Call for Papers
"Responsibility: Climate Change as Challenge for
Intercultural Inquiry into Values"
Global Dialogue Conference
Aarhus University
Aarhus (Denmark)
3-6 November 2009
__________________________________________________
Climate change requires globally concerted initiatives that
are based on practical interest and moral responsibility.
But which moral norms could motivate such global
coordination in our decision-making, both as individuals and
communities? Do we already possess notions of
future-oriented responsibility that can motivate
decision-makers around the globe to take responsibility? The
aim of this conference is to compare conceptions of
responsibility across cultures and to explore the role of
intercultural value research for the development of new
models of ecological responsibility.
We invite research papers (or proposals for panel sessions
or workshops) on any of the conference topic listed below.
Since the proceedings for this conference shall be available
at the beginning of the conference, we ask for full
proposals of 5000-8000 words. Authors should ensure that:
- their submissions fulfill in all formal, stylistic, and
expositional aspects the he requirements of a research
publication, not of an oral presentation.
- submissions of non-native speakers should be copy-edited
by a native speaker
- submision should preferably address only one conference
topic
Conference topics:
TRACK 1: Philosophical Track
Section 1.1. Notions of responsibility across cultures
Are there important variations in the conception and
significance of e.g. individual, collective, ex post, ex
ante, non-reciprocal, moral, and political responsibility?
What can these differences to be attributed to?
Section 1.2. Reasoning about ecological responsibilities
Which notions of responsibility are at play in the current
scientific and public debate? Do they fulfill the conceptual
requirements and motivational functions of ecological
responsibility? Who carries which responsibilities in the
'global information society'?
Section 1.3. Issues of cross-cultural axiology
Which extrinsic and intrinsic values enter into the
obligations that constitute ecological responsibilities in
different cultural contexts? Is ecological responsibility an
matter of personal responsibility or of social
responsibility? Are there intrinsic values on which there
could be cross-cultural consensus?
Section 1.4. The temporal, spatial, and causal scope of
morality
How can we protect the rights and interests of
geographically remote agents and future generations? Does
the scope of morality extend with the scope of technological
agency, and how can we distribute responsibilities to avoid
psychological overburdening?
Section 1.5. Cross-cultural comparisons of the existential
meaning of responsibility
Does it hold across cultures that taking responsibility is a
source of existential orientation, respect, and
self-respect?
Section 1.6. Methodological and foundational reflections on
the conditions and significance of intercultural dialogue
for 'global' ethics and value inquiry:
How does intercultural dialogue on values differ from
discourse-theoretic foundations of values and in which way
can intercultural dialogue lead beyond the trilemma of
so-called 'global' ethics and value theory-empty
universalism vs. conflicting substantive ethics vs. purely
performative constitutions of consensus?
TRACK 2: Education Track
Section 2.1. Cross-cultural comparisons of the role of
education
Are there important variations in the social perception of
the role of education in different cultures, e.g., the
extent to which it influences the motivations of adult
members of the community?
Section 2.2. Educating for (ecological) responsibility
across cultures
Which educational styles, methods, or practices (e.g.,
affective, cognitive, normative, participatory) are used to
educate for responsibility across cultures? Does ecological
responsibility receive particular consideration?
Section 2.3. Education and climate change across cultures
To what extent, and in which regards, is climate change
currently an issue in national (e.g., Danish) education
programs?
Section 2.4. Climate change and intercultural education
What is intercultural education and which are the main
challenges of climate change for the tasks and concerns of
intercultural education?
Section 2.5. Responsibility and Intercultural Education
How do we promote responsible behavior in culturallly
diverse communities with diverse conceptions of human
well-being?
Section 2.6. Intercultural Philosophy of Education
The diversity of cultural models of education and increasing
cultural contact call for a new philosophy of education that
is sensitive to cultural axiological differences contribute
to a deeper understanding of education in philosophical
regards? What are the main differences in models of
education across cultures and to what extent are these
differences relevant for a deeper understanding of
education?
TRACK 3: Journalism Track
Section 3.1. News criteria pertaining to climate change
Section 3.2. The concept of environmental journalism
What is the idea of environmental journalism and how does it
affect changes in individual behavior and public policy?
Section 3.3. Local, regional and global publics and the role
of journalism for intercultural dialogue
Section 3.4. Journalism on climate change and its relation
to scientific knowledge
Section 3.5. Journalism on climate change and its relation
to market-driven innovation
Section 3.6. Ethical questions for journalism
Can peace journalism help to prevent "climate conflicts",
i.e., social conflict due to climate change? Do journalists
carry increasing responsibility for intercultural
communication and if so, how will it affect the goals of
journalism?
TRACK 4: Business Track
Section 4.1. Intercultural interaction and management:
Humanistic approaches and perspectives
Section 4.2. Philosophy and management
Section 4.3. The role of ecological responsibility within
corporate responsibility
How do current accounts of corporate responsibility conceive
of the special tasks pertaining to climate change? Which
models of responsibility are applied and which degree of
significance is attributed to ecological responsibility?
Section 4.4. Idea and practical reality of corporate
responsibility pertaining to climate change
How are issues of corporate responsibility currently
addressed in national and international businesses? What are
the current standards and goals and how are they concretely
implemented in the company's rules and practices? What are
the major practical obstacles for implementing ecological
responsibility from the perspective of business management?
Deadline for submissions: 31 May 2009.
Conference website:
http://www.globaldialogueconference.org
Contact:
Jacob Bock
Project Manager
Institute of Philosophy and History of Ideas
University of Aarhus
Jens Chr. Skous Vej 7
DK-8000 Aarhus C
Denmark
Phone: +45 8942 2109
Email: filbock@hum.au.dk
Web: http://www.globaldialogueconference.org
