"'How Can It Not Know What It Is?' Self and Other in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner"

Sponsored by the UWS Democracy and Human Rights Research Initiative

Date: 1st of March, 2012,

Location: UWS, Bankstown Campus, Building 3, Room 3.G. 55

Abstract

In this essay I provide a reading of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner that focuses upon the question of the kind of creatures the Replicants are depicted as being, and the meaning that depiction should have for us. I draw upon Stanley Cavell's account of the problem of other minds to argue that the film's empathy test is in fact presented as a mode of resisting the acknowledgment of others. And I draw upon Martin Heidegger's account of authenticity and mortality to argue that this acknowledgment is crucial if one would become human. The film does not so much suggest that Replicants are, as such, human, but rather that humanity is won through the encounter with the inauthentic.

Andrew Norris is the editor of The Claim to Community (Stanford University Press, 2006), Politics, Metaphysics, and Death: Essays on Giorgio Agamben's "Homo Sacer" (Duke University Press, 2005), and with Jeremy Elkins, the co-editor of Truth and Democracy (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012). His essays have appeared in Cities: Philosophie, Politique, Histoire; Constellations; Critical Horizons, Diacritics; Film-philosophy; Journal of Law & Society, Law, Culture & the Humanities; Metaphilosophy; Philosophy and Social Criticism; Political Theory; Polity; Radical Philosophy; Telos; Theory and Event; Social Science Encyclopedia; International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences; and Encyclopedia of Political Thought. He is currently completing a book entitled Publicity and Partiality: Political Reflection in the Work of Stanley Cavell.

Colloquium

9.30am - 4.30pm, Saturday 25 February 2012

Australian Institute of International Affairs
124 Jolimont Rd., East Melbourne

Jim Hopkins has published widely on psychoanalysis in philosophical and other learned journals. He is Visiting Professor at University College London, and Reader (Emeritus) in Philosophy at King's College London. He is an editor of Mind. His current research interests include issues in psychoanalysis such as the death drive, Freud and Darwin, representation, and problems of consciousness.

Speakers: Jim Hopkins, Russell Grigg, Talia Morag and Jason Freddi

For further information contact Russell Grigg This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The MSCP is proud to offer two 8-week evening classes in Semester 1, 2012.

Contingency, Irony, and Trust: An Introduction to Rorty and Brandom

Mondays, 6.30pm - 8.30pm,
March 12 - May 7
Lecturer: Gilles Bouche

Hegel: Philosopher of the Modern - A reading of Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit

Tuesdays, 6.30pm - 8.30pm,
March 13 - May 8
Lecturer: Bryan Cooke

Occupolitics: Political Theory and Practice in the 21st Century

5 Thursdays, 6.30pm-8.30pm,
April 19 - May 17
Lecturer: James Muldoon

Where?
University of Melbourne Law School.

Full Details and Enrolment: http://www.mscp.org.au

2012 Conference of the Australasian Philosophy of Religion Association (APRA)

Keynote speakers:

• Richard Kearney (Boston College)
• Marilyn McCord Adams (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
• Kevin Hart (University of Virginia & Australian Catholic University)
• Constant Mews (Monash University)

 
Dates: Friday June 22 – Sunday June 24, 2012

Venue: Australian Catholic University, Melbourne campus (Victoria Parade, Fitzroy)

Conference theme: Religious Diversity and Its Philosophical Significance.

The Australasian Philosophy of Religion Association (www.apra.org.au) aims to encourage, publicise and circulate scholarly work within the field of philosophy of religion. It also hopes to foster greater ties between scholars working in the field by providing a forum for a constructive and critical analysis of religion.

The Melbourne School of Continental Philosophy is proud to present the 2012 Summer School Curriculum. The Summer School offers nine ten-hour courses in two different formats. Five of the courses will be taught during the day over five consecutive days, Monday to Friday. Four of the courses will be taught during the evening over five weeks. Please note that the MSCP has reduced fees for those enrolling in multiple courses.

