October Conferences

“Evolution & Ethics”
October 22-24, 2010
Peking University
Conference Directors: Kelly James Clark and Xu Xiangdong

Evolution & Ethics
The time has come, E. O. Wilson writes, “for ethics to be temporarily removed from the hands of the philosophers and biologicized.” Wilson seeks to divorce ethics from God (or any transcendental source or warrant), hoping “that if we explore the biological roots of moral behavior, and explain their material origins and biases, we should be able to fashion a wise and enduring ethical consensus.” Ethics biologicized is ethics based on the evolution of various traits. Can ethics survive biologicization—can it be grounded in evolution alone?

Western Participants
Christian Miller, Wake Forest University
Kelly James Clark, Calvin College
Ryan Nichols, California State University
Larry Arnhart, Northern Illinois University
Mark Murphy, Georgetown University
Alan Love, University of Minnesota
John Cottingham, University of Reading
Christina Van Dyke, Calvin College

Conference details
The conference will be held at Beijing Xihua Business Hotel (www.bjxhhotel.com/en/meeting.html). Check-in will be located in the lobby of the hotel. Please plan to arrive on October 22 by 2pm (if you wish to attend the student sessions) or by 5pm (for the pre-conference dinner). You are encouraged to depart after the evening banquet on October 24 or on the morning of the 25th.

Registration
To register: send your name and home university to Nellie Kooistra (nmk5@calvin.edu). Registration deadline is October 15. All registered participants must check into the conference on the afternoon of October 22 or the morning of October 23. Registered guests will receive conference fees and all meals. Lodging will be provided if you are not local to Beijing.

Keynote Session
The keynote sessions are free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Dates and times will be announced soon.

Cancelations
If for any reason you must cancel, please notify us immediately (nmk5@calvin.edu). We are reserving rooms and meals for registered participants, so it is imperative that you notify us if your plans change.

This conference is sponsored by Peking University’s Institute for Foreign Philosophy, Calvin College’s Nagel Institute and the Society of Christian Philosophers with funds generously donated by the John Templeton Foundation.