Apologies for Cross Posting:
CALL FOR PAPERS
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EVOLUTION AND ORGANISATION
DENATURING DARWIN
12th to 14th November 2004, International School of Philosophy, Amersfoort,
the Netherlands
The Theme
Darwin, once again, is seemingly everywhere – competing for general acclaim
as The Greatest Briton; slugging it out with Creationists in American
schools; the subject of public disputes as to who can be regarded as his
true disciples; with awards in his name for both scientific endeavour and
suicidal stupidity; through to new reclamations of his ideas in academia.
And even though the theory of evolution may not be the ‘universal acid’ that
Daniel Dennett (1995) seeks, burning through all that stood in its way, it
has been etched into a broad swathe of the natural, social and political
sciences. Sometimes, for example, it appears to merely rest as agreeable
metaphor, as in Marshall’s ‘teeming millions’ in economics; sometimes to lie
as causal explanation, as in social inequality as rendered by social
Darwinists; sometimes to stand as proof, as atheistic fundamentalists use it
to deny the existence of Gods; and sometimes to act as the Trusty Sword of
Truth, as wielded to defeat those contemporary bogey figures, be they
post-modernists, feminists or social-constructionists (see, for example,
Pinker, 2003 or Dawkins,1976 and 2001).
The misapplication of Darwinist thinking in the social sciences, on its own,
could justify a conference. Yet such a narrow theme risks simply returning
to the bitter battles over sociobiology of the 1970s, fought over similar
terrain. Instead, the rise and rise of Darwinism itself demands a closer
look. We suggest here four themes that might evolve.
First, perhaps, is the origin of The Origin of Species. The genesis of the
central idea – evolution through natural selection – continues to attract
discussion as to whether Darwin was creator, or (unknowing) disciple. Yet
Darwin’s construction of the argument, his proof (drawn from his own
cultivations) and its presentation, draws into question the whole question
as to what is natural, and what is selected. Thus, for example, even as his
theory appears to extinguish one Creator, in practice, another seems to
emerge in His place – a theme that is continuously re-enacted today, as
programmers seek to develop natural selection in software. We would welcome
papers further examining such origins and their consequences.
Darwin’s writing is undoubtedly skilled, as he weaves his subjects into an
evocative narrative. But the pernicious spread of Darwinism cannot be laid
simply to the power of his rhetoric. Why did the idea of evolution through
natural selection so quickly and virulently spread beyond its natural host
and find such welcome in seemingly unrelated fields? And why does it
continue to excite similar interest as an explanation for apparently
unrelated phenomena today? We welcome work that seeks to explore the
phenomena of Darwinism itself.
At the same time, despite Darwin’s own warnings, as his ideas spread they
became and continue to become derivations of derivations: mere pastiche or
downright wrong. Diluted and adulterated, these homeopathic theories claim
to explain more and more of the world around, be it in terms of rampant
individualism or carefully pruned collective, while still claiming fidelity
to the purity of their source. Unsurprisingly, such unruly science has shown
itself capable of producing monsters, both hopeful and hopeless, with
monstrous results. We call, then, for critique of such abominations.
And finally, despite the overwhelmingly critical tone of what has preceded,
there is the question of where a more considered examination of the
consequences of the Darwinist explosion might take us. This may stretch, for
example, from the exploration of a radical humanism that might take account
of contemporary issues that oscillate between the biological and social
sciences, such as Bio-nomics, through to discussion to whether Darwinism and
the social sciences will always remain incommensurable. In the field of
organisation, for example, could we go beyond rather simple notions of
‘population ecologies’ to consider the mutual co-construction of ‘organised’
bodies and the ‘fitness landscapes’ that they both constitute and inhabit?
Abstracts
Abstracts of no more than 500 words should be sent to [log in to unmask], no
later than Monday 31st May 2004. Please submit abstracts in MS Word or Rich
Text format. Acceptance will be notified by July 2004. Electronic versions
of full papers should be submitted no later than Thursday 30th September
2004, again to darwin@le.ac.uk.. A selection of complete papers will be
placed on the conference website http://www.le.ac.uk/ulmc/cppe/darwin as
soon as is practicable after that date.
Keynote Speakers and Plenary Sessions
There will be two plenary sessions at the conference, featuring a total of
four keynote speakers. Dr Gowan Dawson of the Victorian Studies Centre,
University of Leicester and Dr David Amigoni of the Department of English
Literature and Philosophy at Keele University will both address a plenary
session entitled Reading Darwin. The other plenary, entitled Evolution and
Creation, will be addressed by Dr Steve Brown of the Department of Human
Sciences at Loughborough University and Professor Jack Cohen of the
Institute of Mathematics at the University of Warwick.
Publication plans
A themed issue of the Routledge journal, Culture and Organization, is under
discussion. Papers appropriate in terms of theme and contribution will also
be selected for consideration for the Palgrave journal, Emergence,
Complexity and Organization.
Conference Fee
The conference fee will be in the region of 300 pounds (450 euros) and will
include accommodation and all meals, including a gala conference dinner.
Language
The language of the conference will be English.
Conference Organisers
The conference is being jointly organised by the Centre for Philosophy and
Political Economy of the University of Leicester, UK and the Department of
Critical Theory and Organisation of the University for Humanistics, Utrecht,
NL.
Further Details
Further details and registration information will be made available via the
conference website http://www.le.ac.uk/ulmc/cppe/darwin. Specific queries
should be addressed to [log in to unmask]
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