When: January 30 - March 1, 2012

Where: Law Building, Pelham St.
University of Melbourne

Full Details and Enrolment: www.mscp.org.au

2012 Kaifeng International Deleuze Conference
May 18, 2012–May 21, 2012
Henan University,
Kaifeng, Henan, China
 
 
Keynote Speakers

• Anne Sauvagnargues (Université Paris Ouest Nanterre, France)
• Ronald Bogue (University of Georgia, USA)
• Rosi Braidotti (Utrecht University, Netherlands)
• Brian Massumi (Université de Montréal)

Invited Speakers

• Paul Patton (University of New South Wales, Australia)
• Daniel W. Smith (Purdue University, USA)
• Patricia Pisters (University of Amsterdam, Netherlands)
• Ian Buchanan (University of Wollongong, Australia)
• Manola Antonioli (École Supérieure d'Art et de Design de Valenciennes, France)
• Kim Sang-Hwan (Seoul National University, South Korea)
• Chan-Woong Lee (Ewha Womans University, South Korea)
• Timothy O’Leary (Hong Kong University)
• Gao Jihai (Henan University, China)
• Du Xiaozhen (Peking University, China)
• Wang Minan (Beijing Foreign Languages University, China)
• Jiang Yuhui (East China Normal University, China)

2012 Kaifeng International Deleuze Conference, hosted by College of Foreign Languages, Henan University, will be held in Kaifeng City, a famous ancient capital city of seven dynasties. We invite participation by Chinese and international scholars. This conference will provide an opportunity for Chinese and international scholars to exchange ideas around the work of Gilles Deleuze. Topics include:
 
1. Interpretation of important Deleuzian concepts;
2. Deleuze and cinema, art, philosophy, painting, literature, politics, music, religion, architecture, etc.;
3. Deleuze and other poststructuralist philosophers such as Derrida, Foucault, etc.;
4. Deleuze and psychoanalysis: Freud, Lacan, Guattari;
5. Developing and transcending Deleuze: the application of Deleuzian ideas in Arts and Humanities disciplines in China and throughout the world.
We welcome individual abstracts as well as panel proposals from scholars both at home and abroad. An English version of the abstract is required for domestic scholars and scholars from other non-English speaking countries: it should be between 300 to 500 words. Keynote speeches (40-55 minutes) will be in English and Chinese with simultaneous translation. Those interested in participating in the conference should send a title, keywords and abstract to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before October, 31, 2011.
 
Those interested in proposing panel topics should send panel proposals to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before October 31, 2011. Attendance at the conference will be limited so a selection will be made on the basis of abstracts submitted. Papers selected will be notified by December 1st 2011. The deadline for full conference papers (20-25 minutes) is March 15, 2012.
Conference fee: 150€, with half discount for MA and PhD candidates. Early birds will enjoy a 20% discount if paid before December 31, 2011. The conference fee will include meals, but not accommodation and other individual expenses. Excursions to Shaolin Temple will cost another 30€, and visits to Kaifeng City another 10€. 
Conference Schedule:
Registration: May 18, 2012 (8 a.m.-8 p.m.);
Conference Sessions: May 19 until May 20 or 21 (depending on the number of participants), 2012;
Tours around Kaifeng City and excursions to Shaolin Temple will be available during the last two days.
Information on Shaolin Temple is available at:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/henan/luoyang/songshan_shaolin.htm.
Accommodation: We have arranged for discounted offers at Zhongzhou International Jinming Hotel, which is within Jinming Campus of Henan University:
 
Standard room (two persons) costs 20€ each per night (including breakfast)
Small suite costs 50€ per night (including breakfast)
Luxurious suite costs 80€ per night (including breakfast)
The rooms will be arranged by Henan University.
The Board of Organizing Committee:
Chairman: Prof. Paul Patton (University of New South Wales, Australia);
Vice Chairmen: Prof. Chen Yongguo (Tsinghua Univerisity, China) and Prof. Gao Jihai (Henan University) ; 
Executive Assistants: Dr. Yin Jing, Dr. Zhang Jinghui, (Henan University).
For further inquiries, please contact
Dr. Yin Jing,
College of Foreign Languages
Henan University
85 Minglun Street,
Kaifeng, Henan, 475001, P. R. China.
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (preferred)
For further information, please contact Yin Jing at:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or visit the conference website which will be available shortly.
College of Foreign Languages, Henan University
People’s Republic of China