LOCATION:Manchester Center for Political Theory\, University of Manchester\, Oxford Road\, United Kingdom DESCRIPTION:Speciesism has become a central concept in moral\, social and political scholarship and movements concerning animals. Broadly understood\, speciesism refers to discrimination based on species-membership and is often compared to racism and sexism. Nonetheless\, unlike racism and sexism\, speciesism is still generally regarded as an acceptable bias by the public and\, also amongst philosophers\, opinions diverge.
\nNowadays\, most philosophers reject forms of speciesism which rely merely on membership in the human species. However\, anthropocentric approaches which are justified in more indirect terms are widespread. Indeed\, these have received renewed defences recently &ndash\; including accounts which rely on rationality or social categories\, among others.
\nThis raises pressing metaphysical\, normative and epistemic concerns about what it means to be a human\, whether anthropocentric approaches to moral and political theory can be successfully defended\, and a wider question about why philosophers might be compelled to defend them at all. At the same time\, there are a variety of related concerns that are more overtly political in character\, which theorists of race and gender attend to\, but which are under-addressed in the literature on animals. These include issues regarding systems of power\, structural injustice\, social hierarchy\, domination and oppression.
\nThis panel is therefore broadly concerned with the following question: if speciesism is similar to racism and sexism\, what lies behind the former&rsquo\;s largely unchecked dominance in our thinking\, conduct and social structures? And how might we better understand its continued socio-political power\, within and beyond analytic political and moral philosophy? The panel will consider a range of related sub-questions including\, but not limited to\, the following:
\nConfirmed speakers: Hannah Battersby (KU Leuven)\, Catia Faria (Complutense University of Madrid)\, Franç\;ois Jacquet (Université\; de Strasbourg)\, Matthew Wray Perry (University of Sheffield) and Valé\;rie G. Topf (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem).
\nFor remaining speaker slots\, \;we invite submissions of abstracts of 250&ndash\;300 \;words from scholars within philosophy\, political science\, law\, animal studies\, and related disciplines. Abstracts should be suitable for a presentation of roughly 20-30 minutes. Please email your anonymised abstract to valerie.topf@unipv.it by 11th May 2026. Responses to submitted abstracts will be provided by 22nd May 2026.
\nPlease note that registration\, travel and accommodation fees must be covered by speakers themselves. Information on current registration fees &ndash\; and bursaries for accepted abstracts &ndash\; will be available on the MANCEPT website. This year&rsquo\;s edition of the workshops will take place in-person only.
ORGANIZER;CN=Hannah Battersby;CN=Matthew W. Perry;CN="Valérie G. Topf": METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260521T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260523T170000 SUMMARY:BSP26 - Heidegger 50 years on - Is There Still a God That Can Save Us? UID:20260405T182357Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Europe/London LOCATION:Sussex House\, Brighton\, United Kingdom\, BN1 9RH DESCRIPTION:Heidegger 50 years on &ndash\; Is There Still a God That Can Save Us
\nSix Keynotes - 80 Speaker Papers (TBC)
\nEarly Bird Registration Open Now!
\nA number of events are being planned to mark the centenary of the publication of Martin Heidegger&rsquo\;s Being and Time / Sein und Zeit in 2027. However\, May 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of Heidegger&rsquo\;s death. Accordingly\, the Philosophy Department at the University of Sussex will convene the British Society for Phenomenology Annual Conference 2026 to consider where we are 50 years on in terms of Heidegger&rsquo\;s legacy.
\nOur event is framed by Heidegger&rsquo\;s infamous 1966 interview with Der Spiegel (published posthumously in 1976 at Heidegger&rsquo\;s request)\, which appeared five days after his passing. Der Spiegel published the interview with a title taken from one of Heidegger&rsquo\;s statements in the interview: Only a God Can Save Us.
\n&lsquo\;Heidegger 50 years on &ndash\; Is There Still a God That Can Save Us?&rsquo\; asks people to reflect on our times along with the many questions and themes Heidegger&rsquo\;s philosophy opens up.
\nFind out more about the speakers (tbc)\, event format\, and registration options at BSP26: Heidegger 50 years on &ndash\; Is There Still a God That Can Save Us
ORGANIZER;CN=Tanja Staehler;CN=Mahon O'Brien;CN=Keith Crome: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Vienna:20260526T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Vienna:20260529T170000 SUMMARY:SUSANNE K. LANGER: Artistic Angles\, Philosophical Circles\, Poetic Dots\, and Technical Lines UID:20260405T182358Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Europe/Vienna LOCATION:Karlsplatz 13\, Vienna\, Austria\, 1040 DESCRIPTION:The Susanne K. Langer Circle hosted at Utrecht University will collaborate in 2026 with the Research Unit Architecture Theory and Philosophy of Technics (ATTP) at TU Wien and the Institute Vienna Circle at the University of Vienna in realizing its third bi-annual conference: \;
\nSUSANNE K. LANGER: Artistic Angles\, Philosophical Circles\, Poetic Dots\, and Technical Lines
\nVienna\, 26&ndash\;29 May 2026
\nThis conference seeks interdisciplinary perspectives on the thought of logician and philosopher of the arts Susanne K. Langer (1895-1985)\, which spanned the domains of language\, mathematics\, the arts\, life\, and mind through logical analysis and synthesis\, embodied cognition and symbolic projection.
\nThe symbolistic paradigm central to Langer&rsquo\;s philosophy is gaining increased attention\, and the international network of the Susanne K. Langer Circle continues to foster fresh perspectives on her work\, while promoting its ongoing relevance and scholarly continuation. Our conference in 2026 will take place at TU Wien and the University of Vienna\, with a local focus on architectural humanities as well as Vienna&rsquo\;s historical relevance for analytic philosophy.
