Foundations of Morality Workshop
10th and 11th June 2025
Centre for Aesthetic, Moral, and Political Philosophy and Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied Centre
University of Leeds
Centre for Aesthetic, Moral, and Political Philosophy and Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied Centre
University of Leeds
Organisers: Joseph Bowen, Pekka Väyrynen, and Simon Kirchin
Confirmed Speakers: Julia Driver (University of Texas - Austin/St Andrews) and Michael Smith (Princeton University)
CfA: We are soliciting abstracts of up to 1,000 words, suitable for 45-minute presentation. We welcome abstracts from people at all career stages, though have reserved several slots for early career researchers. We hope to be able to offer some financial support to speakers, but will prioritise support for those most in need.
The aim of the workshop is to further our understanding of foundational questions about morality. We are open to perspectives from both metaethics and normative ethics, addressing questions such as: What distinguishes moral demands from mere normative expectations—for example, do they relate differently to reactive attitudes such as blame? Can conclusions about moral demands be established from premises that don’t rely on any first-order moral claims? Is the metaphysics or epistemology of reasons for action relevant to the nature of moral demands, and how? What is or are the main functions of morality?
Send your anonymised abstract by the end of Sunday 23rd March to [email protected]. Please include in the body of the email whether you are early career (for our purposes, no more than four years after completion of PhD).
Confirmed Speakers: Julia Driver (University of Texas - Austin/St Andrews) and Michael Smith (Princeton University)
CfA: We are soliciting abstracts of up to 1,000 words, suitable for 45-minute presentation. We welcome abstracts from people at all career stages, though have reserved several slots for early career researchers. We hope to be able to offer some financial support to speakers, but will prioritise support for those most in need.
The aim of the workshop is to further our understanding of foundational questions about morality. We are open to perspectives from both metaethics and normative ethics, addressing questions such as: What distinguishes moral demands from mere normative expectations—for example, do they relate differently to reactive attitudes such as blame? Can conclusions about moral demands be established from premises that don’t rely on any first-order moral claims? Is the metaphysics or epistemology of reasons for action relevant to the nature of moral demands, and how? What is or are the main functions of morality?
Send your anonymised abstract by the end of Sunday 23rd March to [email protected]. Please include in the body of the email whether you are early career (for our purposes, no more than four years after completion of PhD).
