The Creighton Club
New York State Philosophical Association
The 169th Conference Program
Saturday October 5th, 2024
Hall of Languages, Room 500
Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY)
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Social Ontology and the Functions of Social Language
Amie Thomasson (Dartmouth College)
4:30 PM
Abstract: I will argue that work in social ontology (as in other areas of metaphysics) can benefit from engaging with work on the development of language and the functions language serves in human life. For social ontology, as we usually think of it, deals with questions about what (social) entities there are, and what their natures are. But this presupposes a certain way of thinking about the language we use in discussing the social world—that it merely serves to pick out or describe features of the world we can investigate. Before we move from this assumption to ask metaphysical questions, I will argue, we need to step back to ask questions about the functions of the relevant forms of language in human life. We can get help with this project from systemic functional linguistics, which begins from anthropological questions about the functions different aspects of language serve in human life. Beginning from understanding the functions of different forms of language about the social world can help us avoid wasting time on irrelevant metaphysical questions, and re-focus our attention on understanding how social terms of different kinds work—and how they can lead to both important new bureaucratic and theoretic enablements, and sometimes to new and hidden forms of injustice.
For more details, see: http://creightonclub.blogspot.com
MEETING DETAILS: The 2024 meeting will be held on the campus of Syracuse University.
Campus parking is open to guests on weekends. The most conveniently located lots are the Lyman Hinds Lot and the Quad Lot. See the North Campus parking map here: http://parking.syr.edu/visitors-to-campus/campus-maps/
Nearby hotels include the Collegian, Parkview, Crowne Plaza, and Hotel Skyler.
The location of the conference is Hall of Languages room 500, located on the same floor as the Department of Philosophy. An elevator is available on the ground floor of the building, East wing (enter through the back of the building to avoid all stairs and take the elevator).
Participants and attendees can purchase lunch at one of many places along Marshall St. or S. Crouse Ave. (a five minute walk from the Hall of Languages). For those interested in venturing further afield, there are also many restaurants in downtown Syracuse or the nearby Westcott neighborhood.
RSVP: there will be an informal dinner held after the conference (location TBD). Please email us at thecreightonclub@gmail.com (cc jhunt11@syr.edu) if you plan to attend, so that we can make a more accurate reservation.
We thank the Central New York Humanities Corridor as a primary sponsor for this event, along with the Syracuse University Department of Philosophy.