\nWe invite scholars from the humanities\, the arts\, and sciences to contribute papers on topics spanning philosophy\, technology\, architecture\, artistic and speculative research\, theoretical or technological approaches. \;
\nAs a cross-disciplinary conference\, we welcome contributions from fields\, including but not limited to:
\nAesthetics\, Anthropology and Ethnology\, Archaeology\, Architecture\, Biosemiotics\, Biotechnology\, Communication Theory\, Symbol Theory\, and Semiotics\, Computer Science\, Creativity Studies\, Historiography\, History of Ideas (20th century history of philosophy: Cassirer\, neo-Kantianism\, pragmatism\, philosophy of science\, The Vienna Circle)\, Information and Computing\, Life Sciences\, Literary Criticism\, Logic and the Theory of Knowledge\, Media Theory\, Music(s) and Musicology\, Pedagogy and\, Educational Thought\, Performing Arts and Performance Theory\, Philosophy of Art and Art Criticism\, Poetry\, Popular Culture and Cultural Studies\, Programming \, Psychology (Cultural\, Gestalt\, Developmental\, Clinical\, Humanistic)\, Social and Political Theory\, Visual and Sonic Arts\, Women's\, Gender and Queer Studies. \;
\nCall opens: 1 September 2025 \;
Please submit abstracts of 300&ndash\;400 words (Chicago Manual of Style)\, including full name\, contact information\, affiliation and academic title (if applicable) to: \;
langer-conference2026@attp.tuwien.ac.at
\nDeadline: 1 October 2025 \;
Notification of acceptance: 30 October 2025
For further information\, visit the Langer Circle website: https://langercircle.sites.uu.nl/
For updates on the program\, please register as a member: https://langercircle.sites.uu.nl/register/
Organized in collaboration with the Research Unit Architecture Theory and Philosophy of Technics ATTP at the Vienna University of Technology and the IVC Institute Vienna Circle at the University of Vienna\, this conference illuminates the history and relevance of Susanne K. Langer's philosophy&mdash\;demonstrating how her thought continues in contemporary debates in philosophy\, aesthetics\, the arts\, and science\, and how it is linked to the city of ideas\, Vienna.
\nConference Committee: \;Prof. Vera Bü\;hlmann (AT)\, Dr. Lona Gaikis (AT)\, Dr. Matthew Ingram (USA)\, Prof. Randall E. Auxier (USA)\, Prof. Christian Grü\;ny (DE)\, Dr. Tereza Hadravová\; (CZ).
ORGANIZER;CN=Lona Gaikis;CN=Matthew Bruce Ingram;CN=Tereza Hadravova;CN="Vera Bühlmann";CN=Randall E. Auxier;CN="Christian Grüny": METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Vienna:20260526T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Vienna:20260529T170000 SUMMARY:SUSANNE K. LANGER: Artistic Angles\, Philosophical Circles\, Poetic Dots\, and Technical Lines UID:20260405T182359Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Europe/Vienna LOCATION:Karlsplatz 13\, Vienna\, Austria\, 1040 DESCRIPTION:The Susanne K. Langer Circle hosted at Utrecht University will collaborate in 2026 with the Research Unit Architecture Theory and Philosophy of Technics (ATTP) at TU Wien and the Institute Vienna Circle at the University of Vienna in realizing its third bi-annual conference: \;
\nSUSANNE K. LANGER: Artistic Angles\, Philosophical Circles\, Poetic Dots\, and Technical Lines
\nVienna\, 26&ndash\;29 May 2026
\nThe architectonic vernacular of angles\, circles\, dots\, and lines composes the conceptual sketchpad that maps the theoretical edifice of Susanne K. Langer&rsquo\;s work in logic\, the arts\, philosophy of mind\, and philosophy of science. This conference aims to explore Langer's philosophical framework and invites scholars as well as artists to actuate her philosophical methods\, spanning from logical analysis and synthesis to embodied cognition\, symbolic projection\, and understanding.
\nArtistic Angles \;
Perceived widely as an artists&rsquo\; philosopher\, Susanne K. Langer&rsquo\;s thought has informed media-theoretical debates on the affective turn\, conceptual undercurrents of carnal rhetorics and speculations in new materialism(s)\, providing a toolkit to capture the artefacts of expressiveness. This distinctive artistic angle for theory shapes Langer's approach to the body-mind and to aesthetic cognition. Her philosophy\, synthesizing Alfred N. Whitehead&rsquo\;s process metaphysics and Ernst Cassirer&rsquo\;s anthropology of symbolic forms\, echoes later post-structuralist movements in its exploration of non-linguistic dimensions of meaning. These intersections situate Langer&rsquo\;s philosophy of artistic expressiveness as a mode of epistemological import.
Philosophical Circles
Langer's orbital relationship with the Vienna Circle is exemplified in her 1930 book\, The Practice of Philosophy (praised by Moritz Schlick)\, in which she was among the first to articulate the &ldquo\;&rsquo\;analytic` type&rdquo\; of philosophy (p. 17)\, well before its widespread adoption in the 1950s. She also played a key role in helping exiled Vienna Circle members (e.g. Herbert Feigl or Eugen T. Gadol) settle in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s. Establishing her own philosophical circle at Harvard\, devoted to the discussion of logic\, Langer bridged the transatlantic evolution of analytic philosophy. Her scholarly thinking blended empirical rigour and experiential meaning-making with process-oriented thought.
Poetic Dots and Technical Lines
Langer&rsquo\;s legacy &ndash\; one that bridges philosophical and epistemic divides &ndash\; invites a re-negotiation of living form\; for Langer\, mind is grounded in an intricate matrix of exogenic and autogenic processes that expand the idea of living and non-living entities\, and the systems they are embedded in. The continued computational turn &ndash\; advancements in algorithmic learning and synthetic biology &ndash\; blur the contours of mechanics and organism\, life and form. \;
This conference seeks to make tangible the poetic and technological transversality currently intersecting philosophy\, science\, and the arts. \;
Program
The program is structured around the subheadings "Artistic Angles"\, "Philosophical Circles"\, "Poetic Dots"\, and "Technical Lines". Confirmed keynote speakers are Salomé\; Voegelin (Tuesday)\, Sander Verhaegh (Wednesday) and Adam Nocek (Thursday). \;
Information
For further information\, visit the Langer Circle website: https://langercircle.sites.uu.nl/
For updates on the program\, please register as a member: https://langercircle.sites.uu.nl/register/
Organized in collaboration with the Research Unit Architecture Theory and Philosophy of Technics\, ATTP at the Vienna University of Technology and the IVC Institute Vienna Circle at the University of Vienna\, this conference illuminates the history and relevance of Susanne K. Langer's philosophy&mdash\;demonstrating how her thought continues in contemporary debates in philosophy\, aesthetics\, the arts\, and science\, and how it is linked to the city of ideas\, Vienna.
