Conference Announcement "On the Rational Legitimization of Political Norms under Conditions of Cultural Pluralism and Cultural Changes" International Conference Department of Philosophy, SFB 485 'norm and symbol' and 'Philosophy, Probability, and Modeling' research group, University of Konstanz Konstanz (Germany) 10-11 December 2004
Organizer: Jörg Kühnelt ([email protected]) Website (including program and abstracts): http://www.uni-konstanz.de/ppm/norms-conference/ Main speakers: Christopher Morris (Philosophy, University of Maryland) Philip Pettit (Philosophy, Princeton University) Russell Hardin (Politics, New York University) Matthias Kaufmann (Philosophy, University of Halle) Michael Baurmann (Sociology, University of Duesseldorf) Reinhard Zintl (Politics, University of Bamberg) Wilfried Hinsch (Philosophy, University of Saarland) Aim of the conference: States can use their legal coercive power to motivate their citizens to obey political norms. However, existing states do not necessarily have a foundation in basic moral or cultural values to legitimize these norms. The project of a rational justification of political norms tries to legitimate norms only by reference to the benefit maximizing behaviour of individuals and some basic and universal interests. Therefore it appears to be interesting especially for pluralistic or multicultural societies. Within the conference several suggestions for a rational legitimization will be discussed. The conference focuses on the empirical conditions that are relevant for a rational legitimization. Examples for these empirical conditions are assumptions about the behaviour of individuals and the functioning of certain possible societies. Therefore they appear to be relevant for the conditions and possibilities of an advantageous and stable state. Several scholars from sociology, politics and philosophy are invited to discuss the critiques and the potential of possible modifications of a rational justification of political norms. Participation: Seats are limited. Please send an email to [email protected] if you would like to participate as a guest. Informal deadline is 25.11.2004. We expect places to fill up quickly. There is no conference fee, but if you would like to eat at the conference, you have to expect costs around 17 Euros a day. (Conference dinner will be additional 35 Euros) Further information: Konstanz, Department of Philosophy: http://www.uni-konstanz.de/FuF/Philo/Philosophie or conference website: http://www.uni-konstanz.de/ppm/norms-conference/ _________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org/ Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://agd.polylog.org/cal/
