Life and Death in Early Modern Philosophy (360G-Wellcome-201324_Z_16_Z)

Proposal Summary In collaboration with a group of European colleagues, I am applying for a grant to run an international conference on Life and Death in Early Modern Philosophy at Birkbeck College London, from 14-16 April 2016. The conference aims to deepen cultural and philosophical understanding of the interconnections between changing scientific conceptions of life and death and normative conceptions of a healthy life, in early modern Europe. It is sometimes difficult to remember that early modern natural philosophers radically disagreed about what is and is not alive. (Some held that all natural things, stones as much as human beings, are living.) We want to know how their views on this topic were reflected in ethical debates about what it is to live healthily, and how ethical conceptions in turn shaped arguments about the nature of life and death. Further key goals: To extend our understanding of how early modern, philosophical conceptions of a healthy life can inform contemporary debates, e.g. concerning a healthy relation to the environment. To agree a set of research questions for further study. To initiate an international research network To publish a selection of the papers presented at the conference