\nConference Committee: \;Prof. Vera Bü\;hlmann (AT)\, Dr. Lona Gaikis (AT)\, Dr. Matthew Ingram (USA)\, Prof. Randall E. Auxier (USA)\, Prof. Christian Grü\;ny (DE)\, Dr. Tereza Hadravová\; (CZ).
ORGANIZER;CN=Lona Gaikis;CN=Matthew Bruce Ingram;CN=Tereza Hadravova;CN="Vera Bühlmann";CN=Randall E. Auxier;CN="Christian Grüny": METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260527T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260527T170000 SUMMARY:3rd Annual Philosophy & Legal Theory Collaborative Summer Workshop at UC Berkeley UID:20260405T182400Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:America/Los_Angeles LOCATION:2240 Piedmont Ave\, Berkeley\, United States\, 94720 DESCRIPTION:The Philosophy &\; Legal Theory Collaborative will host its third annual summer workshop at the UC Berkeley on May 27\, 2026\, the day before the beginning of the \;Law and Society Association Annual Meeting \;in San Francisco.
The scope of the Philosophy &\; Legal Theory Collaborative summer workshop includes all areas of philosophy of law\, and philosophical work relevant to legal questions from all philosophical traditions. We also welcome work in political philosophy\, political theory\, moral philosophy\, social epistemology\, social ontology\, moral psychology\, normative and applied ethics\, meta-ethics\, philosophy of action and decision theory on topics relevant to law or socio-legal topics.
Confirmed speakers include Mitchell Berman (UPenn)\, Michael Bratman (Stanford)\, \;Matt McManus (Spelman)\, Sarah Paul (NYU Abu Dhabi)\, Wendy Salkin (Stanford)\, \; Rebecca Stone (UCLA) and Kevin Tobia (Georgetown)\, with additional speakers to be announced on our website.
To propose a paper presentation or register to attend the event\, please fill out this google form:
https://forms.gle/K3KdPNkafv8soSrH8
Proposals will be considered on a rolling basis until March 16\, 2026\, in order to enable organizers to send out early acceptances to make it easier to plan for.
Details of the workshop dinner will be sent to registered participants.
It is not necessary to participate in the Law and Society Association meeting to participate in the Philosophy &\; Legal Theory Collaborative May 21st workshop. However\, the Philosophy &\; Legal Theory Collaborative is sponsoring a set of around 10 panels at the Law and Society Association meeting in Chicago\, from May 22-May 25 through our LSA division (https://www.lawandsociety.org/crn17/). This stand-alone workshop will enable participants to receive more focused feedback on their work and get to know some attendees with shared interests before the LSA meeting begins. If you plan to participate in the LSA meeting\, you are welcome to present a longer form of the paper if you are presenting at the LSA\, or you can present a different paper or incubator idea for discussion.
For questions concerning the workshop\, please write to \;info@philosophyandlegaltheory.org
For updates\, please consider joining our mailing list at \;https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/philosophyandlegaltheory
https://philosophyandlegaltheory.org/
ORGANIZER;CN=Samantha Godwin;CN=Amin Ebrahimi Afrouzi;CN=Jacob Schriner-Briggs;CN=Alma Diamond;CN=Gregory Antill;CN=Isabella Mariani: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260612T110000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260612T170000 SUMMARY:Migration and Asylum in Scotland: A Philosophical Perspective UID:20260405T182401Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Europe/London LOCATION:Sir Duncan Rice Library\, Aberdeen\, United Kingdom\, AB24 3AA DESCRIPTION:The Department of Philosophy at the University of Aberdeen is hosting the upcoming workshop\, &ldquo\;Migration and Asylum in Scotland: A Philosophical Perspective&rdquo\;. This one-day event will explore how a distinctively philosophical voice might be added to the existing scholarly literature on migration and asylum in Scotland in particular\, and in sub-state regions more generally. \;
\nWorkshop Date: \;Friday 12th June 2026
(rescheduled from \;Wednesday 29th April 2026)
Confirmed Speakers:
\nOrganiser: \;Eilidh Beaton (University of Aberdeen)
\nExpressions of interest in attending should be sent to Eilidh Beaton at eilidh.beaton@abdn.ac.uk.
\nDetails
\nThe philosophy of migration and asylum is often state-centric. Much work in this area focuses on migrants&rsquo\; entitlements against states\, and states&rsquo\; corresponding responsibilities to fulfil these entitlements (e.g. Carens 2013\, Miller 2016\, Gibney 2018). In recent years\, however\, calls have been made to move beyond this state-centric lens\, including by paying more attention to the role of sub-state political authorities (e.g. Sager 2016\, Buxton 2024). \;
\nAgainst this background\, Scotland presents itself as a promising case study. As a devolved nation within the UK\, the Scottish Parliament retains control over a wide range of social matters\, including housing\, benefits\, and social services. Hence\, as Gareth Mulvey (2018) nicely summarises\, while immigration policy is reserved to Westminster\, immigrant policy&mdash\;what happens once people arrive&mdash\;is largely devolved to the Scottish government. Layered legal landscapes of this sort raise questions which remain as-yet under-explored in the philosophical literature. For instance\, how should existing recommendations for migrant integration and inclusion (e.g. Carens 2013\, De Schutter &\; Ypi 2015\, Miller 2016) be (re-) interpreted and applied in such contexts\, given their distinctive features\, promises\, and risks (e.g. Arrighi 2014\; Galandini et al 2018)?
