Human and nonhuman life thrives in virtue of its interconnectedness. Birds fly in great swathes, cheetahs in the San Diego Zoo are paired up with dog companions, rescued farm animals often form deep and lasting bonds, and even many plants share nutrients through fungal networks. In the case of humans, interspecies connection has been shown to have numerous positive impacts on wellbeing.
This workshop considers various applied philosophical questions prompted by interspecies social relationships. The workshop will build on discussions in animal ethics, political philosophy, and the broader social sciences to explore the meaning, value and normativity of social relationships with nonhuman animals and the natural world. Rather than setting us apart from nonhuman others, our sociability is something that might bring us closer together.
This is a pre-read workshop. Brief paper presentations will be followed by 45-50 minutes of questions and discussion. As well as paper presentations, the workshop will include a roundtable discussion on Indigenous perspectives.
This is a hybrid event, and participants may register to attend in-person or online over zoom. If registering to attend in-person, please list any dietary or accessibility requirements.
Speakers:
Cheryl Abbate (University of Nevada Las Vegas)
Kimberley Brownlee (University of British Columbia)
Brian Burkhart (University of Oklahoma)
Steve Cooke (Leicester University)
Nicolas Delon (College of Charleston)
Sue Donaldson (Queen’s University)
Angela Kalhoff (Universität Wien)
Will Kymlicka (Queen’s University)
Josh Milburn (Loughborough University)
Angie Pepper (University of Roehampton)
Matthew Perry (University of British Columbia)
Kristin Voight (McGill University)