FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT:
UTRECHT CONFERENCE ON HUMAN ACTION AND CAUSALITY, APRIL 24-26, 1996
Main theme
Any understanding of ourselves (i.e. any philosophical anthropology and/or
social and political theory) would be impossible if it didn't start from
the ordinary fact that we, as embodied thinking subjects, make things
happen. However, this commonsensical fact poses a serious ontological
problem in the light of a paralysing dichotomy that continues to dominate
the philosophy of the humanities: understanding (Verstehen) as against
explanation (Erklaeren), reasons as against causes, the 'Manifest Image' as
against the 'Scientific Image'. In the current debate it often seems as if
there are no other possibilities but to become either an unsatisfied
scientistic, reductive naturalist or an equally unsatisfied literary,
informal hermeneutic.
The aim of the Utrecht Conference on Human Action and Causality is to
escape from this unpromising heritage in an attempt to deal with the
ontological problem of how to understand the fact that we make things
happen in new, non-reductive naturalistic ways acceptable to any champion
of hermeneutics.
Topics
There will be up to twelve papers read on four topics: (1) Causal
relevance, causal history, and the program model; (2) Exploring the
explanandum: behaviour; (3) Mental causation and the (in)efficacy of
meaning; (4) Motivational strength.
Speakers
All speakers will be invited. Most of them will be distinguished
philosophers who have written important publications on the main theme.
Speakers include Lynne Rudder Baker (Amherst), Jan Bransen (Utrecht), Tim
Crane (London), Stefaan Cuypers (Leuven), Fred Dretske (Stanford), Pierre
Jacob (Paris), Philip Pettit (Canberra), and Frederick Stoutland
(Helsinki/Minnesota).
Conference
The Conference will take place in the ceremonies building (Academiegebouw)
of Utrecht University, The Netherlands, April 24-26, 1996. It will be
opened and closed with public lectures, and will take three days. To open
up discussion, there will be prepared commentaries on each paper by Dutch
philosophers.
Information
Dr. Jan Bransen, Department of Philosophy, Utrecht University
P.O. Box 80.126, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands
Phone: +31 30 532090, Email: Jan.Bransen@phil.ruu.nl