\nSocio-culturally too\, the Scottish context is ripe for further exploration. It is common across sub-state regions to find discourse portraying the regional government as more progressive and welcoming than the &lsquo\;exclusionary and hostile&rsquo\; central state (Edwards &\; Wisthaler 2023)\, and Scotland is no exception (e.g. SNP 2025\, Brand Scotland). However\, the reality of Scottish attitudes toward migration is more complex than these announcements suggest (e.g. Kyambi &\; Kay 2025)\, and this discourse of progressiveness often serves regional nation-building projects (Edwards &\; Wisthaler 2023\, Wisthaler 2023). Again\, this context raises normative questions worthy of greater philosophical attention&mdash\;for instance\, the extent to which advocates seeking meaningful material support for migrants should support or oppose such rhetoric. \;
\nThis one-day workshop aims to explore how a distinctively philosophical voice might be added to the existing scholarly literature on migration and asylum in Scotland in particular\, and in sub-state regions more generally.
\nThis workshop is sponsored by the Scots Philosophical Association\, the Society of Applied Philosophy\, and CEKAS at the University of Aberdeen.
\nReferences
\nArrighi\, Jean-Thomas\, &lsquo\;Managing Immigration in a Multinational Context. Border Struggles and Nation-Building in Contemporary Scotland and Catalonia&rsquo\;\, in The Politics of Immigration in Multi-Level States: Governance and Political Parties ed. by ed. by E. Hepburn and R. Zapata-Barrero (London: Palgrave MacMillan\, 2014)\, 108-129.
\nBrand Scotland\, &lsquo\;Scotland Welcomes Refugees&rsquo\; (accessed Jan 2026). Available at .
\nBuxton\, Rebecca\, &lsquo\;The State by Philip Pettit&rsquo\;\, Mind (2024)\, 1-7.
\nCarens\, Joseph\, The Ethics of Immigration (Oxford: Oxford University Press\, 2013).
\nDe Schutter\, Helder and Lea Ypi\, &lsquo\;Mandatory Citizenship for Immigrants&rsquo\;\, British Journal of Political Science 45:2 (2015)\, 235-251.
\nEdwards\, Catrin Wyn and Verena Wisthaler\, &lsquo\;The Power of Symbolic Sanctuary: Insights from Wales on the Limitations and Potential of a Regional Approach to Sanctuary&rsquo\;\, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 49:14 (2023)\, 3602-3628.
\nGalandini\, Silvia\, Gareth Mulvey\, and Laurence Lessard-Phillips\, &lsquo\;Stuck Between Mainstreaming and Localism: Views on the Practice of Migrant Integration in a Devolved Policy Framework&rsquo\;\, Journal of International Migration and Integration 20 (2019)\, 685-702.
\nGibney\, Matthew J.\, &lsquo\;The Ethics of Refugees&rsquo\;\, Philosophy Compass 13:10 (2018)\, 1-9.
\nHepburn\, Eve and Ricard Zapata Barrero\, The Politics of Immigration in Multi-Level States: Governance and Political Parties (London: Palgrave Macmillan\, 2014).
\nKyambi\, Sarah and Rebecca Kay\, &lsquo\;Attitudes to Immigration in Scotland: Changing\, complex\, contradictory&rsquo\;\, Migration Policy Scotland (2025). Available at .
\nMiller\, David\, Strangers in Our Midst (Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press\, 2016).
\nMulvey\, Gareth. &lsquo\;Refugee Integration Policy: The Effects of UK Policy-Making on Refugees in Scotland&rsquo\;\, Journal of Social Policy 44:2 (2015)\, 357-375.
\n&ndash\;&ndash\;&ndash\;&ndash\;&ndash\;.\, &lsquo\;Social Citizenship\, Social Policy and Refugee Integration: a Case of Policy and Divergence in Scotland?&rsquo\;\, Journal of Social Policy 47:1 (2018)\, 161-178.
\nSager\, Alex\, &lsquo\;Methodological Nationalism\, Migration and Political Theory&rsquo\;\, Political Studies 64:1 (2016)\, 42-59.
\nSNP\, &lsquo\;First Minister John Swinney addresses the nation about Scotland&rsquo\;s right to decide &ndash\; Full Speech&rsquo\;. Available at .
\nWisthaler\, Verena\, &lsquo\;Migrants\, New Citizens\, Co-Citizens and Citizens by Adoption &ndash\; Regionalist Parties&rsquo\; Framing of Immigrants in the Basque Country\, Corsica\, South Tyrol\, Scotland and Wales&rsquo\;\, in Revising the Integration-Citizenship Nexus in Europe ed. by Roxana Barbulescu\, Sara Wallace Goodman\, Luicy Pedroza (Cham\, Switzerland: Springer Nature\, 2023)\, 91-109.
ORGANIZER;CN=Eilidh Beaton: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Rome:20260714T150000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Rome:20260717T170000 SUMMARY:EPISTEMIC INJUSTICE IN HEALTHCARE: PERSPECTIVES FROM PHILOSOPHY\, PSYCHOLOGY\, LAW\, HISTORY\, PSYCHIATRY\, AND LIVED EXPERIENCE. UID:20260405T182402Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Europe/Rome LOCATION:Via Frangipane 6\, Bertinoro\, Italy\, 47032 DESCRIPTION:From July 14th to July 17th\, 2026 project EPIC \;will host a Summer School at Ce.U.B (Centro Residenziale Universitario di Bertinoro) in Bertinoro\, Italy. The event is made possible by generous funding by the Wellcome Trust\, which will also subsidise the delegates' subsistence costs.
