IDEALS & REALITY IN SOCIAL ETHICS 2014
9-11 April, University of South Wales (Caerleon Campus)
Keynote speakers:
- Ingrid Robeyns (Erasmus University Rotterdam)
- Stuart White (University of Oxford)
Theorists are expert at theorising. Should they also be expert at negotiating the challenges of practice? Should practitioners and policymakers listen to them? Or are these two realms best kept at a distance?
A sequel to successful events of the same name held in 2012 and 2013, this conference will explore relations between normative theorising and critique, and the 'real worlds' of social and political practice. We welcome both papers which address the nature and practical relevance of political, social and moral theory, and papers applying such theory to issues of current social concern. At previous conferences, topics of panels have included ideal vs non-ideal theory, 'ethics-first' vs 'politics-first' political philosophy, varieties of realism, applying concepts from ethical and political theory in the context of government policy consultations, equality, parenting, climate change, multiculturalism, democracy, EU citizenship, lay normativity, environmental human rights, health inequalities, human nature, education, professional ethics (and its teaching), the ethics of care, solidarity, war and terrorism, bioethics, basic income policies, academic activism, collective harms and the politics of recognition.
Again, the conference aims to attract academics, activists, practitioners and others with an interest in the relationship between ideals and the concrete demands and possibilities of social life. Key themes and questions will include:
- (how) do theoretical insights actually enhance practice?
- ideal vs. non-ideal theory
- the relationship between political ideas and the reality of political practice
- the relationship between ethical codes and actual practice, e.g. in professional contexts are notions of 'reality' and ‘practice’ always inherently contested?
- the relationship between descriptive and normative approaches to the study of politics and society
- the relationship between theory and activism
Our hope is that, as previously, these questions will be picked up and addressed across a wide range of contexts of policy and practice.
As well as individual paper proposals, we welcome proposals of themed panels of 3 papers, and will be happy to consult on the development of ideas in this regard.
Deadline for proposals of papers (300 words) and pre-arranged panels (including a brief overall description and an abstract of each contribution): 20 January 2014.
Please send submissions to Gideon Calder at the email address below, with 'IRSE SUBMISSION' in the subject line.
Registration will open in February 2013, with a non-residential fee of £100, plus optional conference dinner. Deadline for registration: 31 March.
Subsidised places will be available for postgraduate students and those without institutional financial support.
Contact: [log in to unmask]
Conference website: http://philevents.org/event/show/12588
Dr Gideon Calder
University of South Wales │ Prifysgol De Cymru
Caerleon Campus │ Campws Caerllion
Lodge Road │ Heol y Porthdy
Caerleon │ Caerllion | NP18 3QT
UK | DU
Twitter: @gideoncalder
www.southwales.ac.uk
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