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Conference Announcement Theme: Politics at the Margins Subtitle: Reason, Stupidity, and Alienness in Conflict Type: The Royal Institute of Philosophy Postgraduate Conference Institution: School of Philosophy and Art History (SPAH), University of Essex Location: Colchester (United Kingdom) – Online Date: 28.–30.4.2022 __________________________________________________ We are excited to announce that on 28-30 April 2022, SPAH will host this year’s The Royal Institute of Philosophy Postgraduate Conference. Titled ‘Politics at the Margins: Reason, Stupidity, and Alienness in Conflict’, the conference will address the ambivalent role of ‘reason’ in democratic procedures of conflict resolution. A consensus in political philosophy goes that democracy is the best regime for mastering conflict. While many authors highlight the procedural values of joint deliberation, inclusion, and equality, others (also) underline democracy’s capacity ‘to get it right.’ Such epistemic theories claim that democratic procedures produce the best results in conflict (Estlund 2009; Habermas 2006; Mouffe 2018; Schwartzberg 2014; Talisse 2009). However, democracy’s pole position often comes with theoretical and practical caveats. In theory, authors usually limit the relevant citizenry to reasonable citizens (e.g., Rawls 1993; Quong 2011; McCabe 2010); in political practice, governments and parties appoint a battery of advisers and select candidates for office who rarely are not academics or when not, this is presented as an issue. This way, democracy seems to move closer to technocracy rather than being the rule of the many (Christiano 1996). On the other hand, there is a recent backlash against the idea of meritocracy (Markovits 2019; Sandel 2020). Reason and demos, it seems, stand in an ambiguous relationship to one another. In light of recent events such as Brexit, the Trump or Bolsonaro presidencies, the rise of conspiracy theories, and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, racial justice, or mass immigration, the conference will bring together postgraduate students and early-career researchers to tackle questions such as: - Are current events proof that democracy’s institutions too democratic and allow the ‘stupid’ to derail politics (Brennan 2016)? Or is the epistemic desire of current democratic regimes ‘to get it right’ the sign of a neurosis that limit their legitimacy? - Are current events reactions to past and ongoing injustices such as: epistemic injustices (Fricker 2007; Spivak 1988); social inequalities (Boltanski and Chiapello 1999; Bourdieu 1990; Fraser 2008); or discrimination (Davis 1989; Gordon 2021)? - Is democracy sufficiently pluralist (Cooke 2006; 2019)? Or does it need to begin including voices alien to the language of politicians and experts (e.g., Young 1997, 2000; Waldenfels 1997)? Must we even learn to be more stupid? We are proud to share that Prof Maeve Cooke (University College Dublin), Elisabeth Anker (George Washington University), and Prof Timo Jütten (University of Essex) have confirmed to give three fantastic keynote lectures on the topic. The event is planned in hybrid format. We still have tickets available – online and in-person – and would like to invite you to join our discussion. To join in-person, please register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/281337045677 For online registration, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/281449853087 Organisers: Yonathan Listik and Niclas Rautenberg If you have any questions please contact the organisers at: [email protected] __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: https://interphil.polylog.org InterPhil List Archive: https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ __________________________________________________
