From February 4 to 5, 2027, the conference “Naturalizing Normativity – Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Rules, Reasons, and Values” will take place at the Università degli Studi di Palermo, Italy. It is jointly organized by the Department of Law in Palermo and the Italian Society for Analytic Philosophy. The conference aims to bring philosophers together with psychologists, neuroscientists, social scientists, and biologists.
Abstracts can be submitted until September 30, 2026. The call reads:
Call for Abstracts
DIGI & SIFA CONFERENCE ON NATURALIZING NORMATIVITY: INTERDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES ON RULES, REASONS, AND VALUES
Dates: 4–5 February 2027
Location: Università degli Studi di Palermo (Italy), Department of Law
Description
The Department of Law, Università degli Studi di Palermo (DIGI) and Italian Society for Analytic Philosophy (SIFA) are pleased to invite scholars to submit abstracts for the joint conference Naturalizing Normativity: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Rules, Reasons, and Values, to be held on 4–5 February 2027 in Palermo, hosted by the Department of Law.
In recent years, philosophers have shown growing interest in perspectives on normativity emerging from the cognitive, social, and biological sciences. This interdisciplinary turn reflects a recognition that traditional analyses of norms and values can be enriched, and perhaps challenged, by empirical insights into the psychological and biological underpinnings of normative behavior. Against this backdrop, the conference aims to bring together philosophers, psychologists, neuroscientists, social scientists, and biologists committed to genuine dialogue across disciplinary perspectives.
Topics may include (but are not limited to):
- Normative psychology, between folk psychology and the sciences of the mind/brain
- Normativity and biological regulation
- Explicit vs implicit normativity
- Naturalism and the ontology of rules
- Psychologicy of authority
- Psychology of formalism
- Debunking arguments and the psychology of normativity
Confirmed Keynote Speakers to date
- Richard Holton (University of Cambridge)
- Joshua Shepherd (Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona)
- Elisabeth Pacherie (Insitut Jean Nicod)
Submission Guidelines
- Abstract length: maximum 500 words (excluding bibliography)
- Format: PDF (anonymized)
- Deadline: 30 September 2026
- Language: English
- Notification of acceptance: by 31 October 2026
- Submission email: giuseppe.rocche@unipa.it
The accompanying email should include:
- Full name
- Institutional affiliation
- Current position (and whether the PhD has been obtained)
We particularly encourage submissions from early career scholars (PhD students or scholars within five years of obtaining the PhD) and from members of groups underrepresented in philosophy and related disciplines.
Contacts: Giuseppe Rocchè (Università degli Studi di Palermo), giuseppe.rocche@unipa.it