Scholarship in Early Modern Philosophy

​​​Call for Papers

The Oxford Spinoza Conference 2025

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The Oxford Spinoza Conference is dedicated to exploring the myriad manners in which Benedict Spinoza has contributed to the history of philosophy and continues to shape our understanding of the world. The third edition will take place at Pembroke College on Tuesday May 20, 2025. The theme for this year’s conference is Benedict Spinoza: Politics & the International. The theme will colour the keynotes, but papers are welcome from across Spinoza’s work and across all generations of Spinoza scholars: we will accept submissions from students, early career researchers and experienced academics. There will be limited travel bursaries available for students upon request. The deadline for submissions is March 17, 2025. Keynote speakers Sandra Leonie Field (Monash University) and Pierre-François Moreau (Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon). Abstracts: By email to olivier.defrance@pmb.ox.ac.uk. Registration: The conference is open to all and free to attend. Please fill in the registration form here. Hosted by: Olivier Yasar de France (Stipendiary Lecturer in Political Theory, Pembroke College, Oxford) & James Read (Associate Professor of Philosophy, Pembroke College, Oxford).

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Call for Papers

Australasian Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy

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The Australasian Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy (ASEMP) invites papers in Renaissance and Early Modern Philosophy for its 2025 conference at the University of Queensland. The conference overlaps with the Australasian Association of Philosophy meetings (July 6-10) with ASEMP papers scheduled on July 9-10. Attendees are encouraged to attend the conference dinner on July 10th at the Customs House on the river. An informal gathering will be organised for the evening of July 9 for ASEMP participants. An optional stay on the spectacular island of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) for some whale watching is available for July 11-13. To submit an abstract, go to https://aap.org.au/Conference-2025-UQ and click on the ‘Submit abstract’ tab at the top. Submit your abstract to the ASEMP/History of Philosophy stream. The deadline for submissions is June 2, 2025.

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Venue: University of Queensland

Date: July 6-10, 2025

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Call for Papers

Institute of Philosophy

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 Foucault claims in The Order of Things that, from the early seventeenth century onward, “thought ceases to move in the element of resemblance” and that “similitude” comes to be regarded as the source of error rather than knowledge (Foucault 1966/1970, 56). Yet there is little doubt that modern scientists and philosophers continued to rely on the use of analogies at least to substantiate working hypotheses concerning lesser-known objects of inquiry. Thus, Newton’s third rule defends the use of analogical inferences on the ground that nature is “ever consonant with itself” (Newton 1687/1999, 795). Very few steps were taken in eighteenth-century physiology without drawing analogies between features of Newtonian celestial mechanics and organic phenomena. Goethe and Schelling, among others, made abundant use of analogies to penetrate aspects of nature considered to resist a purely mechanical explanation. Philosophers such as Hume and Kant, for their part, transferred features of mathematics and the natural sciences to objects of inquiry that transcend the phenomenal realm, in particular the human mind. In the case of Bacon and Kant, the employment of analogies went hand in hand with reflections on the structure, function, and epistemic import of analogical inferences. On the whole, however, little attention seems to have been paid to the tension between, on the one hand, the commonly accepted principles of rigorous scientific inquiry and, on the other hand, the extent to which analogies and types of analogical reasoning continued to inform philosophy, the natural sciences, and emerging disciplines such as chemistry and the life sciences. 

 

The aim of this conference is to inquire into the indebtedness of the modern natural sciences and philosophy to pre-modern conceptual tools through the lens of the concept of analogy. We welcome abstracts that address the role of analogies in philosophy and/or the sciences between the publication of Bacon’s The Advancement of Learning (1605) and the final edition of Hegel’s Science of Logic (1831). The deadline for submissions is May 15, 2025. 

Abstracts of no more than 500 words should be submitted through the electronic form available at the website. The abstracts, including the title, should be prepared for double-blind review by removing any identification details. Presentation time will be 25 minutes + 20 minutes for discussion. We offer limited travel grants to PhD students and other early career researchers without funding of their own. Notification of acceptance by June 15, 2025. 

Format: on-campus and online (Zoom). Contact: raphael.authier@kuleuven.be. Website: https://hiw.kuleuven.be/cmprpc/events/analogies-in-modern-science-and-philosophy/index.html.

