The newly founded Northern England Postgraduate Philosophy Conference which invites PhD researchers from philosophy departments across northern England to present their research took place on Thursday 19th July. Twelve speakers presented their work from across eight different institutions, including universities in Liverpool, Manchester, Lancaster, Keele, Leeds, Durham, and Newcastle.
Conference organisers and University of Liverpool students Neil Williams and Dan Baldwin said their principle aims were to ‘create a regional community of postgraduate philosophers’ and ‘to give postgraduates a chance to present their original research in a friendly environment, in front of their peers’. There was a wide variety of topics covered at this year’s unthemed conference, ranging from ontology and ethics to existentialism and philosophy of language.
Enthusiasm levels were high as a room full of postgraduate philosophers shunned one of the warmest days of the year to stay inside and discuss all manner of philosophical quandaries. Sam McKee from Manchester Metropolitan University, who presented talk on idealism during the interwar period said “The conference was a wonderful opportunity to share our research with peers, get good feedback and discuss our work with other like-minded students. These presentation opportunities are rare and valuable and the conference was so beneficial for me at this stage of my doctorate. I very much hope it will run again.”
As the Northern England Postgraduate Philosophy Community, the group will create a steering committee with plans to orchestrate future events, including next year’s conference, which is open to applications from students from all universities which are part of the community. There are also plans to create an outlet for members of the group to disseminate their written work and receive feedback from peers. The community is keen to hear ideas from all PhD students within the region and they are encouraged to contact NEPPC@liverpool.ac.uk if they have any suggestions. If you wish to be added to the Northern England Postgraduate Philosophy Community mailing list, please also email NEPPC@liverpool.ac.uk.
Laurence Wildman from Keele University, who presented a talk on Nietzsche at the conference, said ‘it seems like you have created something really special - that is more than just a conference but a postgraduate community’. The organisers have stated that they were delighted with the response from participants, and that the first event was able to achieve some of the initial aims, as outlined by the positive feedback. The group looks forward to expanding and working on new projects and encourages those interested to get in touch.
Affiliated universities – University of Liverpool, Liverpool Hope University, University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, Keele University, Lancaster University, University of Sheffield, University of Leeds, Durham University, Newcastle University, University of Hull and University of York.
Full list of talks
Meg Rawson, University of Liverpool - The Pregnant Corporation: Using Group Ontologies to Reframe Ethical Decision-Making in Pregnancy
Kumru Akdogan, University of Manchester - Serious Fun: Games, Institutions, and the Ontology of Rules
Samuel McKee, Manchester Metropolitan University - The Surprising Emergence of Idealism in Interwar Physics
Laurence Wildman, Keele University - The Existential Crisis of a Nietzsche Scholar
Faisal Chuhan, University of Liverpool - Serres' Concept of the Language of Life and Human Distinctiveness
Ryan Ratchford, University of Manchester - Rational Suicide and Meaning in Life for Medical Immortals
Cagla Ozel, University of Lancaster - Eliot’s Ethics of Sympathy and Animal Welfare
Samuel Summerfield, University of Leeds - Agent-Regret, Moral Luck, and Moral Cognisance
Jacob Barlow, University of Lancaster - Problems with Pragmatism in the Philosophy of Psychiatry
Lucy Barnham, University of Newcastle - “Let Me In!”: Catherine’s Ghost and the Return of the Repressed Female Voice in Wuthering Heights
Jacob Parkin, University of Newcastle - “you're breaking me Speak Speak Speak” or Derrida’s Echolalia: Literary Voice, Metaphysical Voice, Disabled Voice
Felipe Zarate, University of Durham - I'm Batman and I will always be: A Realist Account of Fictional Identity in Serialized Fictions