Scepticism and Naturalism (Roots of Responsibility Conference)

Roots of Responsibility: Metaphysics, Humanity, and Societyadvances traditional philosophical debates about responsibility and free will by exploring the network of human capacities responsibility involves and the social, institutional and interpersonal contexts in which questions about responsibility arise.It is a five-year, €2.1 million project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (project ID: 789270).

Roots of Responsibility ERC project

Concluding conference of the Roots of Responsibility ERC project, on naturalism and (anti-)scepticism  in Hume, Wittgenstein, and Strawson.

The Queen's College

The aim of this conference is to advance our understanding of naturalism in the work of Hume, Wittgenstein, and P. F. Strawson, especially in these philosophers’ responses to scepticism. While there is no lack of interest in Strawson’s response to free will scepticism in ‘Freedom and Resentment’, there have been relatively few discussions of the broad vision which lies behind this response. This vision, which also guides Strawson’s treatments of perception and induction, focuses on general features of human nature which make scepticism of various kinds impossible to believe. Similarly, there has been insufficient inquiry into Strawson’s idea that Hume and Wittgenstein share his anti-sceptical naturalism. This international conference will bring together established and early career philosophers to explore these issues across two-and-a-half days. It is the closing conference of the five-year <a href="https://rootsofresponsibility.co.uk/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Roots of Responsibility</a> ERC project. The conference is organised by <a href="https://rootsofresponsibility.co.uk/project/michael-thorne/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Michael Thorne</a>, a PhD student in Philosophy at UCL and recipient of the Roots of Responsibility and UCL Philosophy Department Graduate Research Scholarship; <a href="https://rootsofresponsibility.co.uk/project/john-hyman/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Professor John Hyman</a>, Grote Professor of Philosophy at UCL and Principal Investigator of the Roots of Responsibility project; and <a href="https://rootsofresponsibility.co.uk/project/yuuki-ohta/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Yuuki Ohta</a>, Deputy Director and Administrator of the Roots of Responsibility project. ---<h1>S﻿chedule</h1><h2></h2><h2>Sunday 3 September </h2>13.00–13.30Welcome &amp; Introduction13.30–14.50Michael Williams (Johns Hopkins), ‘Skepticism and Naturalism: Strawson, Hume and Wittgenstein’Response: Jane Heal (Cambridge)14.50–15.20 Coffee &amp; Tea15.20–16.40Akeel Bilgrami (Columbia) - ‘Value and Agency: Hume, Wittgenstein and Strawson’ *online presentationResponse: Lucy Campbell (Warwick)16.50–18.10Carol Rovane (Columbia) - ‘Skepticism and Naturalism—and Relativism?’ *online presentationResponse: Erasmus Mayr (Erlangen)19.00–Conference Dinner at The Queen’s College <h2>Monday 4 September </h2>9.30–10.50Peter Millican (Oxford) - ‘Humean Varieties of Scepticism and Naturalism’Response: Ruth Weintraub (Tel Aviv)11.00–12.20Paul Horwich (NYU) - ‘Prolegomenon to an Inquiry Into the Bearing of Naturalism on Skepticism’ Response: John Hyman (UCL)12.20–13.30 Lunch13.30–14.50Annalisa Coliva (UC Irvine) - ‘Strawson's Naturalist Reading of Wittgenstein. An Appraisal’Response: Alexis Fogelman14.50–15.20 Coffee &amp; Tea15.20–16.40Genia Schönbaumsfeld (Southampton) - ‘“Not Empiricism and Yet Realism in Philosophy, That Is the Hardest Thing”’Response: Roger Teichmann (Oxford)16.50–18.10Duncan Pritchard (UC Irvine) - ‘Strawson and Wittgenstein on Hinge Commitments’ *online presentationResponse: Danièle Moyal-Sharrock (Hertfordshire) <h2>Tuesday 5 September </h2>9.30–10.50Pamela Hieronymi (UCLA) - ‘Strawson’s Ethical Naturalism: A Defense’Response: Jeremy Fix (Oxford)11.00–12.20Benjamin De Mesel (Leuven) - ‘Strawson, Skepticism and the Natural Roots of Responsibility’Response: Adrian Moore (Oxford)12.20–13.30 Lunch13.30–14.50Ernest Sosa (Rutgers) - ‘Strawson’s Anti-Skeptical Naturalism and Virtue Epistemology’Response: Anil Gomes (Oxford)14.50–15.20 Coffee &amp; Tea15.20–16.40Severin Schroeder (Reading) - ‘Strawson on the Matter of Meaning’Response: Roger Teichmann (Oxford)16.50–18.10Hanjo Glock (Zurich) - ‘Strawson’s Relativizing Move—a Futile Gambit?’Response: Michael Thorne (UCL)End of Conference ---<h1>Venue:</h1><h3>The Queen's College, University of Oxford</h3><h3><a href="https://www.queens.ox.ac.uk/bookable-spaces/meeting-rooms/the-shulman-auditorium/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">The Shulman Auditorium</a></h3><a href="https://www.queens.ox.ac.uk/bookable-spaces/meeting-rooms/the-shulman-auditorium/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"></a>(*This is an in-person event; online livestreaming is not planned.)---<h1>Call for registration</h1>We encourage colleagues and especially postgraduate students to attend. Please spread the word. All are welcome, and there is no registration fee, but space is limited. If you wish to attend, please register here on Eventbrite. Please note that registering for the workshop does not guarantee you a place; further information will be sent to everyone who registers. To make sure we have a full house, we may allocate more tickets than there are places. We do our best to get the numbers right, but unfortunately we occasionally have to disappoint people. We cannot guarantee entry, and admission is on a first come, first served basis.Enquiries about the workshop can be submitted via the <a href="https://rootsofresponsibility.co.uk/contact-us/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">message form</a> on the Roots of Responsibility website. ---<h1>Travel bursary</h1>We are offering a limited number of travel bursaries of up to £100, for students and others whose financial circumstances prevent them from travelling to attend this conference. The bursary can be used to cover transport and accommodation costs. T﻿o apply for a bursary please use <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeAgq_Ih4zad8OoYnAeCBszdI5o7XEmzoe0o9UlSmuUyFaQdg/viewform?usp=sf_link" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">this form</a>. ---<h1>About Roots of Responsibility</h1>Roots of Responsibility: Metaphysics, Humanity, and Society is a five-year, €2.1 million project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (project ID: 789270), directed by <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/philosophy/people/professor-john-hyman" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">John Hyman</a>, Grote Professor of Philosophy of Mind and Logic at UCL. The aim of the project is to advance traditional philosophical debates about responsibility and free will by exploring the network of human capacities responsibility involves and the social, institutional and interpersonal contexts in which questions about responsibility arise.Roots of Responsibility draws on legal theory, biological systems theory, and the philosophy of action, cutting across traditional boundaries between metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and philosophy of law. Further information about the project can be found on the <a href="https://rootsofresponsibility.co.uk/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">project website</a>. ---[Header photo by John Hyman.]