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Venue: KU Leuven

Date: October 2-4, 2025

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Call for Proposals

Quebec Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy

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Submissions in English or French on any topic related to early modern philosophy (roughly, the period going from Montaigne to Kant) are welcome for the 11th Quebec Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy / Séminaire québécois en philosophie moderne.
The time allotted for paper presentations will be 35-40 minutes, with 30 minutes of discussion. It is requested that all participants are sufficiently bilingual in order to understand the presentations in the other language. 

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Venue: Trois-Rivières, QC (Canada),
Date: 27-29 août 2025 / Aug. 27–29, 2025

 

Paper proposals of about 500 words should be submitted no later than May 1 st , 2025 to: syliane.charles@uqtr.ca. Send inquiries directly to Syliane Charles.

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Call for Applications

Center for Canon Expansion and Change

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The Center for Canon Expansion and Change (CCEC) seeks applications for participants in its 3rd annual Summer Program, now funded by a $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation. Participants will take part in a week-long collaborative workshop, in which they learn about figures in an expanded canon of early modern philosophy (such as Anton Wilhelm Amo, Margaret Cavendish, and Anne Conway) and cutting- edge research on them; discuss inclusive, student-centered, and equitable pedagogy (with 2 sessions dedicated to teaching a predominantly white audience in predominantly white institutions); and collaboratively craft their own early modern course syllabus. After the workshop, participants and guides will meet regularly and continue to communicate as their courses (and future versions of it) are implemented. Participants will also receive an award from CCEC attesting to their experience with canon expansion and inclusive teaching. The workshop is set to take place on the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus, as well as surrounding areas of Minneapolis June 2-7, 2025.

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Interested applicants should submit a statement of interest (1 page outlining their interest in the program and how it connects with their research and/or teaching) and a curriculum vitae. We welcome applications from advanced graduate students and faculty members (contingent or permanent). We especially encourage applications from members of underrepresented groups in (Anglo-American) philosophy. Faculty members with institutional funding to participate should communicate this in the application. Applications should be submitted online: Application by March 15, 2025. Applicants will be notified of admissions decisions by March 31, 2025. For more information, visit our website: 2025 CCEC Summer Program.

 

For inquiries, contact Nada Mohamed (moha1725@umn.edu).

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Call for Papers

Atlantic Canada Seminar In Early Modern Philosophy

           

 The twenty-second annual meeting of the Atlantic Canada Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy will be held at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia from July 09 - 11, 2025. Like similar seminars in other parts of the world, the Atlantic Canada Seminar is an informal group, formed to foster interaction among scholars of Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century (Early Modern) Western philosophy. All are welcome to submit papers. However, the seminar this year will be held to specially honour the contribution of Jewish scholars worldwide to the study of Early Modern Western Philosophy. The format of the seminar is generally in-person only for presenters from North America, with a possibility for scholars outside North America Zooming in. Auditors will also be able to attend via Zoom. (Check the website or contact me for information on that.)  Papers on any subject in Early Modern Western Philosophy (roughly, the period from Montaigne up to and including Kant) are welcome.  Reading times are approximately 50 minutes with 30 minutes for discussion. There are no concurrent sessions. A few speakers are invited, though most participants will be vetted through a selection process that includes external refereeing.  Reports will usually be available to authors. We make space for some graduate students. (If you are a graduate student, please indicate.) Non-presenters are also welcome to attend and will be included in all our activities and listed on the program. No funding is provided (this also applies to invited speakers) but breakfasts, lunches and snacks are provided, and inexpensive accommodations in university-residence housing is available, in addition to a variety of hotel accommodations in the vicinity of the conference. The website of the conference is linked to the homepage of the Department of Philosophy, Dalhousie University. Its’ URL is: https://www.dal.ca/sites/acsemp.html .

 

The deadline for submitting abstracts (of approximately 750 words) is 15 March, 2025. We will try to have the program available by May 01, 2025. Information on accommodations and travel will be available at that time.

 

Abstract preparation. Please send 2 files of your abstract. The first file should contain the title, date of submission, your abstract and your name and affiliation as you would like it to appear on the program, in MS Word, with the file name as in this example, where Tom Vinci is the submitter and Descartes is the topic of the submission; ”vinci.tom_Descartes_abstr_identified.docx”. The second file should be prepared for blind review – no identifying information in the text -- with the file name as in this example: “vin_Descartes_abstr_blind.docx”. 