\nTopics for lectures will encompass perspectives from philosophy\, psychology\, psychiatry\, history\, legal scholarship\, clinical practice\, and lived experience. Themes will include:
\nEPIC researchers Jodie Russell\, Dan Degerman\, Fred Cooper\, Chiara Punzi\, Lara Calabrese\, Alice Monypenny and Michael Bresalier will also participate\, leading reading groups and discussion sessions on recent journal articles and book chapters. \;
\nTopics for discussion will include: \;
\nIf you are interested in joining us\, there is a \;form to apply (see link below) as places are limited. The deadline for applications is 1st February 2026 and the outcome will be made known to applicants by 2nd March 2026. \;
ORGANIZER;CN=Lisa Bortolotti;CN=Elisabetta Lalumera: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260817T090000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260822T170000 SUMMARY:SAPoLSN 2026 Graduate Summer School: The Agents of Evolution UID:20260405T182403Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Australia/Sydney LOCATION:Sydney\, Australia DESCRIPTION:2026 International Graduate Summer School
The Agents of Evolution
Time: \;August 17&ndash\;22\, 2026 (check-in on August 15&ndash\;16)
\nLocation: \;Macquarie University\, Sydney\, Australia
\nOrganizers:
\nSino-Australian Philosophy of Life Sciences Network (SAPoLSN)
\n- \; \; \; \; \; \; School of Humanities at Macquarie University (Pierrick Bourrat)
\n- \; \; \; \; \; \; Department of Philosophy at Peking University (Qiaoying Lu) \;
\n- \; \; \; \; \; \; School of Philosophy at Fudan University (Mingjun Zhang)
\nInstructors:
\n- \; \; \; \; \; \; Elisabeth A. Lloyd (Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine\, Indiana University\, Bloomington\, USA)
\n- \; \; \; \; \; \; Alex Rosenberg (Department of Philosophy\, Duke University\, Durham\, USA)
\nA number of other instructors will participate in the summer school\, including Paul Griffiths (University of Sydney and Macquarie University)\, Matthew Sims (Macquarie University)\, Peter Takacs (Macquarie University)\, and Cristina Villegas (Konrad Lorenz Institute).
\nAbout the Summer School
\nThis summer school is a yearly event sponsored and organized by the Sino-Australian Philosophy of Life Sciences Network (SAPoLSN)\, which was initiated by the Philosophy Discipline within the School of Humanities at Macquarie University\, the Department of Philosophy at Peking University\, and the School of Philosophy at Fudan University. Its purpose is to introduce the most important recent developments in the philosophy of life sciences to graduate students and young scholars\, to promote research and educational cooperation between Chinese and international philosophers of science\, and to promote collaboration between the philosophy of life sciences and the sciences. The first two SAPoLSN Summer Schools were successfully held at Peking University in Beijing in summer 2024 and at Fudan University in Shanghai in summer 2025.
\nThis year&rsquo\;s summer school will be held from August 17&ndash\;22\, 2026\, and will be hosted by the \; Macquarie Minds and Intelligences Research Centre (headed by Andrew Barron) and the School of Humanities at Macquarie University. The theme is:
\nThe Agents of Evolution
\nOne of the greatest achievements of Darwinian theory was to show how the appearance of design in nature can be explained without invoking agency. In particular\, by grounding adaptation in variation\, differential reproduction\, and heredity\, Darwinian explanations replace intention with a process that is blind to ends. Yet it would be a mistake to conclude that evolutionary theory thereby eliminates agency from its conceptual repertoire altogether. Even when organisms are not treated as literal agents\, evolutionary reasoning continues to rely on notions that are naturally read in agential or quasi-agential terms: we speak of strategies\, signals\, conflicts\, cooperation\, and\, more abstractly\, of entities occupying functional and causal roles within evolutionary explanations. In this summer school\, we will examine when\, why\, and in what sense agency re-enters evolutionary theorizing\, including the explanatory payoffs and risks of agential language in evolution.
\nIn addition to traditional lectures\, this summer school will involve diverse activities\, including but not limited to interviews with invited scholars\, academic development panels\, brainstorming sessions (e.g.\, for identifying PhD thesis topics)\, group presentations\, organized dinners\, and (fun!) excursions. Students will have the opportunity to interact with and learn from world-famous philosophers in person\, as well as to communicate and cooperate with their peers in depth. Following the summer school\, Macquarie University will host an international workshop on the same theme from August 24&ndash\;25\, which students are warmly encouraged to attend.
\nRegistration
\nRegistration is required for all students who want to participate in the summer school. However\, registration does not guarantee enrollment in this summer school. Due to limited capacity\, we will select participants based on their registration information. The summer school will be free to attend. A participation fee of A$800 or less (to be determined closer to the date) will be requested from the students to partially cover accommodation costs. Other expenses will be the responsibility of the participants and their institutions.
\nStudents from Fudan University and Peking University who are selected as participants in the summer school can obtain a certain amount of travel support from the School of Philosophy at Fudan University and the Department of Philosophy at Peking University\, respectively. Students from Fudan University should contact mingjunzhang@fudan.edu.cn.
\nRequirements:
\nDeadline for registration: May 5th\, 2026 (Sydney time\, UTC+10)
\nRegistration link: \;https://www.wjx.top/vm/YqwATWz.aspx
\nContact
\nFor further information about the summer school\, please contact:
\nKangqiao Wang
\nEmail: kangqiao.wang@students.mq.edu.au
\nSAPoLSN website: \;https://sapolsn.com/
ORGANIZER;CN=Pierrick Bourrat;CN=Qiaoying Lu;CN=Mingjun Zhang: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260902T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260904T170000 SUMMARY:MANCEPT Workshop - Speciesism\, Power and Human Prejudice UID:20260405T182404Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Europe/London LOCATION:Manchester Center for Political Theory\, University of Manchester\, Oxford Road\, United Kingdom DESCRIPTION:Speciesism has become a central concept in moral\, social and political scholarship and movements concerning animals. Broadly understood\, speciesism refers to discrimination based on species-membership and is often compared to racism and sexism. Nonetheless\, unlike racism and sexism\, speciesism is still generally regarded as an acceptable bias by the public and\, also amongst philosophers\, opinions diverge.
