Human Dignity - Theory and Practice

Human Dignity: Theory and Practice

McGill University and Concordia University, in collaboration with Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire en philosophie politique (GRIPP), Le Centre de recherche en Éthique (CRÉ), and Concordia’s Social Justice Centre is excited to announce our upcoming conference “Human Dignity: Theory and Practice.”

The conference will be hosted at Concordia’s Social Justice Centre and McGill University from April 28-29, 2023.

The purpose of the conference is to explore recent work on human dignity.

Questions of topical relevance are those regarding the relationship between dignity and (anti-discrimination) law, the (metaphysical/political) grounds of dignity, the relationship between dignity and (relational) equality, the history of the concept of human dignity, skepticism and/or criticism regarding the functional role that dignity-talk plays in moral and political discourse, Kant’s theory of human dignity, religious conceptions of dignity, etc.

Registration is free. Please do register in advance via this link.

Program:

April 28, 9:00am-5:00pm (EST) – Concordia University, Webster Library Building (Pavillion J.W. McConnell Bldg, 1400 Maisonneuve West) in Room LB-322 (on the 3rd floor). Food will be served in LB-361. 

9:30 am – Intro & welcome

9:40 am – Pablo Gilabert (Concordia) – « The Dignitarian Approach »

10:40 am – Coffee break 

11:00 am – Tom Christiano (University of Arizona) – « Equal Moral Status and the Collective Character of Rationality »

12:00 pm – Lunch 

1:00 pm – Jordan Walters (McGill) - « Naïve Humanism »

2:00 pm – Coffee break

2:20 pm - Andrew Lichter (Arizona) - « Enabling Rights »

3:20 pm – Coffee break

4:40 pm – Stephen Darwall (Yale) - « Two Kinds of Human Value »

4:40 pm – Leftover coffee & snacks 

April 29, 10:00am-5:00pm (EST) – McGill University (855 Sherbrooke West) in the Leacock Building (LEA 429)

10:00 am – Coffee & snacks

10:30 am – Matthew Perry (Manchester) - « Animal Dignity without Hierarchy »

11:30 am – Lunch 

1:00 pm – Ariel Zylberman (SUNY) - « Dignity and Recognition »

2:00 pm – Coffee break

2:20 pm – Regina Surber (Zurich) - « Why military conditioning violates the dignity of soldiers »

3:20 pm – Coffee break

3:40 pm – Nandi Theunissen (Pittsburg) - « Revisiting Regress Arguments for the Value of Humanity »

4:40 pm – Leftover coffee & snacks

Generously sponsored by the Social Justice Centre at Concordia University, the Katharine A. Pearson Chair in Civil Society and Public Policy at McGill University, the Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire en philosophie politique, Le Centre de recherche en Éthique, and the Canadian Journal of Philosophy.

(For inquiries, e-mail jordan.walters@mail.mcgill.ca or christiane.bailey@concordia.ca)

Location / How to join us    

On Friday April 28, the conference will take place at Concordia University. In the Webster Library Building (Pavillion J.W. McConnell Bldg, 1400 Maisonneuve West) in Room LB-322 (on the 3^rd floor). Food will be served in LB-361.

On Saturday April 29, the second day of the conference will take place at McGill University (855 Sherbrooke West) in the Leacock Building (LEA 429).

Contact us

For information, contact jordan.walters@mail.mcgill.ca

The Call for paper closed on March 1, 2023.