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Conferences

First Annual Conference of the Leibniz Society of North America

January 25-27, 2008
Kyle Morrow Room
Fondren Library, third floor
Rice University
Houston, Texas

Slideshow in Quicktime format

All of those interested in the philosophy of Leibniz are warmly invited to Rice University for a Leibniz conference from Friday to Sunday, January 25-27, 2008. This will be the first in a series of annual conferences devoted primarily to the philosophy of Leibniz and organized by the Leibniz Society of North America (LSNA). The launching of this new annual conference series is part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the LSNA.

Among the speakers at this first annual conference:

  • Martha Bolton, Rutgers University (President, Leibniz Society of North America)
  • Donald Rutherford, University of California-San Diego
  • Gregory Brown, University of Houston
  • Daniel Garber, Princeton University
  • Glenn Hartz, Ohio State University (Editor, Leibniz Review)
  • Hans Poser, Technische Universität Berlin (long-time leader in the Leibniz Gesellschaft)

Also presenting papers at the conference will be the two most recent winners of the Leibniz Society Essay Competition -- in 2006 and 2007, respectively:

  • Larry M. Jorgensen, Valparaiso University
  • Jeffrey McDonough, Harvard University

Although future conferences in this annual series will involve a "call for papers" or a "call for abstracts" (on something like the model of the Seminars in Early Modern Philosophy), this first annual conference involves invited speakers only. The intention is that the top-level speakers will draw attention to the new series and will encourage attendance at the conference also by Leibniz specialists not delivering papers. In the long run, the aim is to have a conference that will not only feature strong papers, but will also provide a meeting place for Leibniz scholars, a forum where views can be exchanged and productive working relationships can be established. In this same vein, the annual business meeting of the Leibniz Society of North America will move from the soon-to-be-discontinued Leibniz Society Sessions at the Eastern Division A.P.A. Meetings to the annual Leibniz Society of North America Conferences. This year's business meeting will feature the next round of elections for the LSNA.

Another aspect of the celebration of the 30th Anniversity of the Society will be the first Society presentation of awards for major contributions to the LSNA. Three awards will be presented at this first annual conference, one for each decade of the existence of the Society.

25 January, FRIDAY

  • 4:00 p.m. Hans Poser, "Leibniz's Novissima Sinica as a Program for the Reunification of the Christian Confessions."
  • 6:00 p.m. Reception, Humanities Building Lobby

26 January, SATURDAY

  • 9:00 a.m. Doors open
  • 9:30 a.m. Larry M. Jorgensen, "The Principle of Continuity and Leibniz's Theory of Consciousness."
  • 10:45 a.m. Break
  • 11:00 a.m. Glenn Hartz, "Composition, Continuity, and Compatibilism in Leibniz."
  • 12:15 p.m. Lunch break
  • 2:00 p.m. Daniel Garber, "When Did Leibniz Discover Monads?"
  • 3:15 p.m. Martha Brandt Bolton, "The Psychological Foundation of Substantial Unity."
  • 4:30 p.m. Break
  • 4:45 p.m. Gregory Brown, "Disinterested Love: Understanding Leibniz's Reconciliation of Self- and Other-Regarding Motives."
  • 6:00 p.m. Conference Dinner, Annual Business Meeting, and Award Ceremony

27 January, SUNDAY

  • 9:00 a.m. Doors open
  • 9:30 a.m. Jeffrey McDonough, "Leibniz: Creation and Conservation and Concurrence."
  • 10:45 a.m. Break
  • 11:00 a.m. Donald Rutherford, "Simples and Composites."

For any questions about the conference, please contact Mark Kulstad at kulstad@rice.edu. If any professionals in the field would be interested in chairing sessions, especially if this helps cover travel expenses, please contact Mark Kulstad at the email address above.

Sincere thanks to the following for funding:

Travel planning information: the conference will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 25 and will end by 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 27.

Lodging for the event is available at the Hilton Houston Plaza. To make reservations, conference participants or conference visitors may call the Hilton's Central Reservations Department at 1-800-HILTONS (1-800-445-8667), or in-house reservations manager, Eve Woodfolk, at 713-313-4677, or go online at http://www.houstonplaza.hilton.com. Guests should ask for the Group Code LBN or ask for the group by name -- Leibniz Conference Room Block -- when making their reservations. The cut-off date for guests to make reservations at the discounted rate of $129 is 1/4/08. Those who reserve early may choose between a $109 rate for a standard room or a $129 rate for a suite. But after the five standard rooms at $109 are booked, the one option at the Hilton will be the discounted suites at $129. (The Hilton Houston Plaza is primarily a suites hotel, with only a limited number of standard rooms.)

A conference dinner will take place on Saturday evening, January 26. This dinner will involve some sort of significant subsidy for all Leibniz scholars who attend the conference.

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