August 28th-31st, 2012
University of Manchester

Collective Intentionality VIII – as the name suggests! – is the eighth in a series of large-scale international events on joint and/or cooperative action, reasoning, decision, intention, attention, and associated mental and agential phenomena, topics that impact on issues in ethics and social ontology and which cross boundaries between philosophy, economics, politics and psychology. Previous events in the series have been hosted by the Universities of Basel (2010), Berkeley (2008), Helsinki (2006), Siena (2004), Rotterdam (2002), Leipzig (2000) and Munich (1998). This will be the first in the series hosted in the UK, and we are proud to announce that the University of Manchester has been selected to host the event.

Confirmed invited speakers:

  • Michael Tomasello (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig)
  • Michael Bratman (Philosophy, Stanford)
  • Margaret Gilbert (Philosophy, UC Irvine)
  • Wolfgang Prinz (Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig)
  • Raimo Tuomela (Philosophy, Helsinki)
  • A. J. Julius (Philosophy, UCLA)
  • Stephen Butterfill (Philosophy, Warwick)
  • Guenther Knoblich (Psychology, SOMBY, Donders, Radboud, Nijmegen)
  • Hans Bernhard Schmid (Philosophy, Vienna)
  • Peter Goldie (Philosophy, Manchester)
  • Alex Oliver (Philosophy, Cambridge)
  • Kirk Ludwig (Philosophy, Indiana)
  • Thomas Smith (Philosophy, Manchester)

Structure:

The event will feature a keynote lecture by Professor Tomasello, plenary talks by (among others) Professors Bratman and Gilbert, and four three-speaker symposiums: on (i) the cognitive psychology of joint action, (ii) cooperative action and reasoning, (iii) the logic and metaphysics of plurals and collectivity, and (iv) the phenomenology of empathy and fellow-feeling. In addition, there will be parallel sessions of submitted papers by delegates.

Call for papers

We invite papers for presentation in 20 minutes. Philosophers, psychologists, economists and political theorists with research interests in this area are warmly encouraged to submit. Please send drafts (abstracts if preferred), for blind review to collintviii@manchester.ac.uk by 1st June 2012. Notification of acceptance by 1st July 2012.

Registration and fees

Registration is not yet open and the conference fee not finalised. We expect that the fee will be low (between £60-80). This will include coffee and lunches, but exclude accommodation and the conference dinner. Please send any enquiries to collintviii@manchester.ac.uk.

Local organizing committee

Thomas Smith, Peter Goldie, Joel Smith (Philosophy, Manchester), Paul Ibbotson (Max Planck Child Study Centre, Psychology, Manchester), Stephen Butterfill (Philosophy, Warwick).