February 6, 2008

Philosophy Conference at UCSB to Examine Issues in Ethics

Renowned ethicists from the United States and Britain will meet at the University of California, Santa Barbara next month for The Fourth Steven Humphrey Excellence in Philosophy Conference. Titled "Reason & Value," the conference will focus on practical and theoretical issues in ethics and rationality.

Sponsored by the Steven Humphrey Fund for Excellence in Philosophy and UCSB's Department of Philosophy, the conference will take place February 16-18. It is free and the public is invited to attend. Humphrey is a philosopher of physics who periodically teaches at UCSB.

A schedule of events follows:

9:30 a.m. Saturday, "Reason, Reasons and Normativity," Joseph Raz, Oxford University and Columbia University. Comments by Niko Kolodny, UC Berkeley. McCune Conference Room, 6020 Humanities and Social Sciences Building.

1 p.m. Saturday, "The Story of a Life," Connie Rosati, University of Arizona, Tucson. Comments by Joshua Gert, Florida State University. McCune Conference Room, 6020 Humanities and Social Sciences Building.

3:15 p.m. Saturday, "Rational Desire and Rationality in Desire," Peter Railton, University of Michigan. Comments by Nadeem Hussain, Stanford University. McCune Conference Room, 6020 Humanities and Social Sciences Building.

9:30 a.m. Sunday, "A Platonic Theory of Reasons for Action," Ralph Wedgwood, Oxford University. Comments by Ulrike Heuer, University of Leeds. MultiCultural Center.

1 p.m. Sunday, "Love and Nonexistence," J. David Velleman, New York University. Comments by Mark Schroeder, University of Southern California. MultiCultural Center.

3:15 p.m. Sunday, "Reason, Voluntariness and Moral Responsibility" Thomas Pink, King's College London. Comments by Douglas Lavin, Harvard University.

MultiCultural Center.

9 a.m. Monday, "Responding to Reasons" John Broome, Oxford University. Comments by Pamela Hieronymi, UCLA. MultiCultural Center.

11:45 p.m. Monday, "Reasons, Values, and Agent-Relativity," R. Jay Wallace, UC Berkeley. Comments by Pekka Väyrynen, UC Davis. MultiCultural Center.

Registration for the conference must be completed in advance. For more information about the conference, or to register, visit www.philosophy.ucsb.edu/conferences or contact conference organizer Kevin Foote at kfoote@philosophy.ucsb.edu

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.