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Perfectionism: Ancient and Modern

November 18-19, 2016

University of California, San Diego

A conference on the perfectionist tradition will be held at the University of California, San Diego on Friday and Saturday, November 18-19, 2016.  All sessions will meet in the Philosophy Seminar Room, in the Humanities and Social Sciences Building, Room 7077. 

Friday, November 18

  • 9:30-11am: Susan Sauvé Meyer (University of Pennsylvania), “Plato on Perfection”
  • 11:15am-12:45pm: Katja Vogt (Columbia University), “The Good and the Good Life in Aristotle”
  • 2:15-3:45pm: Terence Irwin (Oxford University), “Counsels of Perfection”
  • 4-5:30pm: Steven Nadler (University of Wisconsin), “Maimonides on Human Perfection and the Love of God”

Saturday, November 19

  • 9:30-11am: Donald Rutherford (UCSD), “Leibniz as Perfectionist”
  • 11:15am-12:45pm: David O. Brink (UCSD), “Normative Perfectionism and the Kantian Tradition”
  • 2:15-3:45pm: Thomas Hurka (University of Toronto), “Sidgwick and Perfectionism”
  • 4-5:30pm: Gwen Bradford (Rice University), “The History of Perfectionist Bads”

Lunches will be provided for conference participants both days.

The conference organizers — David Brink and Don Rutherford — would like to thank the Philosophy Department and the Dean of Arts & Humanities at UC San Diego for their financial support.

Anyone wishing to attend the conference or wanting more information should contact one of the organizers (dbrink@ucsd.edu or drutherford@ucsd.edu).