We are pleased to announce the workshop “Conceptual Ethics: What Is It & What Should It Be?”, which will take place on September 18–19, 2025, at the University of Tübingen, Schloss Hohentübingen, Fürstenzimmer.
Topic
Recent years have seen increased systematic attention to conceptual engineering and conceptual ethics. Yet, most of this attention has focused on questions concerning our understanding of conceptual engineering as an enterprise – what its objects are, whether it is even possible, how it is to be implemented, what a fitting methodology for it would be, etc. – and relatively little on first-order normative questions in conceptual ethics. Our workshop aims to identify the first-order normative questions that arise in conceptual ethics, to determine whether any of them are special or distinctive, and to generally pave the way for projects in first-order conceptual ethics, e.g. by examining which features such projects need to be attentive to and if the function of a concept is an appropriate starting point for such projects.
Program
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Thursday, September 18
09:00-10:30 Jennifer Nado (University of Hong Kong): Practical Roles in Conceptual Engineering
10:30-11:00 Coffee break
11:00-12:30 Sebastian Köhler (Frankfurt School of Finance & Management) & Herman Veluwenkamp (University of Groningen): What Is Special About Conceptual Legitimacy?
12:30-14:00 Lunch break
14:00-15:30 Eve Kitsik (University of Vienna): Down-to-Earth Conceptual Ethics
15:30-16:00 Coffee break
16:00-17:30 Matthieu Queloz (University of Bern): Needs of the Mind
18:30 Workshop dinner
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Friday, September 19
09:00-10:30 Guido Löhr (VU Amsterdam): Whose Authority? Instrumentalism and Conceptual Ethics
10:30-11:00 Coffee break
11:00-12:30 Irina Schumski (University of Tübingen): Engineering Thick Concepts
12:30-14:00 Lunch break
14:00-15:30 David Plunkett (Dartmouth): Ethical Inquiry with Non-Epistemic Aims?
Organizers: Sebastian Köhler (Frankfurt School of Finance & Management) & Irina Schumski (University of Tübingen)
The workshop is open to everyone. Attendance is free, but registration is required.
Please direct questions and registration emails to: irina.schumski@uni-tuebingen.de
We gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Fritz Thyssen Foundation.