http://www.rug.nl/filosofie/news/events/winter-school-paradoxes-and-dilemmas

On January 26th-27th 2015, the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of
Groningen will host a short Winter School aimed at advanced undergraduate
students and early-stage graduate students. The theme of the winter school
isParadoxes and Dilemmas, and it will consist of 6 tutorials where the
topic will be discussed from different viewpoints: theoretical philosophy,
practical philosophy, and the history of philosophy.

THEME

Philosophy, it is often said, is the practice of asking questions about
what seems obvious and straightforward, which then turns out not to be so
simple after all. Among the main philosophical tools to expose the
non-obviousness of apparently unproblematic notions are the paradoxes:
starting from apparently plausible premises, to derive an apparently
implausible conclusion through apparently acceptable reasoning. Faced with
a paradox, an agent must make choices, as the paradox exposes the
incoherence of (the collection of) her beliefs: something?s got to go.

Dilemmas form a closely related philosophical tool, as they concern
choices between actions rather than between propositions. A dilemma is a
situation in which two (or more) possibilities for action are available to
the agent, which seem to be equally bad. Dilemmas are extensively
discussed in ethics and political philosophy, but appear widely in
philosophical discussion. Ideally, they contribute to solving
philosophical puzzles by showing that certain theoretical options are
untenable. So they too lead to the realization that things are not as
simple as they seem.


LECTURERS AND TUTORIALS

* Han-Thomas Adriaenssen: ?Divine foreknowledge versus free will? Theology
and modality in the Middle Ages?
* Sander de Boer: 'So what were these Aristotelian forms supposed to do
again? Late Medieval and Early Modern metaphysics'
* Catarina Dutilh Novaes: ?Paradoxes: at the heart of philosophy?
* Frank Hindriks: ?Trolleyology: the philosophy and psychology of a moral
dilemma?
* Barteld Kooi: ?Epistemic paradoxes: is the concept of knowledge
incoherent??
* Marc Pauly: ?Philosophical dilemmas in public policy: ontology meets
ethics?

As such, the program will showcase the high level of teaching and research
of the three departments of the Faculty (theoretical philosophy; ethics,
social and political philosophy; history of philosophy). The winter school
aims in particular (but not exclusively) to attract potential talented
students for our Research Masters? program (
http://www.rug.nl/masters/philosophy-research/), who in this way will have
the opportunity to become acquainted with the Faculty and the different
lines of research we pursue.

SCHOLARSHIPS

The Faculty is offering up to three EUR 300 scholarships for the best
students enrolling in the winter school, and who express serious interest
in later applying for our Research Masters? program (
http://www.rug.nl/masters/philosophy-research/). Moreover, participants
who are then accepted in the Research Masters? program for the year
2015/2016 will have their registration fee for the winter school
reimbursed.

To apply for the scholarships, send a short CV (max 2 pages) and a letter
(max 1 page) stating your interest in the Faculty of Philosophy in
Groningen and the Research Masters? program in particular, to
winterschoolphilosophy 'at' rug.nl with 'Application for winter school
scholarship' as subject. Deadline to apply for the scholarships: December
1st 2014. Preference will be given to members of underrepresented groups
in philosophy (women, people of color, persons with disabilities etc.).

REGISTRATION

To register, send an email with your name, affiliation and status
(undergraduate, graduate) to winterschoolphilosophy 'at' rug.nl with
'Registration for winter school' as subject, no later than December 15th
2014. As the number of spots is limited, you are encouraged to register
early.

CONFERENCE

Another attractive feature of the winter school is the fact that a major
international conference will take place immediately after the school (in
Rotterdam), which makes a trip to the Netherlands even more worthwhile for
those coming from far away. Seventh Conference of the Dutch-Flemish
Association for Analytic Philosophy (Rotterdam, January 28-30)
http://www.ozsw.nl/event/conference-of-the-dutch-flemish-association-for-analytic-philosophy/

GENERAL INFORMATION
Dates: January 26th ? 27th 2015
Scholarship application deadline: December 1st 2014
Registration deadline: December 15th 2014
Registration fee: EUR 40, to be paid in person in Groningen (and to be
reimbursed for those later accepted in the ReMa program)
Further inquiries can be directed to Catarina Dutilh Novaes,
c.dutilh.novaes 'at' rug.nl.