1st Annual USA Philosophy Workshop
Perspectives on Coherentism
May 12-13 2009
At the Hilton Garden Inn Beachfront
Orange Beach, Alabama
Speakers: William Lycan (Keynote), Jonathan Kvanvig (Keynote), Mylan Engel, Erik Olsson, Ted Poston, William Roche, Bruce Russell, Gregory Wheeler
Conference Overview:
Recent epistemological work suggests that coherentism can avoid historically prominent problems such as the input, isolation, and truth connection objections. Work on the value of understanding and also the nature of reason-giving states suggest new ways to motivate coherentism. However, coherentism faces new challenges in recent formal working aimed to show that there is no formal measure of coherence, i.e., the intuitive idea that the mere coherence of one’s beliefs increases the chance that they are true is false. The purpose of this conference is to reassess the prospects and problems attending epistemic coherentism. Some of the topics to be discussed include coherentism and the justification of moral beliefs, a coherentist account a priori justification, the challenges posed by the impossibility results that there is no formal measure of coherence, a coherentist account of justified inconsistent beliefs, conservatism & coherentism, and explanationism.
Interested in Participating? We welcome any philosophers interested in participating in this workshop. Please send Ted Poston an email if you are interested in attending.
Registration: The conference registration fee is $25; payable at the conference.
Travel: The closest airport to the conference site is the Pensacola Airport in Pensacola, FL. I aim to coordinate transportation to the conference hotel, but in the event that doesn’t work out you can take a taxi to Gulf Shores.
Hotel Information: Rooms are reserved at the Hilton Garden Inn Beachfront. Make your reservations by April 17, 2009. To receive the group rate (129.95 King / 139.95 Double/Pool View) mention the University of South Alabama Summer Workshop. If you have any difficulties with registration please contact Ted Poston via email.
Conference Program:
Tuesday May 12th
Session 1 8:30 to 10:00: Ted Poston “Motivating Coherentism: A Predicament and a Proposal”
Session 2 10:15 to 11:45: Mylan Engel “Coherentism and the Epistemic Justification of Moral Beliefs”
Lunch
Session 3 1:45 to 3:15: Greg Wheeler "Causal Coherence Theory"
Plenary Session 3:30 to 5:30: William Lycan “Intuitions & Coherence”
6:30 Dinner at Voyager’s in the Perdido Beach Resort
Wednesday May 13th
Session 4 8:30 to 10:00: Erik Olsson “The impossibility results and what to do about them”
Session 5 10:15 to 11:45: Bruce Russell “Rock Bottom: Coherentism’s Soft Spot”
Lunch
Session 6: William Roche “Coherentism, truth, and witness agreement”
1:45 to 3:15
Plenary Session 3:30 to 5:30: Jonathan Kvanvig “Justified Inconsistent Beliefs”
6:30 Dinner at Guy Harvey’s