CAUSATION2021: Alternative Approaches to Causation: Beyond Difference-making and Mechanism University of Kent Canterbury, UK, June 28-29, 2021 |
Conference website | https://www.shanyafeng.com/causation-conference-kent-2021.html |
Submission link | https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=causation2021 |
Submission deadline | February 28, 2021 |
Causality is one of the most controversial topics in philosophy. There is a wide range of standard accounts of causality, for example, the regularity account, the probabilistic account, the counterfactual account, the interventionist account, which are all classified as ‘difference-making’ accounts; and the mechanistic account. Pluralists (e.g. Cartwright, Hall, Reiss) maintain that there are multiple kinds of causality, whereas monists (e.g. Godfrey-Smith, Psillos, Williamson) argue that there is only one causal relation. Eliminativists (e.g. Russell) argue that science has no need of causation at all, while primitivists (e.g. Armstrong, Tooley, and Carroll) maintain that causation is unanalysable.
Difference-making and mechanistic approaches have dominated recent philosophical discussion of causality. The aim of the conference is to explore and examine alternative approaches to causation. The approaches to be examined include but are not limited to causal pluralism, causal contextualism, causal primitivism, causal eliminativism, the projectivist approach, the dispositional approach, the epistemic approach, and the informational approach.
Submission Guidelines
Please submit a 500-word abstract via Easychair by 28 February 2021. Submissions on any of the alternative approaches are welcome. Submissions engaging with case studies in science are particularly welcome. Selected contributed papers from the conference will be considered for publication in an edited volume.
Oragniser
- Yafeng Shan (University of Kent)
Plenary Speakers
- Rani Anjum (Norwegian University of Life Sciences)
- Simon Blackburn (University of Cambridge)
- Nancy Cartwright (Durham University/University of California, San Diego)
- Ned Hall (Harvard University)
- Federica Russo (University of Amsterdam)
- Jonathan Schaffer (Rutgers University, New Brunswick)
- Jon Williamson (University of Kent)
Venue
The conference is scheduled to be held at the University of Kent, UK. However, it might be converted to a virtual event if travels and gatherings are still difficult by the time being.
Contact
All questions about submissions should be emailed to Yafeng Shan (y.shan@kent.ac.uk).
Sponsors
The conference is financially supported by the British Academy and the Leverhulme Trust.