Call for Papers: Creating a Philosophy for the Future

Philosophy and Religious Studies Programme, University of Macau

16th-18th November 2017

Philosophy has emerged in many cultures, wearing many guises. Although certain ideas spread widely in pre-modernity, it is only relatively recently that it has begun to make sense to talk about a global philosophical culture in which thinkers can draw on the resources of a range of philosophical traditions, Asian and Western, to address the problems that concern them. This situation, which owes a huge debt to 19th and 20th-century scholarship in the history of philosophy, sheds new light on our understanding of progress in philosophy, the expansion of philosophical knowledge, and philosophy as an agent of cultural change. It also raises questions about the degree to which we can bring together insights and conceptual tools from diverse and independent philosophical traditions to form genuinely novel philosophical approaches that add up to more than the sum of their component parts. By showcasing the work of philosophers, as well as thinkers from cognate disciplines, whose work has roots in both Asian and Western traditions, this international conference will explore some of the ways in which boundary-crossing, post-comparative thought can contribute both to the expansion of philosophical knowledge and to the emergence of a global philosophical culture. It also considers how thinkers within such a global philosophical culture might create new philosophical tools that will be of use in a future that, given the current pace of environmental and social change, is likely to be radically different from the past. The broad goal of the conference is to make a significant contribution to the creation of a philosophy for the future.

Keynotes

• Mikel Burley, Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy, University of Leeds, UK.
• Gwen Griffith-Dickson, Visiting Professor of Philosophy, King’s College London, UK and Director of the Lokahi Foundation.
• Richard King, Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Institute of Philosophy, University of Berne, Switzerland
• JeeLoo Liu, Professor of Philosophy, CSU Fullerton, USA.
• Geir Sigurosson, Professor of Chinese Studies and Philosophy, University of Iceland.
• Robin Wang, Professor of Philosophy, Loyola Marymount University, USA and Research Fellow at CASBS, Stanford University, USA.

Submissions are invited for papers on any aspect of the conference theme. Speakers will be selected through a review of abstracts. The language of the conference is English. Speakers coming from abroad will be provided with accommodation (covering 4 nights) during the conference, and meals and refreshments will be served for all speakers. Participants are expected to cover their own travel expenses.

Please email abstracts of a maximum of 250 – 300 words to vharrison@umac.mo by the end of August 2017. Notification of acceptance: 15th September 2017.

Direct any inquires to Prof. Victoria Harrison (vharrison@umac.mo).