University of Liège Philosophy Department

Center for Phenomenological Research

Logical and Ontological Categories: The Contribution of Phenomenologists to the Theory of Categories

International Conference. University of Liège (Belgium), May, 4-5, 2006

Call-for-Papers

The problematics of categories has its origin in Aristotle, where it appears to be an emblematic meeting point of logical and ontological preoccupations. It was much debated by the Neoplatonists and the medieval philosophers, and it still plays, at least since Kant, an essential role in modern philosophy. It is the case in metaphysics as well as in logic and theory of knowledge. A particularly significant expression of this is to be found in the huge controversies on that topic in the neo-Kantians and in the aristotelizing critics of Kant (Trendelenburg, Brentano). But as much could be said of Whitehead's metaphysics, of Russell's theory of types, of Husserl's formal ontology, of Meinong's theory of object, of Lesniewski's and Ajdukiewicz's theory of semantical categories, or of the rich discussions on ontological categories in contemporary metaphysics.

The purpose of the conference is to clarify and to discuss the proper contribution of the phenomenologists to the problematics of categories. On this point, a major contribution of Husserl's Logical Investigations is plausibly to have redefined the difference between logical and ontological categories, which allowed him to totally renew the project of a pure logical grammar and that of a purely formal ontology. Heidegger admittedly found in Husserl a very decisive impulse for re-reading the traditional doctrine of categories in his habilitation thesis on Duns Scotus.

Each communication will be focused on one of the following issues: 1) Categories and categoriality in Husserl's sense; 2) Logical and ontological categories; 3) Syntaxical and semantical categories The clarification of these issues will allow re-evaluation of the contribution of phenomenology to the theory of categories, from its traditional formulations to its latest developments.

» Program

Invited Speakers

Submissions

Anyone wishing to present a communication at the conference is invited to contact the organizers. Communications may be presented in French, in English, or in German. Each presentation should last 30 minutes with 15 additional minutes allowed for discussion and questions from the audience.

Proposals must be submitted with the following information:

  1. Presentation title
  2. Presenter's name and affiliation
  3. 10-line abstract
  4. If need be, presenter's publications in the field

Paper-givers are expected to pay their travel and accommodation costs. Registration for the conference is free, but the number of participants is limited. All accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings.

Deadline : Proposals with abstracts should be sent by January, 15, 2006 via e-mail to Arnaud Dewalque. Abstracts must be Word compatible. Notification of acceptance or rejection of submitted papers will be mailed to the author by February, 1st, 2006.

For further information please browse our website: www.pheno.ulg.ac.be

Organization Committee

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