\nNowadays\, most philosophers reject forms of speciesism which rely merely on membership in the human species. However\, anthropocentric approaches which are justified in more indirect terms are widespread. Indeed\, these have received renewed defences recently &ndash\; including accounts which rely on rationality or social categories\, among others.
\nThis raises pressing metaphysical\, normative and epistemic concerns about what it means to be a human\, whether anthropocentric approaches to moral and political theory can be successfully defended\, and a wider question about why philosophers might be compelled to defend them at all. At the same time\, there are a variety of related concerns that are more overtly political in character\, which theorists of race and gender attend to\, but which are under-addressed in the literature on animals. These include issues regarding systems of power\, structural injustice\, social hierarchy\, domination and oppression.
\nThis panel is therefore broadly concerned with the following question: if speciesism is similar to racism and sexism\, what lies behind the former&rsquo\;s largely unchecked dominance in our thinking\, conduct and social structures? And how might we better understand its continued socio-political power\, within and beyond analytic political and moral philosophy? The panel will consider a range of related sub-questions including\, but not limited to\, the following:
\nConfirmed speakers: Hannah Battersby (KU Leuven)\, Catia Faria (Complutense University of Madrid)\, Franç\;ois Jacquet (Université\; de Strasbourg)\, Matthew Wray Perry (University of Sheffield) and Valé\;rie G. Topf (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem).
\nFor remaining speaker slots\, we invite submissions of abstracts of 250&ndash\;300 words from scholars within philosophy\, political science\, law\, animal studies\, and related disciplines. Abstracts should be suitable for a presentation of roughly 20-30 minutes. Please email your anonymised abstract to valerie.topf@unipv.it by 11th May 2026. Responses to submitted abstracts will be provided by 22nd May 2026.
\nPlease note that registration\, travel and accommodation fees must be covered by speakers themselves. Information on current registration fees &ndash\; and bursaries for accepted abstracts &ndash\; will be available on the MANCEPT website. This year&rsquo\;s edition of the workshops will take place in-person only.
ORGANIZER;CN=Hannah Battersby;CN=Matthew W. Perry;CN="Valérie G. Topf": METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260902T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260904T170000 SUMMARY:MANCEPT 2026: Who "knows" what Gender is? Arguments and Debates at the Intersection between Epistemic Injustice and Gender Identity UID:20260405T182405Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Europe/London LOCATION:Manchester\, United Kingdom DESCRIPTION:Who "knows" what Gender is? Arguments and Debates at the Intersection between Epistemic Injustice and Gender Identity
\nOrganisers: Miriam Ronzoni (University of Manchester)\; Esa Dí\;az Leó\;n \;(University of Barcelona).
\nApplication form:
\n\nIn \;recent years\, the "Gender Wars" have dominated public debates in several Western countries. Whilst in the US the debate is largely one between progressives and conservatives\, the UK debate\, and many other European debates\, are often framed as being internal to feminism and what a feminist public policy should look like. Gender critical feminists argue that gender is an oppressive social construct\; thus\, the feminist thing to do with it is simply to destroy it (while failing to recognize trans identities). Trans-inclusive scholars contend that both gender and gender identity cannot be erased without committing very serious harms to some of the already most marginalised people. Predictably\, very different public policy agendas follow.
\nAt closer look\, however\, trans-inclusive scholars and activists agree that gender is largely a social construct. The idea that trans activists and scholars consider gender identity (whether cis or trans) as immutable and innate is largely a myth. The trans-inclusive claim is\, however\, that something can be a social construct yet be very real and serve important social purposes within a certain social context &ndash\; such that destroying the concept *whilst maintain the broader social context* would produce significant harms. Most trans-inclusive actors also agree that gender has many oppressive elements &ndash\; yet contend that\, all things considered\, trans-inclusion is the most promising way to deconstruct those elements. Gender critical feminists usually counter-argue that this stand is simply confused: if gender and gender identity are not something innate but social constructs\, then what are they if not just the oppressive creation of the patriarchy? What else can they be? Thus\, according to gender critical feminism\, either gender identity is conceived as something immutable and innate &ndash\; and that is an implausible claim\, or it is part of an oppressive ideology which should be dismantled. Everything else is mysterious.
\nThis workshop aims to bring together this debate with developments in feminist epistemology. Recently\, much has been written about how the marginalised can be wronged not just in material terms\, but also in their &ldquo\;capacity as knowers&rdquo\; (Fricker 2007). This can happen because their very plausible accounts of their lived experiences are discredited\; because mainstream language and knowledge lack the terms and concepts for their experiences\; and because\, as a result\, marginalised people have struggled to make sense of their own experiences &ndash\; both to themselves and to others. All of this is compatible with marginalised people being\, in spite of all\, very competent or even uniquely insightful knowers in certain domains (Medina 2013).
\nThe workshop asks whether this can be the case for the concepts of gender and gender identity. Could it be that\, when the opponent says that trans-inclusive accounts of gender identity are &ldquo\;confused\,&rdquo\; &ldquo\;mysterious\,&rdquo\; or &ldquo\;don&rsquo\;t make sense\,&rdquo\; epistemic marginalisation is playing a role? It would not\, after all\, be the first time. A standpoint of uncertainty and puzzlement is not necessarily one of ignorance: it can indeed be the starting point of productive epistemic innovations. Indeed\, paradigmatic cases of hermeneutical injustice confirm that: the working women who struggled to make sense of their experience of unwelcome sexual flirtation in the workplace are the very same women who went on and developed a new concept for it &ndash\; workplace sexual harassment.
\nThe aim is to explore whether this can apply to trans-inclusive conceptual innovations about gender and gender identity and\, if so\, how barriers of intelligibility can be overcome. Conceptions of gender identity are undergoing revisions in feminist philosophy (e.g.\, Barnes 2022\, Cosker-Rowland 2023\, Cull 2024\, Hernandez &\; Bell 2025\, Jenkins 2023). Our aim is to further explore the connections between debates about conceptual innovations on gender and gender identity\, on the one hand\, and questions about epistemic injustice\, epistemic marginalization and conceptual interventions\, on the other hand.
