Conference on "Liberalism without Perfection"
Churchill College, Cambridge
Saturday, March 30th, 2013
Quite a few political philosophers in recent years have favored a view called
liberal perfectionism. According to this view, liberal political morality is
characterized by a commitment to helping individuals lead autonomous lives and
making other valuable choices. In "Liberalism without Perfection", published in
2010, Jonathan Quong rejects the perfectionist view and offers an alternative
account of liberal political morality. Quong argues that the liberal state
should be engaged neither in determining what constitutes a valuable or
worthwhile life nor in trying to make sure that individuals live up to such an
ideal. Instead, it should remain neutral on the issue of the good life, and
restrict itself to establishing the fair terms within which individuals can
pursue their own beliefs about what gives value to their lives. His book thus
defends a position known as political liberalism.
This one-day conference, organized by the Cambridge Forum for Legal & Political
Philosophy, will evaluate Quong's contribution to contemporary debates over the
future of liberalism. It will bring together six prominent political
philosophers, plus Quong himself, to assess the strengths and shortcomings of
Quong's book. The book will be an excellent point of departure for broader
ruminations on the nature of liberalism and perfectionism.
The six panelists are as follows:
*Dr Jules Holroyd (Nottingham)
*Professor Matthew Kramer (Cambridge)
*Professor Susan Mendus (York)
*Professor Veronique Munoz-Darde (UCL/California-Berkeley)
*Professor Hillel Steiner (Manchester)
*Dr Zofia Stemplowska (Warwick)
The conference will be open to everyone with no registration fee. A charge of
12 pounds will be imposed for anyone who orders lunch, but otherwise attendance
at the conference will be free of charge. The six friendly critics of Quong's
book will be divided into three panels of two people each. After the two
papers for each panel have been presented, Quong will have an opportunity to
reply; each session will then conclude with an ample question-and-answer period
for the audience. The first session will begin in the mid-morning (around
10:30am), and the conference will close in the early evening (around 6:00pm).
All the substantive sessions of the conference as well as lunch will take place
at Churchill College, Cambridge.
Only about a dozen places at the conference are still available. When those
places are taken, we shall begin a waiting list.
If you wish to register for the conference, you should please notify Matthew
Kramer ([email protected]) through e-mail. You should please indicate whether
you wish to order lunch, which can be purchased either with a cheque or with a
credit card.
Although there is no specially reserved accommodation for the conference
participants, rooms -- with or without en-suite facilities -- will be available
at bed-and-breakfast rates at Churchill College. Anyone wanting information on
bed-and-breakfast accommodation at Churchill College should please write to Ms
Kelly Bridge (the Accommodation Officer of the College) at
[email protected].
The following organizations have provided generous financial support for the
conference: Cambridge Forum for Legal & Political Philosophy; Churchill
College, Cambridge; Manchester Centre for Political Theory; and the Mind
Association.
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