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| Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society and the Mind Association | |
|---|---|
| Name | Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society and the Mind Association |
| Established | 1916 |
| Discipline | Philosophy |
| Type | Annual conference |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Venue | Various (London, Oxford, Cambridge) |
Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society and the Mind Association
The Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society and the Mind Association is an annual scholarly conference bringing together members of the Aristotelian Society, contributors to the journal Mind, and invited philosophers from institutions such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, University College London, and King's College London. Founded during the era of World War I and influenced by contemporaneous debates in analytic philosophy, the Session has hosted speakers connected to movements around logical positivism, ordinary language philosophy, and philosophy of mind from figures associated with Bertrand Russell, G. E. Moore, and later networks around Ludwig Wittgenstein, Gilbert Ryle, and A. J. Ayer.
The Joint Session emerged in the context of early 20th-century British philosophical life anchored by the Aristotelian Society (founded 1880) and the editorial circle of Mind (founded 1876). Its early decades overlapped with debates involving Bertrand Russell and the Principia Mathematica project, the influence of G. E. Moore on ethical theory, and reactions to continental figures such as Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. Between the wars the Session intersected with conferences tied to the British Academy, the Royal Society, and the expansion of university philosophy departments at University of Manchester, University of Edinburgh, and University of Glasgow. Post-World War II years saw participation by scholars associated with Ordinary Language Philosophy, A. J. Ayer, and later analytic expansions involving Saul Kripke, Donald Davidson, Wilfrid Sellars, and Hilary Putnam. During the late 20th and early 21st centuries the Session has engaged contributors linked to Derek Parfit, Timothy Williamson, David Lewis, P.F. Strawson, John McDowell, Gareth Evans, and Elizabeth Anscombe.
Administration typically involves officers from the Aristotelian Society Council and editors of Mind with secretarial support from host departments such as University of Oxford's Faculty of Philosophy, University of Cambridge's Faculty of Philosophy, and administrative offices at University College London. Governance has drawn on precedents from learned societies like the British Academy and professional organizations such as the American Philosophical Association for program committees, peer review, and funding models. Venues have included historic sites like King's College London's Strand Campus, All Souls College, Oxford, and college facilities at Trinity College, Cambridge. Funding and sponsorship have occasionally involved benefactors related to trusts and foundations associated with Leverhulme Trust, The Rockefeller Foundation, and university grant offices. Key administrative roles have been occupied historically by presidents and secretaries connected to names like Henry Sidgwick, Ludwig Wittgenstein's interlocutors, and later by editors of Mind such as Norman Malcolm and Anthony Kenny.
Themes have ranged across metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind, echoing topical work by Saul Kripke on naming and necessity, Gottlob Frege's legacy, W. V. O. Quine's critiques, and Ludwig Wittgenstein's later philosophy. Sessions have featured symposia on work by Immanuel Kant, David Hume, Plato, and Aristotle as interpreted by modern analytic commentators such as Jonathan Barnes and Martha Nussbaum. Interdisciplinary panels have connected to cognitive science groups from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, neuroscience labs like University College London's Wellcome Centre, and legal-philosophical exchanges referencing H. L. A. Hart and Ronald Dworkin. Recent themes include consciousness debates invoking Thomas Nagel, Daniel Dennett, Frank Jackson, and contemporary contributors like Patricia Churchland, John Searle, Ned Block, and David Chalmers.
Noteworthy addresses and papers delivered at Joint Sessions or associated meetings have included contributions on sense and reference related to Gottlob Frege and Bertrand Russell, modal metaphysics in the tradition of David Lewis, semantic theory in the spirit of Michael Dummett, and ethical reflections inspired by G. E. Moore and Derek Parfit. Presenters have included philosophers connected to Gilbert Ryle, J. L. Austin, P. F. Strawson, R. M. Hare, Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa Foot, Peter Strawson, C. D. Broad, A. J. Ayer, Isaiah Berlin, Hilary Putnam, Donald Davidson, G. E. M. Anscombe, and Roger Scruton. Papers addressing the philosophy of mind by Daniel Dennett, Jerry Fodor, Patricia Churchland, Paul Churchland, and Jaegwon Kim have also been influential within Session proceedings.
Participants are drawn from membership rolls of the Aristotelian Society, subscribers and contributors to Mind, postgraduate researchers from institutions like University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University College London, and international visitors affiliated with Princeton University, Harvard University, Yale University, University of Chicago, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Rutgers University. Invitations have extended to scholars associated with professional associations such as the American Philosophical Association and international bodies like the European Society for Philosophy and Psychology. Attendance has included early-career researchers, emeritus professors, and visiting fellows tied to colleges across Oxford, Cambridge, and London colleges including King's College London and Birkbeck, University of London.
The Joint Session has shaped debates in analytic philosophy, influencing trajectories linked to logical positivism, the Vienna Circle, and post-war British analytic traditions anchored in figures like Bertrand Russell and G. E. Moore. Its proceedings and talks have intersected with developments in philosophy of language associated with J. L. Austin, Saul Kripke, and Michael Dummett and in philosophy of mind connected to Daniel Dennett, John Searle, and David Chalmers. The Session has contributed to cross-fertilization between UK and US philosophical communities, affecting curricula at institutions such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Princeton University, and Harvard University. Its role in promoting dialogues has been acknowledged in histories of analytic philosophy and institutional studies of learned societies like the British Academy.
While the Session itself is not an awarding body, contributions presented there have been recognized by prizes and honors associated with institutions like the British Academy, the Wittgenstein Prize, the John Locke Lectures at University of Oxford, the Gifford Lectures at Scottish universities, and fellowships from bodies such as the Royal Society and the Leverhulme Trust. Presenters have subsequently received distinctions including election to the British Academy, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and honours like knighthoods, academic chairs at University of Oxford and University of Cambridge, and awards linked to philosophical societies internationally.
Category:Philosophy conferences Category:Aristotelian Society Category:Mind (journal)