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C A L L F O R P A P E R S
(Deadline 29 February 2000)
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M O D E R N I T Y & M O R A L I D E N T I T Y
17-19 August 2000
University of Helsinki, Finland
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The purpose of this international and multidisciplinary conference
is to discuss the interplay between ethics and the discourse of
modernity in various fields.
There will be plenary sessions with keynote lectures as well as
parallel workshops.
Keynote Speakers include:
Ass.Prof. Marina Barabas (Dept. of Philosophy, Charles
University, Prague)
Prof. Craig Calhoun (Dept. of Sociology, New York University)
Prof. Martha Nussbaum (Dept. of Philosophy and Law School,
University of Chicago)
Dr. Nicholas Rengger (Dept. of International Relations,
University of St. Andrews)
Prof. Suresh Sharma (Centre for the Study of Developing
Societies, Delhi)
Prof. Gunnar Skirbekk (Dept. of Philosophy, University of
Bergen)
Prof. Georg Henrik von Wright (Dept. of Philosophy,
University of Helsinki) will also take part in the discussions.
The working language of the conference is English.
THEMATIC CONTEXT:
The revival of ethics and the rising interest in the discourse of
modernity and postmodernity are among the most notable
features of recent philosophy and social theory. In several of the
most influential philosophical contributions to have appeared
during the last two decades the interests in ethics and modernity
converge. The convergence is manifest not only in Charles
Taylor's and Richard Rorty's recent work, in Jürgen Habermas'
discourse ethics and in Michel Foucault's last books and
writings, but also in the contributions by such diverse
authors as Seyla Benhabib, Jacques Derrida, Hans-Georg
Gadamer, Axel Honneth, Julia Kristeva, Alasdair MacIntyre,
Martha Nussbaum, John Rawls, Paul Ricoeur, Michael Sandel,
Michael Theunissen, Ernst Tugendhat, Michael Walzer and
many others. In many of the most important recent contributions
to social and political theory, too - by Zygmunt Bauman, Ulrich
Beck, Pierre Bourdieu, Craig Calhoun, Nancy Fraser and
Anthony Giddens to mention a few - moral categories and
considerations are foregrounded. The questioning of modernity
now increasingly focuses on the specificity of the moral horizon
of modern times, the central notion being that of moral
identity. The significance and implications of this recent moral
turn in the discourse of modernity have, however, not yet been
assessed in depth.
In moral philosophy the reciprocality with the discourse of
modernity has led to a fundamental reorientation of both scope
and purpose. The metaethical focus of early post-war analytic
moral philosophy is giving way to a discourse in which authors
search for an understanding of the conditions for the formation of
moral identity characteristic of our times. The old debates in
modern moral philosophy about the meaning and conditions of
self-determination (autonomy) and self-realization have been
invigorated, and have received new dimensions within the
discourse of modernity and postmodernity - not least in the
controversies over the "end of man", the inextricable social
dimension in the constitution of moral identity, and in the
historicity of rationality. In this context essential
diagnostic information is provided by social theory. Highly
relevant are, e.g., studies concerning the cultural and social
implications of technological change, of increasing functional
differentiation and global integration, and of the rise of
multicultural societies. Similarly, there is the thesis that work
and nationality are losing their significance as pillars of identity.
At the same time, the recently reawakened interest in
ethics and its controversies feed back into the major debates in
social and political theory, as witnessed in an exemplary manner
in the so-called liberalism-communitarianism debate.
AIMS OF THE CONFERENCE:
The purpose of the conference is to bring together contributions
to and assessments of the interplay between moral philosophy
and the discourse of modernity in various fields.
We invite proposals under the following themes:
* The moral horizon of modernity: critical assessments of recent
debates and new diagnostic contributions
* The tasks and limits of the theories of modernity
* Profiles of contemporary contributors to the discourse of
modernity
* Modernity and rationality
* Notions of modernity in different disciplines and fields
DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS:
29 February 2000
Abstracts (300-400 words) should be sent, preferably both by
mail and by e-mail, to:
Thomas Wallgren
University of Helsinki, Department of Philosophy
P.O.Box 24, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
fax: +358-9-191 7627
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
(Please, send the abstracts as ordinary e-mail messages, not
as file attachments)
Notification of acceptance will be sent by 1 April 2000.
REGISTRATION:
Registration fees for the conference are as follows:
Before 30 April: 750 FIM (126 EUR)
After 30 April, before 15 July: 950 FIM (160 EUR)
Participation for only one day: 400 FIM (67 EUR)
A limited number of students can be admitted for the student fee
of 400 FIM (67 EUR) (please submit an informal application
endorsed by a faculty member)
The fee will cover access to the conference, the conference
material, and the welcome reception on Thursday evening, 17
August.
Registration forms will be available at the conference site:
http://www.valt.helsinki.fi/kfil/moderni
ORGANIZERS:
Organizer: University of Helsinki, Department of Philosophy
(Faculty of Social Sciences)
Co-operative partners: the Department of Sociology (University of
Helsinki), the Department of Political Science (University of
Helsinki), and the Academy of Finland
Organizing Committee:
prof. Matti Sintonen (Chair), Dr. Thomas Wallgren, and Irma
Levomäki M.Soc.Sci. (University of Helsinki, Dept. of
Philosophy), Dr. Risto Heiskala (University of Helsinki, Dept. of
Sociology)
Programme Committee includes:
Prof. Matti Sintonen (Chair) (University of Helsinki), Ass.Prof.
Steen Brock (University of Aarhus), Dr. Carl-Göran Heidegren
(University of Lund), Dr. Risto Heiskala (University of Helsinki),
Prof. Uffe Juul Jensen (University of Aarhus), Dr. Jussi Kotkavirta
(University of Jyväskylä), Dr. Olli Lagerspetz (University of Åbo),
Irma Levomäki, M.Soc.Sci. (University of Helsinki), Prof. Arto
Noro (University of Helsinki), Prof. Juhani Pietarinen (University
of Åbo), Dr. Morten Raffnsoe-Möller (University of Aarhus), Dr.
Nick Rengger (University of St.Andrews), Prof. Gunnar Skirbekk
(University of Bergen), Dr. Thomas Wallgren (University of
Helsinki)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
For more information see the conference web site:
http://www.valt.helsinki.fi/kfil/moderni
Or for further information about registration or hotel
reservations contact:
CongCreator
P.O.BOX 762, FIN-00101 Helsinki, Finland
tel. +358-9-454 2190 fax: +358-9-4542 1930
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
For further information about the programme or abstracts contact:
Thomas Wallgren
University of Helsinki, Department of Philosophy
P.O.Box 24, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
fax: +358-9-191 7627
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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