DAVID LEWIS AND HIS PLACE IN THE HISTORY OF ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY

17-19 June 2019, University of Manchester

About

The conference marks the end of our AHRC-funded project at the University of Manchester, The Age of Metaphysical Revolution: David Lewis and His Place in the History of Analytic Philosophy. The project is the first large-scale treatment of Lewis as a historical figure, and outputs will include a monograph, a collection of posthumous papers, and two volumes of Lewis’s correspondence.

The aim of the conference is to cap off the project’s treatment of Lewis’s philosophy in its historical context and his place in the history of analytic philosophy. Papers will deal with some aspect of Lewis’s philosophy in a similar fashion.

Keynote speakers: Sara Bernstein, John Heil, Frank Jackson, Frederique Janssen-Lauret & Fraser MacBride, Angelika Kratzer, Daniel Nolan, Jonathan Schaffer, Wolfgang Schwarz.

When: Monday 17 June (lunchtime) to Wednesday 19 June (lunchtime/early afternoon).

Where: University of Manchester, UK, main campus

Registration: Registration will open nearer the time, but please put the dates in your diary if you think you might like to attend. Please note that (free) virtual participation, and presentation of a paper, will be possible.

CALL FOR PAPERS

Prospective participants are hereby invited to submit abstracts for the conference on some aspect of Lewis’s philosophy with a view to understanding/discussing/analysing that aspect of his philosophy in its historical context or in relation to other aspects of his philosophy or as a contribution to the history of analytic philosophy. The abstract should be suitable for a 20-minute presentation.

Please send abstracts of a maximum of 1000 words, prepared for anonymous review, to LewisManchester2019@gmail.com by 15 February 2019 (midnight UK time), with the subject header ABSTRACT. Please also fill in the Abstract Cover Sheet and send it with your abstract.

We are particularly keen to encourage applications from philosophers with backgrounds and / or identities which are not currently well-represented in academic philosophy, so please also add any additional information you feel is relevant to this goal in a separate cover note if you wish.

Successful participants will be notified of their acceptance by 1 March 2019.

We welcome submissions from people who wish to present their paper (and attend the rest of the conference) virtually. In this regard, please note our commitment to environmental sustainability.

We hope to be able to heavily subsidise the costs of those presenters who are students, unemployed or under-employed (e.g. on a casual or part-time contract); however, please note that we will not reimburse any expenses connected with taking flights. If that is your only option for physical attendance, please consider virtual participation instead.

Accessibility information

We will be abiding by the BPA’s Guidelines for Accessible Conferences as far as possible.

All venues (including social venues) will be wheelchair accessible. Service animals are welcome. A hearing loop will be available on request in the main conference room, and a quiet room will be available during the day throughout the conference. Delegates will book their own accommodation. Wheelchair-accessible hotels and disabled parking bays are available close by, and most Manchester taxis and buses are also wheelchair-accessible. More precise information will be available nearer the time.

If you are thinking of attending and we need to give you more information about accessibility, or if you require help with meeting the costs of attending that your institution cannot meet due to a disability or caring responsibilities, please feel free to get in touch with us at LewisManchester2019@gmail.com.

Virtual participation

You will have the option of being a virtual participant (including a virtual speaker) via Skype free of charge. We aim to make this experience as good and as interactive as we can, with access to handouts, the opportunity to ask questions during Q&A, and access to an online chatroom during the breaks. Further details will be available nearer the time.

Environmental policy

We committed at the outset of the project to do everything we can to minimise its carbon footprint. The virtual participation option is part of this commitment, as is the fact that several of our keynote speakers will be presenting their talks virtually.

To help us with our commitment to minimising our carbon footprint, we encourage participants who would have to fly to attend in person to consider attending virtually.

We encourage participants physically attending the event to consider the following guidelines for environmentally responsible travel:

• To avoid air and single occupant car travel where it is feasible to do so in favour of rail and coach travel.
• To avoid short-stay, single-purpose high-emissions travel where feasible.
• To maximise the academic value of high-emissions travel (where unavoidable) by taking longer and multiple purpose trips (where feasible).
• To consider using a carbon offsetting scheme where air travel is unavoidable.

We will be rewarding participants who travel to the conference by train, bus or coach with a reduced conference fee.

Registration fees and costs

There will be a modest registration fee to cover lunches and refreshments; as above, we will be rewarding participants who travel to the conference by train, bus or coach with a reduced conference fee. There will also be a discount for students and under-employed philosophers (e.g. post-PhD people doing part-time teaching assistant work or on a fractional contract).

Accommodation will not be centrally booked so that you can choose a venue that suits your wallet. The conference dinners will not be included in the conference fee so that you can choose a cheaper dinner option if you wish.

We expect registration to open around Easter 2019. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please email us at LewisManchester2019@gmail.com.