Past events

Calendar archives

  • De choses à êtres sentients : 10 ans après la réforme du droit animalier @ Cinema DeSève followed by a reception in the lobby J.W. McConnell Building (library) at Concordia University

    15 May 9 h 00 – 16 May 19 h 00

    This first conference of the Observatoire québécois en droit animalier, organized in collaboration with Concordia University’s Social Justice Centre and the Centre de recherche en éthique (CRÉ), with the support of the Université de Sherbrooke and the Chambre des notaires du Québec, invites reflection on the ten-year period following the 2015 reform of animal law, which, from a legal standpoint, shifted the status of animals from things to sentient beings.

    To register for the event, please click here.

    May 15, 2026 – Intensive Research Workshop (by invitation)

    This research workshop on animals provides a space for reflection and discussion centered on works in progress. It is open to research concerning animals across a range of disciplines, including law, philosophy, history, sociology, anthropology, political science, cultural studies, literature, and related fields.

    This intensive workshop is conceived as a privileged opportunity for researchers to engage in in-depth exchanges with one another about a work in progress or a publication project, in a more intimate setting than that of the main conference, while also fostering lasting connections within the research community concerned with animals. It enables participants to discuss their research projects in small groups and to receive constructive critical feedback in preparation for conference presentations, publications, or job talks. The aim is to help researchers refine, enrich, and deepen their ideas.

    Format

    The workshop day will be devoted to the discussion of four papers. Each paper will be discussed in a session structured as follows: a researcher will first briefly present their work in progress. The paper will have been circulated to participants in advance, allowing for careful prior reading. A designated respondent will then offer comments on the paper. Workshop participants will subsequently engage in constructive discussion, questions, and critique of the work.

    May 16, 2026 – Conference opened to the public

    8:30 am – 9:00 am Registration and welcome
    9:00 am – 9:15 am Opening remarks
    9:15 am – 10:15 am

    Comparative perspectives: Reforming animal law in France and Québec

    • Sophie Gaillard (SPCA)
    • Romy Sutra (Université Toulouse Capitole)
    10:15 am – 12:15 pm

    Reforming the foundations of law

    • Virginie Simoneau-Gilbert (Université Queen’s)
    • Michaël Lessard (Université de Sherbrooke)
    • Hania Kassoul (Université Côte d’Azur)
    • Alexandra Popovici (Université de Sherbrooke)
    12:15 – 1:30 pm  Lunch
    1:30 pm – 3:00 pm

    Reforming legal practice

    • Marie-Claude St-Amant (Melançon Marceau Grenier Cohen)
    • Chloé Surprenant (BFGJ & Morasses Avocats)
    • Nicolas Morello (Communauté Droit animalier Québec – DAQ)
    3:00 pm – 3:30 pm  Break
    3:30 pm – 5:00 pm

    Those left behind by Québec animal law

    • Stéphanie Roy (Université de Sherbrooke)
    • Gabrielle Perras St-Jean (INRS)
    5:00 pm – 7:00 pm  Reception with vegan hors d’oeuvres

    *Please note that the workshop will be conducted in French.

    For any inquiries: info@oqda.org

    Read more

  • Economic Philosophy Reading Group @ Room Édouard-Montpetit, 3rd floor, HEC

    14 h 30 – 16 h 00

    Please note that the event will now take place in the Édouard-Montpetit Room (HEC), on the 3rd floor of the Côte-Sainte-Catherine Building (near the elevators).

    You are cordially invited to the final meeting of the season for the Economic Philosophy Reading Group, which will be held in hybrid format (Zoom) on Thursday, May 14, 2026, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Montreal time). The meeting will take place in room Édouard-Montpetit (HEC), on the 3rd floor of the Côte-Sainte-Catherine Building.

    This session will focus on a text by Nicolás Aguila, Paula Haufe and Joscha Wullweber entitled “The ecor as global special purpose money: towards a green international monetary system to finance sustainable and just transformation”. To participate via Zoom, click here.

    To receive the text, please write to the organizers: Morgane Delorme (morgane.delorme1@umontreal.ca); Gabriel Monette (gabriel.monette@hec.ca); and Nicolas Pinsonneault (nicolas.pinsonneault@hec.ca).

    Read more

  • The CRÉ is pleased to welcome Anatole Fogou  (Universities of Maroua and Buea, Cameroon), who is undertaking a research stay at the Centre as part of a partnership between the Centre de recherche en éthique (CRÉ) and the Laboratory for Ethics and Public Policy (EthicsLab) at the Catholic University of Central Africa (Yaoundé, Cameroon).

    Anatole Fogou will present a talk entitled “The Problematic of Endogenous Ethics: Toward a Pluralistic Universalism,” followed by a commentary delivered via videoconference by Thierry Ngosso (University of Hamburg & Chair of Business Ethics, Technical University of Munich; Founding Director, EthicsLab).