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To obtain further information, please contact

Tom Vinci at the following address.

Professor Tom Vinci (Ret.d)

Department of Philosophy

Dalhousie University

6135 University Ave, Rm. 1142

Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2

Canada.

Dept phone: 902 494 3810

Fax: 902 494-3518

Cell:  902 880 8919

My email: vinci@dal.ca

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Call for Papers

David Hume and the Enlightenment: New Perspectives

 

The editors of Hume Studies are planning to publish a special panel on “David Hume and the Enlightenment: New Perspectives.” We are especially interested in Hume’s relationship to neglected figures or to little-discussed Enlightenment themes, although all relevant topics are welcome. There is no word limit, but we highly prefer papers under 12,000 words, inclusive of notes. To submit your paper for consideration, simply go to the Hume Studies website and follow the instructions for submissions:

https://www.humesociety.org/ojs/index.php/hs

When you submit your paper, please write in the “Comments for the Editors” that you would like your paper considered for the special panel. Abstracts are not eligible; we will consider full papers only.

Submissions need not be formatted according to our style guide (Chicago) to be considered, but accepted authors will be asked to format them later. Papers submitted for the panel may also be considered for the annual Hume Studies Essay Prize, if they qualify. (Information on the Prize is found at the link above too). We will make every attempt to expedite review and deliver decisions within 8 weeks. The special panel is planned for issue 51:2 (Nov. 2026).

Due date for submissions: August 1, 2025.

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Call for Applications

New Narratives in the History of Philosophy Postdoctoral Fellowships

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Supported by the SSHRC Partnership Grant Extending New Narratives in the History of Philosophy, postdoctoral fellows will conduct research related to the retrieval and recognition of philosophical works by women and individuals from other marginalized groups in both the European and non-European traditions. The project is focused on the historical period from roughly the 9th century through to the early 20th century. The successful applicant(s) will also assist in activities aligned with the project. Information about the project objectives can be found at newnarrativesinphilosophy.net  
 
Two post-doctoral positions are available for the 2025-26 academic year, each to be held at one of the Partner institutions (Simon Fraser University, Western, Guelph, McGill, Duke, Penn, Columbia, Monash, Sydney, Lyon-3, Nanterre, and Jyväskylä). While Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be able to be appointed to positions at non-Canadian institutions, non-Canadians can be appointed to positions only at Canadian institutions. 
 
The successful applicants will have a PhD in Philosophy (within the past five years), expertise in a period in the history of philosophy, and a demonstrated interest in research and pedagogy involving women thinkers and thinkers from other marginalized groups of that period. Experience in methods in digital humanities would also be helpful. The research proposed must be significantly different and distinct from, or add significantly to, that of the applicant’s doctoral thesis.
 
Appointments will be for a period of 12 months, ideally September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2026 in the Northern Hemisphere. However, because of potential delays in securing necessary documentation (work permits, etc.), start dates may be adjusted, but will not go past January 1, 2026.
 
Salary: CAD $70,000/year + benefits. Please submit electronically the completed application form, a letter of application that should explain how the proposed research is related to the Extending New Narratives project, your CV, and a description of a project to be worked on during the post-doc (no more than 750 words), and arrange for 3 letters of reference to be emailed to the ENN Management Committee at new_narratives@sfu.ca.

Review of applications will begin 3 January 2025.

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For applications, see: https://www.newnarrativesinphilosophy.net/2025-26-post-doc-ad.html

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Call for Abstracts

Rackham Interdisciplinary Workshop in Early Modern Philosophy

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The Early Modern Working Group at the University of Michigan is pleased to announce the inaugural Rackham Interdisciplinary Workshop in Early Modern Philosophy. The workshop will take place in-person and the event will be held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Friday and Saturday, 11–12 April 2025.

We invite proposals from graduate students and early career faculty on any topic in the field of early modern philosophy. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the working group at the University of Michigan, we welcome papers that involve a variety of approaches to texts in the early modern period, whether they be analytical, continental, literary, comparative, or historical. Each presenter will be given 25 minutes to present, followed by 5 minutes of a formal response from a commentator and 20 minutes of audience discussion. Please note as well that speakers will be expected to cover their own travel and lodging costs.

To submit a paper for consideration, please submit a single PDF document containing a 300–500-word abstract to MichiganEarlyModernWorkshop@gmail.com as an attachment. The PDF should contain no identifying information and be suitable for blind review but the body of the email should contain your name, paper title, university affiliation and position. 

Abstracts are due no later than 17 January 2025. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance by 31 January 2025. Full papers will be due to commentators by 14 March 2025.

Please feel free to send any questions you may have to Sean Costello, at scostel@umich.edu.

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Call for Applications

Grants programs at the History of Philosophy Forum 

 

The “2025-26 Small Grants Program for International Researchers” is open to scholars with a Ph.D. based at institutions outside the USA. These grants are intended to defray the costs of a short stay at the University of Notre Dame, for the purposes of conducting research that would benefit from the use of our world-class library resources and consultation/collaboration with our faculty. The grant can only be used to cover costs pertaining to travel and accommodation, up to $3500. We especially welcome applications that have some thematic relationship to our upcoming research cluster, "Historical Traditions of Ethics."  However, the grant program is open to all projects in the history of philosophy, broadly construed.

 

The “2025 Summer Writing and Research Grants Program” invites applications from scholars with a Ph.D. and active academic affiliation who are working on research projects in the history of philosophy, broadly construed. Recipients are given access to Notre Dame's world-class library and are provided free accommodation for one month in a furnished visiting faculty apartment next to campus. 

 

More information about the programs, as well as links to the online applications, can be found at https://historyofphilosophy.nd.edu/grants/.

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The submission deadline is February 1, 2025.  We ask that applicants contact one of our faculty affiliates to act as a faculty host before submitting their applications.

 

To receive announcements about History of Philosophy Forum activities we invite you to join our mailing list and follow us on Twitter @HistPhilND.

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Call for Abstracts

Traveling Early Modern Philosophy Organization (TEMPO)

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The Traveling Early Modern Philosophy Organization (TEMPO) is now accepting paper abstracts for our April 25-26th, 2025 conference to be held at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Details, programs from past iterations, and other information can be found at http://tempo-conference.net
We welcome papers on any aspect of Modern philosophy, roughly understood as the period from Montaigne through Mill.
Submissions on Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and related figures, methods, and themes are particularly encouraged.
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Keynote Presentation: 

"Cavendish (and Aristotle and Augustine but not Hobbes) on Virtue" 
Daniel Whiting (University of Southampton)

Plenary Talks:
“Kant, Epistemic Dependence, and the Politics of Knowledge Production” Huaping Lu-Adler (Georgetown University)
“Shepherd on Mathematics”
Maité Cruz (Union College)
“Time, Mutability, and Punishment in Conway”
Alejandro Naranjo Sandoval (University of California, Davis)
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Please prepare 300-500 word abstracts for anonymous review. Papers should be suitable for a 25 minute presentation, followed by 30 minutes of Q&A.
Submit paper abstracts through http://tempo-conference.net/submit
The deadline for submissions is January 31st, 2025. Applicants will be notified of acceptance by February 18th.

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Find out more about the conference at http://tempo-conference.net, including information about our upcoming reading group on Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz.
The TEMPO Board remains committed to increasing the representation of diverse voices across Modern philosophy scholarship. Please see http://tempo-conference.net/diversity.html
Please direct questions to our program committee chair for 2025, Virginia Sharpe, at v.sharpe@rutgers.edu

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Call for Applications

Slavery and Early Modern Philosophy: An NEH Institute for Higher-Education Faculty

 

Date: June 16 – July 4, 2025

Place: Georgetown University

Description: This 3-week Institute explores philosophical debates about slavery in Europe and North America in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries—a topic that scholars of philosophy have largely ignored so far. The Institute will be residential and take place at Georgetown University’s main campus (Hilltop Campus) in Washington, DC, from June 16 to July 4, 2025. Eligible applicants must be higher-ed faculty members (at any stage of their career) or advanced graduate students in the U.S. For a full list of eligibility criteria, please visit the website listed below.

 

Deadline for submission: March 5, 2025

Notification of decision: April 5, 2025.

 

Organizers: Huaping Lu-Adler (Georgetown University); Julia Jorati (UMass Amherst)

 

Link: https://slaveryandearlymodernphilosophy.georgetown.domains/

Contact Information: Huaping Lu-Adler (hl530@georgetown.edu); Julia Jorati (jjorati@umass.edu)

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