Philosophy Conferences and Calls for Papers

It is a familiar objection that normative political theory has become unhelpfully detached from the real world. The influence on the discipline of Rawls’ A Theory of Justice has, it is alleged, led theorists to focus too much attention on the question of what an ideally just society would look like, while neglecting the implications of their theorising for pressing practical issues of social justice confronted by societies here and now. Some conceive the problem as a hijacking of political theory by philosophy; others defend the value of a philosophical approach but urge theorists to devote greater attention to less fundamental, but more urgent, issues concerning the application of ideal theory to the non-ideal circumstances in which politics actually occurs. This would require political theorists to engage in interdisciplinary work with empirical social scientists - sociologists, economists, political scientists and experts in social policy.This workshop welcomes papers that consider how ideal theory may most fruitfully be brought to bear on real-world problems of social justice. Papers may operate at a theoretical level, analysing the variety of things that might be meant by ‘ideal’ and ‘non-ideal’ theorising, and exploring the various ways in which political philosophical work on social justice connects with political action - whether by individuals or by polities as a whole. Or they may proceed more concretely, by exploring a particular policy issue and considering how the various brands of ideal theory on offer address (or fail to address) it. We particularly welcome papers that use case studies to yield clearer understanding of the ideal/non-ideal distinction.

All participants are expected to present a paper and to attend all sessions of the workshop. Applications should include a short summary of the proposed paper, an explanation as to how this will fit into the theme, and a short CV. We expect to accept about 20 applications, and we aim to include a mixture of advanced students, newer members of the profession, and
well-established researchers. Prospective participants are welcome to get in touch with one of the directors in advance of applying. The deadline for applications is 1 December 2006.