\nIf you are unsure about whether your proposal might fit\, please feel free to reach out to the organisers before submitting.
\nTo apply\, please fill in and submit the application form below by 30th April:
\n\nReferences
\nBarnes\, Elizabeth (2022). Gender without Gender Identity: The Case of Cognitive Disability. Mind 131 (523):836-862.
\nBriggs\, R &\; B. R. George (2023). What Even Is Gender? Routledge.
\nCosker-Rowland\, Rach (2023). Recent Work on Gender Identity and Gender. Analysis 83 (4):801-820.
\nCull\, Matthew J. (2024). What Gender Should Be. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
\nFricker\, Miranda (2007). Epistemic injustice: power and the ethics of knowing. New York: Oxford University Press.
\nHernandez\, E. M. &\; Bell\, Rowan (2025). Much Ado About Nothing: Unmotivating "Gender Identity". Ergo: An Open Access Journal of Philosophy 12 (50):1313-1340.
\nJenkins\, Katharine (2023). Ontology and Oppression: Race\, Gender\, and Social Reality. New York: OUP.
\nMedina\, José\; (2013). The Epistemology of Resistance: Gender and Racial Oppression\, Epistemic Injustice\, and the Social Imagination. New York: Oxford University Press.
ORGANIZER;CN=Esa Diaz-Leon;CN=Miriam Ronzoni: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Berlin:20260924T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Berlin:20260926T170000 SUMMARY:The Self in the Social World UID:20260405T182406Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Europe/Berlin LOCATION:Heidelberg\, Germany DESCRIPTION:This conference explores how the self is shaped\, experienced\, and transformed within the social worlds we inhabit. Human selfhood does not arise in isolation\; it unfolds within networks of interpersonal relations\, cultural and institutional settings\, technological infrastructures\, and shifting ecological and political conditions. As these worlds evolve\, so too do the experiential dynamics through which individuals make sense of themselves\, others\, and their place in a shared reality. \;
\nA more specific yet central form of social sense-making consists in individuals&rsquo\; striving to find a place in the social world that bestows a sense of belonging\, meaning\, and fulfilment. However\, finding such a place is not something we can simply take for granted. Social environments must have certain features for individuals to be able to make them their home\, just as bodily\, affective\, and cognitive aspects of individuals precondition \;whether they may benefit from the interactions within the communities they navigate. The fit between various features of environments and individuals is notoriously precarious. \;
\nA central aim of the conference is to investigate the lived experience of the self in its dynamic embeddedness in the social world. We invite contributions that examine how subjectivity is informed through concrete interactions\, practices\, and environments\, as well as how changing societal and technological developments influence affective\, cognitive\, embodied\, and existential dimensions of experience. A particular focus lies on how the study of psychopathology can help elucidate the central importance of interpersonal encounters and structural determinants of the lifeworld for the self.
\nWe welcome submissions from \;various disciplines and theoretical angles: \;
\n\;e.g.\, phenomenology\, psychiatry\, philosophy of mind\, social philosophy\, philosophy of psychiatry\, cognitive sciences\, 4E cognition\, clinical and social psychology\, social sciences\,
\n\;and which employ \;different methodological approaches:
\n\;e.g.\, conceptual analysis\, phenomenological analysis\, qualitative and experiential research\, clinical observation\, interdisciplinary case studies.
\nWe encourage contributions \;addressing questions such as: \; \; \; \; \;
\nPlease send anonymized abstracts of no more than 300 words and suitable for a 30 minutes presentation slots (20 minutes for the talk\, 10 minutes for the Q&\;A) to abstract.for.socialself2026@gmail.com \;by 20 March 2026 (extended submission deadline). We will announce the selected presentations by 30 April 2026. \;
\nFor further information\, please see the \;Conference homepage
ORGANIZER;CN=Thomas Fuchs;CN=Hannes Gustav Melichar;CN="Niklas Noe-Steinmüller";CN=Philipp Schmidt-Boddy;CN=Daniel Vespermann: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Prague:20261022T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Prague:20261024T170000 SUMMARY:Rationality and Normativity Conference UID:20260405T182407Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Europe/Prague LOCATION:nám. Svobody 331/2\, Hradec Králové\, Czech Republic DESCRIPTION:The conference is on the nature of rationality and its relation to normativity\, especially on how rationality and reasons generate norms for what to believe\, trust or doubt. Rationality provides norms governing our thinking\, not only in general (do not form incoherent beliefs)\, but also in specific cases (do not trust that obvious conman). Which reasons the agent does or does not possess\, and their quality\, is also important. This conference aims at bringing together experts on these topics and shed light on these phenomena.
\nGetting a clear picture of what rationality and reasons are and what norms they place on our thinking can aid with applied philosophical issues as well. For example\, is conspiracy thinking\, distrust towards scientific experts or falling for fake news irrational? If so\, which rational norms are violated exactly\, and under which circumstances? What does the rational standing of people who engage in these potentially irrational processes teach us about why they engage in them\, and what if anything we should do to combat these phenomena?
\nOrganization
\nOrganization committee: \;
\nAuke Montessori\, Jaroslav Malí\;k\, Zuzana Votavová\; \;
\nContact:
\nhttps://ff.uhk.cz/rationalityandnorms/#contact \;
\nThis conference is organized by the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences\, Faculty of Philosophy\, University of Hradec Krá\;lové\;\, as part of the project:
\nKnowledge in the Age of Distrust
\nFunded by the Ministry of Education\, Youth and Sports (Czech Republic). Co-funded by the European Union.
