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Deadline fast approaching!!

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]