CALL FOR PAPERS
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EVOLUTION AND ORGANISATION
DENATURING DARWIN
12th to 14th November 2004, International School of Philosophy, Amersfoort, the Netherlands
The Theme
Darwin, once again, is seemingly everywhere - competing for general acclaim as The Greatest Briton; slugging it out with Creationists in American schools; the subject of public disputes as to who can be regarded as his true disciples; with awards in his name for both scientific endeavour and suicidal stupidity; through to new reclamations of his ideas in academia. And even though the theory of evolution may not be the 'universal acid' that Daniel Dennett (1995) seeks, burning through all that stood in its way, it has been etched into a broad swathe of the natural, social and political sciences. Sometimes, for example, it appears to merely rest as agreeable metaphor, as in Marshall's 'teeming millions' in economics; sometimes to lie as causal explanation, as in social inequality as rendered by social Darwinists; sometimes to stand as proof, as atheistic fundamentalists use it to deny the existence of Gods; and sometimes to act as the Trusty Sword of Truth, as wielded to defeat those contemporary bogey figures
, be they post-modernists, feminists or social-constructionists (see, for example, Pinker, 2003 or Dawkins,1976 and 2001).
The misapplication of Darwinist thinking in the social sciences, on its own, could justify a conference. Yet such a narrow theme risks simply returning to the bitter battles over sociobiology of the 1970s, fought over similar terrain. Instead, the rise and rise of Darwinism itself demands a closer look. We suggest here four themes that might evolve.
First, perhaps, is the origin of The Origin of Species. The genesis of the central idea - evolution through natural selection - continues to attract discussion as to whether Darwin was creator, or (unknowing) disciple. Yet Darwin's construction of the argument, his proof (drawn from his own cultivations) and its presentation, draws into question the whole question as to what is natural, and what is selected. Thus, for example, even as his theory appears to extinguish one Creator, in practice, another seems to emerge in His place - a theme that is continuously re-enacted today, as programmers seek to develop natural selection in software. We would welcome papers further examining such origins and their consequences.
Darwin's writing is undoubtedly skilled, as he weaves his subjects into an evocative narrative. But the pernicious spread of Darwinism cannot be laid simply to the power of his rhetoric. Why did the idea of evolution through natural selection so quickly and virulently spread beyond its natural host and find such welcome in seemingly unrelated fields? And why does it continue to excite similar interest as an explanation for apparently unrelated phenomena today? We welcome work that seeks to explore the phenomena of Darwinism itself.
At the same time, despite Darwin's own warnings, as his ideas spread they became and continue to become derivations of derivations: mere pastiche or downright wrong. Diluted and adulterated, these homeopathic theories claim to explain more and more of the world around, be it in terms of rampant individualism or carefully pruned collective, while still claiming fidelity to the purity of their source. Unsurprisingly, such unruly science has shown itself capable of producing monsters, both hopeful and hopeless, with monstrous results. We call, then, for critique of such abominations.
And finally, despite the overwhelmingly critical tone of what has preceded, there is the question of where a more considered examination of the consequences of the Darwinist explosion might take us. This may stretch, for example, from the exploration of a radical humanism that might take account of contemporary issues that oscillate between the biological and social sciences, such as Bio-nomics, through to discussion to whether Darwinism and the social sciences will always remain incommensurable. In the field of organisation, for example, could we go beyond rather simple notions of 'population ecologies' to consider the mutual co-construction of 'organised' bodies and the 'fitness landscapes' that they both constitute and inhabit?
Abstracts
Abstracts of no more than 500 words should be sent to darwin@le.ac.uk, no later than Monday 31st May 2004. Please submit abstracts in MS Word or Rich Text format. Acceptance will be notified by July 2004. Electronic versions of full papers should be submitted no later than Thursday 30th September 2004, again to darwin@le.ac.uk.. A selection of complete papers will be placed on the conference website http://www.le.ac.uk/ulmc/cppe/darwin as soon as is practicable after that date.
Keynote Speakers and Plenary Sessions
There will be two plenary sessions at the conference, featuring a total of four keynote speakers. Dr Gowan Dawson of the Victorian Studies Centre, University of Leicester and Dr David Amigoni of the Department of English Literature and Philosophy at Keele University will both address a plenary session entitled Reading Darwin. The other plenary, entitled Evolution and Creation, will be addressed by Dr Steve Brown of the Department of Human Sciences at Loughborough University and Professor Jack Cohen of the Institute of Mathematics at the University of Warwick.
Publication plans
A themed issue of the Routledge journal, Culture and Organization, is under discussion. Papers appropriate in terms of theme and contribution will also be selected for consideration for the Palgrave journal, Emergence, Complexity and Organization.
Conference Fee
The conference fee will be in the region of 300 pounds (450 euros) and will include accommodation and all meals, including a gala conference dinner.
Language
The language of the conference will be English.
Conference Organisers
The conference is being jointly organised by the Centre for Philosophy and Political Economy of the University of Leicester, UK and the Department of Critical Theory and Organisation of the University for Humanistics, Utrecht, NL.
Further Details
Further details and registration information will be made available via the conference website http://www.le.ac.uk/ulmc/cppe/darwin. Specific queries should be addressed to darwin@le.ac.uk.
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