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Call for Papers "Reason Today: From Differentiation to Unity" International Conference Babeş-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca (Romania) 7-9 May 2010 __________________________________________________ What the culture of modernity understood by Reason has become differentiated in the multitude of sectoral representations of rationality. The division of labour and the continuous differentiation in the modern society have provided an incentive for the differentiation of rationality and its criteria. The pluralism of the systems of values has encouraged this differentiation and, at the same time, it has emerged from it. Consequently, different models stemming from the tradition of rationalism compete nowadays in the social life of late modernity and in the various fact-oriented approaches. Late modernity has undoubtedly brought about a substantial increase in knowledge. The inevitable question – whether the increase in knowledge also represents an increase in knowing, in wisdom – has no certain answer for the time being. Pathologies abandoning or limiting the exercise of Reason have been noticed for a long time. Nowadays we can rightfully speak about pathologies of Reason itself. A new clarification of what Reason means has become indispensable against the backdrop of its applications and effects on the lives of people living in late modernity. The financial and economic crisis started in 2008 calls for administrative, juridical and political solutions. It cannot be overcome unless people learn from the lessons of recent history, without them claiming a return to Reason and without a re-clarification of what Reason and the various rationalities mean. The Institute of European Research, in cooperation with several faculties of Babeş-Bolyai University, is organizing between May 7th and 9th 2010 the international conference "Reason Today. From Differentiation to Unity" at Babeş-Bolyai University. The aim of the conference is that of clarifying the differentiations of modern society and their implications in delineating the various types of rationality, of circumscribing the pathologies of abandoning or limiting the exercise of Reason and the pathologies of Reason itself, of delimiting the open questions of understanding Reason in late modernity and of formulating a new answer to the issue of unity of Reason in the context of the economic and financial crisis which started in 2008. The aim of our conference is therefore to address issues related to the status of Reason from the perspective of contemporary philosophy. Contributions are invited for the following panels: 1. Differentiation and integration in contemporary society. Types of rationality 2. Various pathologies: pathologies of the limitation of Reason and pathologies of Reason 3. Spheres of rationality: survival, control, efficiency, identity, communication, joy 4. Cognitive and action strategies 5. Unity of Reason Paper titles, accompanied by abstracts in English of up to 400 words should be submitted by email to <[email protected]>, by December 15th, 2009 at the very latest, the selected papers being announced by February 1st, 2009. A selection of the conference contributions will be published in a collective volume. Conference participants will be offered accommodation in the University Hotel, as well as meals for the duration of the conference. All conference-related enquiries should be sent to the attention of Ciprian Bogdan to the following email address: [email protected] Participants should also consult the conference website, which will be functional starting with January 30th, 2010: http://www.euro.ubbcluj.ro/conferenceMay2010 __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org
