Call for Papers
Ruling in a Wanton World - Description
Arthur Applbaum’s Work and the Philosophy of Legitimacy Beyond the State
Universität Graz, Austria, 29th -31st May 2022
We invite contributions to a workshop on themes from Arthur Applbaum new book, Legitimacy: The Right to Rule in a Wanton World, and new philosophical research on legitimacy more broadly. In his book, Applbaum argues for a “group agency” account of legitimacy, on which government is legitimate if it individually and collectively makes us free. The book also enriches our understanding of many other topics, such as the concept of legitimacy, the conditions for when foreign intervention is permissible, and the role of democracy in justifying power. Applbaum also develops an innovative account of “wanton” government.
Beyond themes from Applbaum’s book, we are also interested in how accounts of legitimacy can contribute to our understanding of inter- and transnational government. . In particular, we are interested in theories of the legitimacy of international institutions such as international courts, and approaches to legitimacy in the context of global challenges like climate change.
Potential Topics
The conference will be organised in two tracks. Authors can apply for one or both tracks.
The first track concerns themes from Applbaum’s book, Legitimacy: The Right to Rule in a Wanton World. Potential paper topics could be, but are not limited to,
- Applbaum’s power-liability account and the concept of legitimacy
- The group agency account of legitimacy
- Freedom and the foundations of a theory of legitimacy
- Kantian and Republican accounts of legitimacy (in Applbaum and others)
- Legitimate foreign intervention
- Applbaum’s “three tyrannies”
- “Wanton” government
- Applications of Applbaum’s arguments to contemporary issues
The second track concerns the philosophy of legitimacy beyond the state. (Authors in this track are encouraged, but not required, to connect their research to Applbaum’s work.) We are particularly interested in the following topics:
- Conceptually understanding legitimacy beyond the state
- Group agency and legitimacy beyond the state
- The legitimacy of international organisations, especially international courts
- The political legitimacy of responses to climate change
- Existential threats to humanity and political legitimacy
Confirmed Speakers
- Arthur Applbaum (Harvard Kennedy School)
- Michael Ignatieff (Central European University)
- Alon Harel (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
- Lukas Meyer (University of Graz)
- Eva Erman (Stockholm University)
- David Estlund (Brown University)
- Dorothea Gädeke (Utrecht University)
- Amanda Greene (University College London)
- Wilfried Hinsch (University Köln)
- Arthur Ripstein (University of Toronto)
- Antoinette Scherz (University of Graz)
- Laura Valentini (LMU Munich)
- Mathew Lampert (Northeast Texas Community College)
- Yuan Yuan (New York University Shanghai)
- Andreas Føllesdal (University of Oslo)
- Herlinde Pauer-Struder (University of Vienna)
- Anthony Taylor (University of Oxford)
Journal Issue
The journal Moral Philosophy and Politics is planning a thematic issue on Arthur Applbaum's book. Contributions to the journal are independent of the conference and will be peer reviewed.
