An interdisciplinary symposium:
On Values. Social Scientific and Philosophical Perspectives
Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies
17-19 March 2014
Further information and programme: http://www.helsinki.fi/collegium/events/on-values/index.html
NB! Registration is free, but required. To register for this event and for more information, please contact Kirsi Reyes-Anastacio at Kirsi.Reyes-Anastacio@helsinki.fi.
After a period of relative neglect in the social sciences, the topic of values has of late been making a wide-ranging theoretical comeback. And while questions about the nature of values never faded from the scene in ethics and moral philosophy, today they are considered generally pressing, socially crucial and in need of both conceptual and empirical clarification across a wide range of disciplines.
The purpose of this conference is to study the nature, ontological status, structure and constitution of human values and to clarify the role of values in human interaction and sociality. Questions concerning value realism vs. value relativism as well as monism vs. pluralism in respect to values will be addressed. Moral values will be compared to other kinds of values, such as economic values, epistemic value, utility, health, and beauty. Moreover, the relationship of values to institutions and to broader societal structures will have a central position in the discussions.
As an interdisciplinary endeavor, the conference will bring together several theoretical approaches to human values, ranging from anthropology and social theory to philosophy and theology. Given the current interest in values across the humanities and social sciences, it seems that now is a good time to make such an multidisciplinary effort and to work toward a broader discourse on values that transcends the limits of traditional fields of study.
