Annual Conference

Annual Conference 2023

BSHP Annual Conference 2023: 'Knowing in Historical and Cross-Cultural Context'

14–15 April 2023, University of Aberdeen

Keynote speakers:

Peter Adamson (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München)

Karyn Lai (University of New South Wales)

This conference will explore conceptions and forms of knowing in historical and cross-cultural context. Contemporary analytic epistemology has focused on the relationships between knowing and believing and between knowing-that and knowing-how. But has this always been the case in the history of epistemology? In recent years, there has been increasing interest in social epistemology and virtue epistemology, which raises more obvious questions of historical and cultural variation. What other epistemological conceptions and concerns can be found around the world and through history? Comparative epistemology is now starting to thrive, so how can the debates here be integrated into ‘mainstream’ epistemology?

Questions to be addressed include:

  • What forms of knowing other than knowing-that and knowing-how are there? Have some forms of knowing been privileged at different times and in different cultures?
  • How has the relationship between knowing and believing been understood by different philosophers, in different historical periods, and in different cultures?
  • What variation in epistemic concepts is there across history and cultures?
  • How have different cultures regarded the value of knowledge?
  • How should epistemology be reconceived to do better epistemic justice to the full range of epistemic concepts?

A special issue of the BJHP is planned, with selected papers from the conference.

Enquiries to:

Additional information:

Venue information, including information about health and saftey and accessibility, will be available soon.

As signatories of the BPA/SWIP Good Practice Scheme, the BSHP will take steps to ensure gender balance among speakers and participants.

As for all BSHP events, some funding is available for childcare. Details tba

Graduate students and unwaged members who are accepted speakers may apply for a bursary of up to £200. Details tba

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Confucius presenting the young Gautama Buddha to Laozi

Confucius presenting the young Gautama Buddha to Laozi