University of Nottingham
16-17 July 2024
Generously sponsored by the Analysis Trust, the British Society for the History of Philosophy, and the University of Nottingham.
Organisers: Dr Ellie Robson and Dr Ian James Kidd
This conference will be the first dedicated to exploring Mary Midgley’s (1919-2018) moral philosophy. Midgley was a distinguished British philosopher and an authority on animal and environmental ethics (among other things). A recent renewal of historical interest in her work has come from her association with a group of 20th century women philosophers known as the ‘Wartime Quartet’ (Iris Murdoch, Philippa Foot, Elisabeth Anscombe and Midgley).
Across the seventy years and over two hundred publications of her career, Midgley developed a rich moral vision that encompassed our relations to one another, non-human animals, and the natural world. This vision is informed by the history of Western moral and political philosophy, ethology and other sciences, and a wider range of influences, from Gaia theory to Buddhism.
This is a hybrid event – we meet in-person, but will offer online participation, for attendees and speakers; of course, speakers can decline to have their talk broadcast online.
Keynote speakers:
Call for papers
We welcome contributed papers. Speakers will have one hour, with at least 20 mins for discussion.
Applications are made by submitting a short (250 word) abstract. The deadline is midnight on Sunday 2 June 2024. Abstracts should be anonymised and will be blind refereed by the conference organisers. Please email one of the conference organisers: [email protected] or [email protected].
Accessibility
There is no registration fee. Coffee, tea, water and fruit juices will be provided, as will lunch, including vegan options. We’re happy to accommodate other dietary needs. The conference dinner is optional and will be at an affordable venue, not anywhere expensive. At the registration stage, we will communicate, to those attending in person, the details of the catering, the restaurants we’ll be eating at (including costs, menus and any tipping expectations), and details and costs of travel (for instance, if we need to get the tram or bus into town). We will do our best to accommodate the unwaged and underwaged.
Conference themes will include:
Analysis Trust Bursaries
Thanks to the generosity of the Analysis Trust, we can offer two bursaries to be distributed between postgraduate attendees without institutional support, and under-employed recent postgraduates – to cover (partially or fully) travel and accommodation costs. If you wish to apply for one of these.
To apply for this, please include in the same document as your abstract:
This event will be complaint with the BPA-SWIP Good Practice Scheme.
16-17 July 2024
Generously sponsored by the Analysis Trust, the British Society for the History of Philosophy, and the University of Nottingham.
Organisers: Dr Ellie Robson and Dr Ian James Kidd
This conference will be the first dedicated to exploring Mary Midgley’s (1919-2018) moral philosophy. Midgley was a distinguished British philosopher and an authority on animal and environmental ethics (among other things). A recent renewal of historical interest in her work has come from her association with a group of 20th century women philosophers known as the ‘Wartime Quartet’ (Iris Murdoch, Philippa Foot, Elisabeth Anscombe and Midgley).
Across the seventy years and over two hundred publications of her career, Midgley developed a rich moral vision that encompassed our relations to one another, non-human animals, and the natural world. This vision is informed by the history of Western moral and political philosophy, ethology and other sciences, and a wider range of influences, from Gaia theory to Buddhism.
This is a hybrid event – we meet in-person, but will offer online participation, for attendees and speakers; of course, speakers can decline to have their talk broadcast online.
Keynote speakers:
- Dr Clare MacCumhaill (University of Durham)
- Professor Gregory McElwain (College of Idaho)
- Professor Benjamin Lipscomb (Houghton University)
Call for papers
We welcome contributed papers. Speakers will have one hour, with at least 20 mins for discussion.
Applications are made by submitting a short (250 word) abstract. The deadline is midnight on Sunday 2 June 2024. Abstracts should be anonymised and will be blind refereed by the conference organisers. Please email one of the conference organisers: [email protected] or [email protected].
Accessibility
There is no registration fee. Coffee, tea, water and fruit juices will be provided, as will lunch, including vegan options. We’re happy to accommodate other dietary needs. The conference dinner is optional and will be at an affordable venue, not anywhere expensive. At the registration stage, we will communicate, to those attending in person, the details of the catering, the restaurants we’ll be eating at (including costs, menus and any tipping expectations), and details and costs of travel (for instance, if we need to get the tram or bus into town). We will do our best to accommodate the unwaged and underwaged.
Conference themes will include:
- Midgley’s contributions to applied ethical topics including animal ethics and environmental philosophy.
- Midgley’s own moral views and the relevant topics and themes.
- Midgley’s influence on moral philosophy and meta-philosophy.
- Midgley’s criticisms of mainstream approaches in philosophical ethics.
- Midgley’s place in the history of philosophy as a member of the Wartime Quartet, as a woman philosopher, and as a major figure in the history of British public philosophy.
Analysis Trust Bursaries
Thanks to the generosity of the Analysis Trust, we can offer two bursaries to be distributed between postgraduate attendees without institutional support, and under-employed recent postgraduates – to cover (partially or fully) travel and accommodation costs. If you wish to apply for one of these.
To apply for this, please include in the same document as your abstract:
- Your name, email address, working PhD title, PhD supervisor’s name and email address
- a statement to motivates your need for the bursary (approx. 200 words)
This event will be complaint with the BPA-SWIP Good Practice Scheme.