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CAVE HILL PHILOSOPHY SYMPOSIUM 2006

CONVERSATIONS II:
WESTERN AND NON-WESTERN PHILOSOPHIES

University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados
March 2 - 3, 2006

"It is a function, indeed a duty, of philosophy in any society to examine the intellectual foundation of its culture." (Kwasi Wiredu)

Our inaugural meeting held in 2005 was devoted to the theme "Conceptualising Philosophy". We now take a step further: we want to discuss the relevance of different approaches to philosophy to everyday concerns and live problems in human life and thought. We are particularly concerned to promote dialogue between different approaches to philosophy on common problems.

Philosophy is always for life and not life for philosophy. Philosophy is a response to society and to social problems even though some philosophers have attempted to divorce philosophy from society and to study the subject in a vacuum. But this does not rule out the fact that philosophy is a response to social problems. Even to study philosophy in a vacuum is always a way of responding (negatively perhaps) to the social conditions of one's society.

The Cave Hill Philosophy Symposium - Conversations II - is looking for papers from Western and non-Western traditions that seek to address the relevance of philosophy to live questions pertaining to man, society and nature. The papers should focus on specific issues and problems within any of the traditions. We are also interested in papers that will attempt comparative analyses of the underpinnings of the various philosophies or of concepts within the various regional philosophies. The Symposium also welcomes papers of a theoretical nature in the disciplines that share a boundary with philosophy, disciplines such as, critical theory, cultural studies, law, linguistics, mathematics and natural sciences, medicine, political theory, theology, etc. These papers should grapple with the relevance (or contribution) of particular philosophical ideas or approaches to the disciplines in question.

In an effort to ensure well-prepared, quality presentations, abstracts (300-500 words) are due by November 30, 2005. Participants whose abstracts are accepted by the vetting committee will then be asked to submit their completed papers (5-7 pages, single-spaced) via e-mail as an attachment in either Word or Wordperfect by the firm deadline of January 31, 2006. (These papers will then be posted on-line for other participants to consult prior to the conference with the intention that time at the Symposium can be devoted much more to discussion than to exposition of the written papers.)