ORGANIZER;CN=Auke Montessori: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Belgrade:20261126T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Belgrade:20261206T170000 SUMMARY:Balkan Analytic Forum 4: Semiotics & Semiotics in History UID:20260405T182408Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:Europe/Belgrade LOCATION:Čika Ljubina 18-20\, Belgrade\, Serbia DESCRIPTION:
\; \; \;
Semiotics &\; Semiotics in History
\nBalkan Analytic Forum 4
\n(November 26\, 2026 &ndash\; December 6\, 2026\, hybrid)
\nCenter for Contemporary Philosophy- Balkan Analytic Forum\, University of Belgrade\, Faculty of Philosophy
\nConference Venue: University of Belgrade\, Faculty of Philosophy\, Čika Ljubina Street 18-20\, Belgrade\, Serbia
\nWe invite submissions for \;the fourth meeting of \;Balkan Analytic Forum \;(BAF4) organized by the Balkan Analytic Forum to be held \;in person and online \;from November 26\, 2026 to December 6\, 2026. The topic of the BAF4 is Semiotics &\; Semiotics in History and it will be hosted by the Department of Philosophy at the University of Belgrade.
\nBalkan Analytic Forum is intended to establish a platform for discussion where scholars related to the Balkans and interested in analytic philosophy can meet on a regular basis and present their work-in-progress or recent publications\, but it also welcomes approaches that draw connections between analytic philosophy and other philosophical traditions and also invites scholars who are not related to the Balkans to get involved in the work of the Balkan Analytic Forum.
\nThe first part of the conference &ldquo\;Semiotics&rdquo\; will take place from November 26-29\, 2026\, the second &ldquo\;Semiotics in History&rdquo\; from December 5-6. However\, the period between will be open to other events\, such as individual talks related to semiotics.
\nI) For the first part we welcome submissions that consider the broad theme of semiotics in all its forms\, and from all perspectives. We are especially interested in the following themes: \; \;
\n- C.S. Peirce&rsquo\;s concept of quasi-mind as an interpreter of signs and its relation to the concept of artificial intelligence
\n- Saussurean vs. Peircean perspective
\n- semiotic foundations of cognition\, can we think without signs?
\n- natural signs\, e.g. the expressions of emotions or medical symptoms
\n- artificial signs and natural language
\n- semiotics in/of logic
\n- semiotics in/of art
\n- occurrent and dispositional signs.
\nII) "The past reality can be considered as semiotic by its very nature\, the past does not consist of events (and things\, etc.)\, but of their meanings\, and the goal of the historians and archaeologists alike are to investigate the systems of symbolizing people have developed in the past to give meaning to their existence." This powerful observation made by Tamm &\; Preucel is the basis for the theme of the second part of the conference.
\nSince the question of signs is unavoidable for thinking about the past\, the question of semiotics in history opens up. In the second part &ldquo\;Semiotics in History&rdquo\;\, we invite contributions dealing with these problems.
\nProposals are to be sent to \;baf@f.bg.ac.rs \;as anonymous abstracts (maximum 500 words in pdf format) and a separate title page by \;May 1\, \;2026. The title page should include: title\, name\, institutional affiliation\, email\, and an indication of whether you would like to present in person or online. Also\, please let us know if your submission is for the first part of the conference &ldquo\;Semiotics&rdquo\;\, or for the second &ldquo\;Semiotics in History&rdquo\;\, or is intended to be an individual talk in-between the two events. The conference is hybrid (online and in-person)\, free and open to the public.
\nDecisions will be communicated by May 20\, 2026.
\nThe authors of accepted submissions will be invited to contribute papers to an edited volume. Program and the book of abstracts of BAF1\, BAF2 and BAF3\, as well as the BAF1 and BAF2 Volumes you can find at this address: https://www.f.bg.ac.rs/balkanski_analiticki_forum/publikacije
\nProgram Committee:
\nTimothy Williamson\, New College\, University of Oxford\, United Kingdom
\nThodoris Dimitrakos\, University of Patras\, Philosophy Department\, Greece
\nEmily McWilliams\, University of Dayton\, USA
\nIvana Simić\, University of Florida\, Associate Director of Institutional Review Boards\, USA
\nAmber Riaz\, Lahore University of Management Sciences\, Pakistan
\nIris Vidmar Jovanović\, University of Rijeka\, Department of Philosophy\, Croatia
\nMarcin Trepczyński\, Faculty of Philosophy\, University of Warsaw\, Poland
\nMatthew Heeney\, Nazarbayev University\, Department of History\, Philosophy\, &\; Religious Studies\, Republic of Kazakhstan
\nDamir Smiljanić\, University of Novi Sad\, Department of Philosophy\, Serbia
\nDu&scaron\;ko Prelević\, University of Belgrade\, Department of Philosophy\, Serbia
\nMiroslav Radivojević\, University of Belgrade\, Department of History\, Serbia
\nBiljana Ristovska-Josifovska - Institute of National History\, Department for Cultural History\, North Macedonia
\nOrganizers:
\nMiroslava Trajkovski\, University of Belgrade\, Department of Philosophy\, Serbia
\nČedomir Antić\, University of Belgrade\, Department of History\, Serbia
\nStudent session coordinator:
\nSa&scaron\;a Grbović\, Institute for Philosophy\, University of Belgrade
\nIf you have questions or concerns\, please don&rsquo\;t hesitate to get in touch and contact the organizers at: \;baf@f.bg.ac.rs
\nRegistration
\nIs registration required? \;No
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260405T104710Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20270423T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20270424T170000 SUMMARY:Authority\, Expertise\, and Deference in Politics UID:20260405T182409Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-4s97k TZID:America/New_York LOCATION:Richmond\, United States DESCRIPTION:Questions about authority\, expertise\, and deference are central to political life. When\, if ever\, should citizens defer to the judgment of experts\, elected officials\, or political institutions? This conference brings together scholars working on the intersections of epistemology\, democratic theory\, and political philosophy to examine the nature\, grounds\, and limits of authority\, expertise and deference in politics.
\nCall for Abstracts
We welcome abstracts on any topic related to the conference theme. Potential topics include:
Please send an anonymized abstract (750&ndash\;1000 words) to mccormick.miriam@gmail.com by \;September 1\, 2026.
\nSpeakers will receive \;full funding \;to present at the event\, including economy travel and accommodation.
ORGANIZER;CN=Miriam Schleifer McCormick;CN=Michael Hannon: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR