7-8 May 2015, University of Aberdeen, Scotland
CFP deadline 1 December 2014
This conference will explore proportion in Spinoza’s philosophy. We are interested in papers that treat any aspect of this topic both within and outside of philosophy; interdisciplinary papers, and papers from people at any career stage (including PhD students) are welcome. Papers should fit broadly into one of three thematic areas:
· Geometrical proportion. For example, papers could address the geometrical method, Spinoza’s use of mathematical and geometrical examples, ratio and analogy, or connections between Spinoza’s philosophy and music, drawing, building, or design.
· Proportions of individuals. For example, papers could address proportions of motion and rest, proportions of reason and imagination, relational properties, adequacy, parallelism, or part-whole relations.
· Proportion in communities. For example, papers could address proportions of power in political systems, proportional representation, distributive justice, equality, similitude and difference in community building, or freedom proportionate to power.
Please send a 300-word abstract to Beth Lord at s.b.lord@abdn.ac.uk by 1 December 2014. Please indicate your name, institutional affiliation, and whether you are a staff member or PhD student. Participants will be informed by the end of December. Travel funding, accommodation, and conference dinner will be provided for all speakers.
Spinoza and Proportion is the major academic conference of the AHRC Equalities of Wellbeing project. In this project we are investigating how a concept of equality based on geometrical proportion – a concept we take to be present in Spinoza’s philosophy and in architecture – can help us to understand individual and community wellbeing and to develop models for improving the equal distribution of wellbeing through housing design. For more information about the project, see www.equalitiesofwellbeing.co.uk
Organization and information: Beth Lord, University of Aberdeen, s.b.lord@abdn.ac.uk