There will be a 1,5 day workshop Philosophy of Societal Transformations, to be held on 8–9 May 2025 at Utrecht University, the Netherlands.
Workshop theme and aim:
Societal transformations, such as the climate transition or the digitalization of society and rapid implementation of AI-systems, raise various philosophical questions, both with regard to the nature of transformation and its normative implications. While there is increasing interdisciplinary scholarship on transformations, the aim of this workshop is to focus on distinctly philosophical contributions to this discourse. We seek to identify core philosophical frameworks, concepts, and approaches for studying societal transformations and their normative dimensions, and to compile a ‘Philosophical Toolkit’ that can take discourse on just transitions to the next level.
Call for abstracts:
We welcome abstracts addressing the theme of the workshop, including (but not limited to) the following questions:
· What are the distinctive and unifying features of societal transformations, and what are suitable philosophical frameworks for analyzing them?
· What is the weight of frustrated expectations in claims about transitional justice?
· What role do (systemic) risk and uncertainty play in societal transformations?
· What are suitable ethical principles, concepts, and approaches for the normative guidance of Socially Disruptive Technologies?
· How to understand and address responsibility gaps that come about through transformative AI?
· What role does epistemic (in)justice play in societal transformations?
· What feasibility constraints, if any, should play a role in normative accounts of societal transformation?
· What insights from intergenerational justice are relevant to the discourse on societal transformations?
· What institutions are needed for effective long-term governance?
This will be a small workshop, engaging in focused discussion. Please submit your abstract (around 500 words) by email to Camila Cabanzo Fracasso: c.cabanzofracasso@uu.nl
Extended submission deadline: March 14th 2025
You can also register as a non-presenting participant, with an email to the same address.
The workshop is organised in the context of the VENI-project “Lost in Transition”, funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). For general questions about the workshop or project you can contact j.k.g.hopster@uu.nl
We look forward to receiving your submissions and hope to see you in Utrecht this May!