- 14th and 15th of May, Birkbeck College, University of London
- Organisers: Dr. Richard Elliott, Antonio Mateiro, Irene Romero Suárez
Programme:
Wednesday 14 May 2025 – Clore B01, Birkbeck Clore Management Centre, 27 Torrington Square, London WC1E 7JL
- 18:00 to 20:00: Dr Stacie Friend – Lecture 1: ‘Fictional Emotions in the Real World’
Thursday 15 May 2025 – Birkbeck Central Room 406, Birkbeck Central, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HY
- 10:30am – 11:30pm: Workshop 1: Enrique Aranda-Murillo (University of Granada, Spain): ‘Creating Reality out of Fiction’
- 11:30pm – 11:40pm: Break
- 11:40pm – 12:40pm: Workshop 2: Tingjiang Kuang (University of Edinburgh, Scotland): ‘Counterconventional, Countersubstratum, and Imaginative Resistance’
- 12:40pm – 2pm: Lunch
- 2pm – 3pm: Workshop 3: Benoit Guilelmo (University of Zurich, Switzerland): ‘Zetetic Engagement with Fiction’
- 3pm – 3.10pm: Break
- 3.10pm – 4.10pm: Workshop 4: Sam Heffron (University of St Andrews) – “Experiencing Realism in Film”
- 4.10pm – 6pm: Break
- 6pm – 8pm: Dr Stacie Friend – Lecture 2: ‘What Understanding Stories Tells Us about Understanding’
The Edgington Lectures are public lectures inaugurated by the Department of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London. As part of the new School of Historical Studies, philosophers at Birkbeck are proud to continue with the Lectures. Previous Edgington Lectures were given by Catherine Elgin (2023), Katherine Hawley (2018), Kit Fine (2016), Rae Langton (2014) and John McDowell (2012). This year, the lectures were delivered by Dr. Stacie Friend (University of Edinburgh) on the topic of fiction and reality. A reading group was also organised by graduate students to engage with Dr. Friend’s work, alongside a graduate workshop on the same topic featuring four students from other universities.
The event began with Dr. Friend’s first lecture, titled “Fictional Emotions in the Real World” in which she explored how real-world truths play a crucial role in our emotional engagement with fiction. She argued that providing an account of emotions in fictional contexts can shed light on a more general discussion about emotions. The lecture was followed by a Q&A session.
On the second day, the Graduate Workshop featured four presentations by graduate students from the University of Granada, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Zurich, and the University of St Andrews. Topics included fictional entities, the puzzle of imaginative resistance, our engagement with fiction, and realism in film. Each presentation was followed by a response from Dr. Friend and a Q&A session.
Later that day, Dr. Friend delivered her second lecture, titled “What Understanding Stories Tells Us about Understanding”. In this talk, she argued for the possibility of acquiring factual knowledge from fiction, framing this as a process that enhances understanding. She also discussed the broader implications of her view on understanding and knowledge in general. A Q&A session followed.
The Edgington Lectures attracted a diverse audience, including students from across the University of London and other institutions, academic staff, intellectuals, and members of the general public.
The event was generously sponsored by the BSA and the funds were used to cover the lecturer’s travel and accommodation, a dinner for the lecturer, the speakers and the organisers and a professionally designed poster.
Evidence of how the organisers adopted the relevant BPA/SWIP good practice guidance
This year’s lecturer was a woman, and the event was devoted to her work. The four graduate speakers for the workshop were selected through a process of blind review. Of the three organisers, one is a woman, who also chaired three of the presentations. The Q&A sessions were gender-balanced, and the organisers took care to ensure an inclusive environment where women felt welcome and encouraged to participate.