University of Western Australia
Digital technologies, neurodivergence, the nature of grief and the effects of psychedelic drugs are among the topics to be discussed at a philosophy conference hosted by The University of Western Australia next week.
About 200 philosophers from around the world are expected to attend The Australasian Association of Philosophy (AAP) conference from Sunday 7 to Thursday 11 July.
Lead organiser Dr Chris Letheby, a senior lecturer in Philosophy from UWA’s School of Humanities, said it was an opportunity for a stimulating and productive exchange of ideas.
“A broad range of issues will be discussed surrounding politics, morality, logic, knowledge, metaphysics and the mind,” Dr Letheby said.
“We will also delve into the role work plays in creating a good life and how to present philosophy on podcasts, in prisons and in museums, among many other topics.”
The conference program features a panel discussion and Q&A that will ask ‘how far should environmental protest go?’ Two short documentaries will screen about truth telling, racism, and eugenic practices in recent WA history. The films will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with local knowledge holders, filmmakers and academics.
Keynote speakers include AAP President, Professor Deborah Brown from the University of Queensland, Professor Dean Rickles and Professor Anik Waldow from the University of Sydney, Associate Professor Bronwyn Finnigan from the Australian National University, and Professor Iain McGilchrist, an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College in Oxford.
Professor McGilchrist will present Bergson and the Brain: what can neuroscience learn from philosophy? He will discuss how neuroscience and philosophy can complement one another in coming to a fuller understanding of the human condition.
“Professor McGilchrist will present on the specialisation of the brain’s two halves for different kinds of tasks,” Dr Letheby said.
“He will bring findings from neuroscience and psychiatry into dialogue with philosophical ideas about the nature of perception and consciousness.”
The conference, held in WA for the first time since 1988, gives professional and postgraduate students the opportunity to present and discuss papers in all areas of philosophy.
For more information and to register click here.