Dublin Graduate Philosophy Conference 2012
Dublin Graduate Philosophy Conference: Autonomy
Date: 17th & 18th February 2012
Venue: IIIS Building, Trinity College Dublin
The philosophy departments of Trinity College and University College Dublin will host the yearly Dublin Philosophy Graduate Conference on the 17th and 18th of February, 2012. This year’s theme will be ‘autonomy’, and the keynote speakers will be Professor Wayne Martin from the University of Essex and Professor Brian O’Connor from University College Dublin. Graduate students from universities in and outside of Ireland will be presenting their work on this topic.
The concept of autonomy is a key value in liberal and humanist thought. Kant understood autonomy to mean self rule and contrasted it with heteronomy – rule by others. However, modern usage of the term has deviated from this seemingly predominantly third party focused account, to the point where a person can lack autonomy even if there is no external oppressor. Straightforward cases here are instances of compulsion and addiction. But why are such cases thought to be straightforward, and where can a line be drawn between motivations that are autonomous and those that are not?
Individual autonomy, political autonomy, as well as related concepts such as freedom, sovereignty and the liberal and legal notion of the person are foundational concepts for much of contemporary ethical and political philosophy, as well as for everyday practice and politics. Although many people would still subscribe to the ideal of the autonomous person, this idea can be and has been criticized from many angles. Feminist, marxist or post-colonial criticism questions the structure in which supposedly autonomous motivations arise. Concerns with environmental ethics or questions of justice might dispute the value of individual autonomy over the rights of others or the common good.
On the level of the individual, critiques in a Nietzschean vein might be aimed at the notion of the self underlying the autonomous individual, or one might raise doubts about autonomy from the point of view of findings in cognitive and social psychology. Despite these problems, it seems likely that the concept of autonomy will continue to play an important role in future thought and discourse. Should autonomy continue to serve as a foundation for our ethics, our legal systems and our politics? Could liberal democracy exist on another foundation? If the concept of autonomy should be revised or eliminated, what kind of society would this lead to? What perspectives on individual action, responsibility and desire does the transformation of the concept of autonomy give us? These, and other questions, will be up for discussion during this conference.
The conference will be held in the IIIS in Trinity College (TCD Arts Block, http://www.tcd.ie/iiis/contact/). There will be a small registration fee of €5 for students and €10 for staff. It will be much appreciated if you could pre-register via e-mail. For this and for more information, please e-mail: UCDgrad2011@ucd.ie
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
Friday, February 17th
11.45 Registration
12.15 Opening + Keynote I
Professor Wayne Martin (Essex) - Antinomies of Autonomy: German Idealism and
English Mental Health Law
13.45-14.15 Lunch
14.15 Panel I – Conceptions of Autonomy I: Kant, Hegel, Levinas
Joe Saunders (Sheffield) – “A Kantian Sleight of Hand: The Move from Freedom
to Autonomy”
Stephen Hudson (Leuven) – “Hegel on Autonomy and Recognition: Examining the
basis of Social and Political Duties”
Jerome Veith (Boston College/Freiburg) – “The Very Opposite of a Root: On
Self-Sufficiency and Autonomy in Levinas’ Concept of Dwelling”
16.15 Coffee
16.30-18.30 Panel II – Applications: Law, Healthcare, Psychiatry
Barry Grennan (Trinity College Dublin) – “Autonomy and Irish Law”
Vivienne Ashley (Essex) – “Feeling the Pain: Acknowleding the Role of Emotions
and Values in Decision-making”
Anna-Marie Greaney (DCU/ITTralee) – “Patient autonomy within the self-testing
process – conceptual and contextual perspectives”
Saturday, February 18th
10.00 Panel III – Conceptions of Autonomy 2: Procedural, Substantial, Rational
Christopher Collins (Fordham) – “Autonomy Competencies and Second-Order
Endorsement: Reconsidering the Substantive Challenge to Procedural
Accounts of Autonomy”
Benjamin Nelson (Waterloo) – “Rational Autonomy and Preference Formation:
The Case of Consumerism”
11.30 Panel IV – Autonomy and Ethics
Jessica Begon (Sheffield) – “Paternalism, Autonomy and Well-being”
Richard Healey (Sheffield) – “Autonomy and the Power of Consent”
12.50 Lunch
13.20 Panel V – Autonomy and Politics: Sovereignty and Authority
Anne Langhorne (Georgetown) – “Constraints on Authority”
Chris Mills (Manchester) – “Hierarchy, Agency and Self-Authorship”
Meredith Trexler (Kansas) – “Moral Concerns Regarding the Competition
between State Autonomy and Human Rights”
15.20 Coffee
15.35-17.00 Keynote II and closing
Professor Brian O’Connor (University College Dublin) - TBA