July 20-23 2016
Department of Philosophy, University of Bamberg
Human beings normally live in buildings – structures built specifically for this function. This raises interesting questions. Why do we build dwellings (such as the ones we do)? And for whom do architects build houses? These questions view the same phenomenon from two different perspectives: architecture can tell us something about the human condition (in general or in a particular culture) and we can derive insights about architecture from our understanding of human beings.
This topic is inspired by two observations and two related questions:
1. Many architects, contemporary and historical, claim to focus on the needs of human beings. The resulting architecture, however, often does not meet the needs and desires of the people who live there. For whom should architecture actually build?
2. Architecture, traditionally, has played a negligible role in our philosophical understanding of human beings (as also for our sociological, psychological, and other anthropological analyses). Although it has always been generally acknowledged that human beings need built dwelling places, more careful analysis of this need is surely necessary. What does it say about human beings that they depend upon the buildings they construct for their own habitation?
These observations point to a deficit both in philosophical analysis and in the practical application of philosophy of architecture. A more systematic analysis of both areas could contribute to a better understanding of human beings and to future architectural endeavour better satisfying the needs and wishes of human beings.
The 3rd ISPA International Conference seeks to answer these questions (and to pose some new ones) by bringing together architecture and philosophy with a variety of other disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, civil engineering, design, law, and psychology.
For the full CFP, further details and updates please visit: http://isparchitecture.com/events/3rd-international-conference/ or https://www.uni-bamberg.de/philosophie/ispa2016/
Keynotes
confirmed keynote speakers include: Karsten Harries, Roger Scruton, Angelika Krebs, Mari Hvattum, Andres Lepik, Nicholas Ray.
Submission
Please submit a 250-300 word abstract by February 1, 2016 to isparchitecture@gmail.com or martin.duechs@uni-bamberg.de.
The 2016 conference of the International Society for the Philosophy of Architecture invites papers which probe these questions, re-draw the assumptions behind them or ask new ones. It welcomes architects and philosophers willing to scrutinize extant (inter)disciplinary boundaries and consensus on these questions and issues. The conference celebrates attempts to operate at the intersection of both disciplines, and promotes work ready to give philosophical anthropology and concrete architect(ure)s serious consideration alike.
For further details and updates please visit: http://isparchitecture.com/events/3rd-international-conference/ . Authors are invited to submit a 250-300 word abstract by February 1, 2016.
The abstract should be prepared for blind review and formatted as a rtf-file. Please provide also a short cv.