AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN VALUES
ANNIVERSARY COMMENTS
FROM PARTICIPANTS OF PREVIOUS EDITIONS
AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN VALUES
PHILOSOPHY IN THE TIME OF ECONOMIC CRISIS
17-21 SEPTEMBER 2014
Jacquelyn Kegley
It has been my great pleasure to have participated in
five of the American and European Values Conference:
the ones on Royce, Dewey, Mead, and Rorty and I cochaired both the Royce conference and the one on
Democracy (…).
Director, Helen Louise Hawk
Honors Program, Chair, CSUB
Academic Senate
CSU Outstanding Professor of
Philosophy, California State
University, Bakersfield
The American and European Values conferences, in my
judgment, have made valuable contributions to the
philosophical community as well as to those of other
disciplines. They have furthered understanding and
serious critical dialogue on major figures in classical
American philosophy and have done so from both an
international and cross-disciplinary perspective. The
conference on democracy and the current one on the
crisis continued this serious dialogue across disciplines
and on an international scale. The books produced
from the conferences are valuable resources to the
scholarly world.
William L. McBride
Immediate Past President
of the International
Federation of
Philosophical Societies
(FISP)
I participated in the American and European
Values conferences devoted to Charles S.
Peirce (2007) and Josiah Royce (2008). The
opportunity to meet and interact with both
European and American colleagues, discussing
a wide range of problems in these special areas
of inquiry, was invaluable exposure to the
exciting work that is being done around the
world. Some of the relationships we formed at
these meetings continue to this day. The
volumes of essays that resulted from these
conferences (one of which I co-edited) provide
a uniquely valuable perspective on these
American thinkers.
Herta Nagl-Docekal
University of Vienna,
Austria
It is with gratitude that I am looking back on the
international conferences on "American and
European Values" in which I participated in the
years 2008 and 2009. While the focus of my own
research does not lie in the field of American
Pragmatism, I did benefit very much, indeed, from
these conferences on Josiah Royce and John Dewey.
The high academic standard of the papers presented
there, and the vivid discussions shaped by a great
variety of approaches, have corroborated my general
Impression that American pragmatism is of great
relevance for the contemporary discourse on a wide
field of issues, ranging from aesthetics through
ethics, moral philosophy, political theory, and
philosophy of religion. One can only hope that this
series of conferences will be continued for many
years!
Ludwig Nagl
University of Vienna,
Austria
A great merit of the Opole `American and
European Values Conferences´ is that one of its
early meetings focussed on Josiah Royce, an
important but neglected Harvard philosopher,
who – due to the relevance of his thought for
communitarianism,
neo-pragmatism,
and
philosophy of religion - deserves to be rediscovered
and
extensively
debated
in
contemporary philosophy. The Opole Royce
conference was - to my knowledge - the first
European international gathering focussing
exclusively on Royce. Its result is the important
book Josiah Royce for the Twenty-First Century.
Historical,
Ethical,
and
Religious
Interpretations´ (edited by Kelly A. Parker and
Chris Skowronski), Lexington Books 2012.
Kelly Parker
Director, Environmental
Studies Program. Professor
of Philosophy,
Environmental Studies,
& Liberal Studies, Grand
Valley State University,
Allendale, MI
I participated in the American and European
Values conferences devoted to Charles S.
Peirce (2007) and Josiah Royce (2008). The
opportunity to meet and interact with both
European and American colleagues, discussing
a wide range of problems in these special areas
of inquiry, was invaluable exposure to the
exciting work that is being done around the
world. Some of the relationships we formed at
these meetings continue to this day. The
volumes of essays that resulted from these
conferences (one of which I co-edited) provide
a uniquely valuable perspective on these
American thinkers.
Alicia Garcia Ruiz
American and European Values:
"An annual meeting with plurality,
debate and commonalities that
keep
alive
philosophy
and
periodically renew its public
relevance"
University of
Barcelona, Spain
Núria Sara Miras Boronat
Postdoctoral
Researcher,
University of
Barcelona, Spain
My experience and memories from the
Conferences in Opole are extremely positive. I
have enjoyed the discussions with my
colleagues coming from all over the globe and
the hospitality of the host University. For me,
the fact that distinguishes the Conference
series in Opole is that the number of speakers
is not excessive, what allows a real
philosophical conversation, and that the topic
is always approached from a plurality of
perspectives, what allows a really enriching
philosophical conversation. In all these years I
have had the feeling to be part of a
philosophical community that understands
plurality and enrichment as one of its
conditions of possibility and encourages young
scholars like me to pursue his or her
philosophical investigations. Happy 10th
Anniversary and Long Life to the Opole
Conferences!
*
I think that your philosophical series is fantastic! Not only the diversity of the topics, but
also the standard of the lectures and discussions. I can only congratulate you!
Alexander Kremer, Szeged University, Hangary
*
The American and European Values Conference advances research in philosophy and
deepens personal and institutional relationships by forging important intellectual and
personal connections across multiples borders and languages. The occasion of its tenth
anniversary is a mark of its success in this large undertaking.
John J. Stuhr, Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and American
Studies, and Chair, Department of Philosophy, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
*
I remember the Santayana conference being exceptionally well organized, well attended, and
in a lovely setting. Well worth the journey and then some.
Glenn Tiller, President of Santayana Society, A&M University, Texas
I think of it as one of the best adventures we’ve had. For me it was a time to get to
know folks who work in the field of Royce/American philosophy - and who are
usually too far flung to meet to talk. It was like “coming home” in a far-away
place.
Bette Manter, Curry College, USA
*
My warmest congratulations for the tenth edition of American and European
Values conference. The tenacious and intelligent work of Chris Skowronski has
been able to establish in Opole a vibrant international venue for a fruitful
intellectual dialogue between America and Europe.
Jaime Nubiola, University of Navarra, Spain
*
The American and European Values conference series, and the numerous
important books the series has yielded, is of tremendous value and advances
international scholarship in a way that is unprecedented. My understanding is
that the continued institution owes its existence to the tireless work and vision
of Chris Skowronski and his students and colleagues. Among the many things
they do each year to bring these conferences and books to fruition, they deserve
greatest praise for constructing a truly diverse, international atmosphere of
dialogue.
Matthew Flamm, Rockford College
*
Congratulations on the tenth edition of your conference series. I only attended once (in
2008), but the event I participated in was without doubt one of the most pleasant
experiences in my academic career so far. So I’m happy to send you some feedback, feel
free to quote from it.
I experienced the conference series – both as an attendant and as a reader of the volumes
that ensued – as being truly integrative, i.e. as integrating a variety of theoretical
perspectives and topics. That already is very hard to find in present day scholarly events.
The AEV-conferences feature excellent scholarship as well as an outstanding discursive
atmosphere. The organization is always flawless and the hospitality just fantastic.
David P. Schweikard, University of Münster, Germany
*
As for the American and European Values conferences, they seem to me to be an
exceptional meeting-point for American and European scholars to discuss and exchange
views on contemporary philosophical issues. I really appreciate the way they put together
leading figures and young scholars in a friendly, communicative environment. The
conferences make you feel that intellectual interests on both sides of the pond are very
much closer than one should expect from people coming from so different academic and
cultural milieus.
Angel Faerna, Unversity Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain