Viviante Fairbank - The Responsible-Inquiry Model of Journalism Abstract: On the traditional, so-called Informational Model of journalism, the primary role of journalism in a functioning democracy is to provide people with true information about a certain range of important topics. Although this model is appealing, I argue that it is unsatisfactory; importantly, it does not ... Read more

Title: Hume’s One and Only Definition of Virtue Abstract: Hume’s moral philosophy is seen by many as a form of virtue ethics that includes two different definitions of virtue. On the one hand, Hume seems to define virtue as a mental quality generating utility and agreeableness to oneself or others. On the other hand, he also ... Read more

Yoshinari Hattori - Why We Must Believe in Free Will and Moral Responsibility: Reconsidering Their Foundations Abstract: This presentation argues that the practice of blaming wrongdoers—especially directing resentment or indignation towards them—is rationally indispensable for us. Pereboom contends that directing resentment or indignation at others is a form of harming them and is unjustified. As ... Read more

Omar Ruiz Rivera - Moral Skill Abstract: This talk is about moral skill—the capacity for morally excellent behaviour. In particular, I engage with Shepherd’s (2022) view that moral skill is “limited in scope, and precarious” (p. 713). To defend this view, Shepherd relies on a distinction between global and local moral skill. The former involves ... Read more

Title: Relational Value: Problems and Prospects Abstract: The concept of “relational value” is widely used in the environmental ethics and policy literatures. In this talk, I will critically assess this use, considering what relational value might add to our existing value categories and what problems it might produce for our thinking about the value of the ... Read more