    Chair: Ryoa Chung (Université de Montréal)

    Abstract

    Contemporary moral thought is marked by a crisis of normative foundations and by the persistence of deep disagreements regarding the criteria for the justification of action. At the same time, globalization has fostered the emergence of norms with universal aspirations, often formulated within particular cultural frameworks. This paper examines the legitimacy of such universalist claims in a context of moral pluralism. It argues that a reflective engagement with endogenous ethics provides a promising avenue for rethinking the conditions of a non-hegemonic universalism. Far from leading to relativism, this approach opens the possibility of a pluralistic universalism grounded in intercultural dialogue and in the recognition of context.

    Keywords: endogenous ethics, moral pluralism, contextualism, universalism, bioethics.

    To join via Zoom, please click here (Meeting ID: 871 9735 6788; Passcode: 9Me2EW)

    Read more

  • You are cordially invited to the next Annual Transatlantic Workshop in Practical Philosophy, scheduled for May 12–13, 2026.

    To join via zoom, click here (Meeting ID: 841 3736 0747; Secret Code: 9Me2EW).

    The conference, which will be held online, will be divided into two half-days:

    Tuesday, May 12, 2026

    • 9:00 a.m. — 9:05 a.m.: Opening remarks

    First panel, chaired by Ryoa Chung (CRÉ, University of Montreal)

    • 9:05 a.m. — 9:50 a.m.: Meredith Sheeks (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), “Artificial Intelligence and Epistemic Expertise”
    • 9:50 a.m. — 10:35 a.m.: Cécile Rosat (University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne), “The Feeling of Relational Responsibility and Narratives”

    Second panel, chaired by Sarah Stroud (Parr Centre, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

    • 10:50 a.m. — 11:35 a.m.: Maëva Herriau (Catholic University of Louvain), “Basic Equality Between Adults and Children”
    • 11:35 a.m. — 12:20 p.m.: Cléo Salion-Girault (University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne), “Can the Practice of Medicalized Assistance in Dying be Conceptualized as ‘Care’?”

    Wednesday, May 13, 2026

    Third panel, chaired by Magali Bessone (NoSoPHi, University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)

    • 9:05 a.m. — 9:50 a.m.: Morgane Delorme (University of Montreal), “From Financial Literacy to Financial Justice”
    • 9:50 p.m. — 10:35 a.m.: Caterina Donelli (Catholic University of Louvain), “Limiting Wealth to Address the Climate Crisis: A Green Case for Limitarianism”

    Fourth panel, chaired by Samuel Dishaw (Hoover Chair, Catholic University of Louvain)

    • 10:50 a.m. — 11:35 a.m.: Tommy Johnson (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), “Owning and Giving: Virtue Ethics and the Moral Tragedy of Climate Displacement”
    • 11:35 a.m. — 12:20 p.m.: Will Gildea (McGill University), “Casal on Interspecies Justice without Over-demandingness”

    Read more

  • Political Philosophy for a Better World @ Université Laval

    6 May – 8 May All day

    Bilingual conference jointly organized by the Department of Political Science at Université Laval, the Chair in Democracy and Public Ethics (Université Laval), and the Centre for Research in Ethics (CRÉ).

    We are pleased to welcome Jonathan Wolff (Oxford) and Daniel Weinstock (McGill) as our two keynote speakers.

    Summary

    The conference aims to explore how political philosophy can be mobilized to address the major challenges we face as a society – such as the climate crisis, the rise of populism, the erosion of democratic norms, and radicalization. In this context of polycrisis, there is a need to create a space for reflection dedicated to addressing these pressing problems. Hence the appeal to political philosophy, which is by nature a normative discipline: its objective is to provide us with norms and guidelines to help us move towards a more just society. However, it is not enough to have good ideas and policies; we need ideas and policies that will be supported by the population. It is therefore worth noting that there is a link between distributive justice and social acceptability, in that there is empirical evidence supporting the idea that fair distributions enjoy greater popular support. Thus, this discipline stands to gain significantly by directly addressing the major challenges we face today and by doing so in a way that brings knowledge out of the confines of academia.

    This conference will therefore bring together renowned researchers to reflect on and formulate recommendations to help address these major challenges, including climate change, the rise of populism, disinformation, and the erosion of democratic norms. The presentations will therefore not be solely intended for the academic community, but rather for society at large. Presenters are encouraged to formulate clear recommendations, regardless of the stage of development of the problem they are considering. Researchers are invited (but not required) to shed light on concrete public decisions that have been or will be made, using specific examples (public policies, bills, evidence-based data), thereby demonstrating both how political philosophy is essential for understanding these issues and how it helps us move towards solutions that can garner broad public support.

    Schedule: 

    Wednesday, May 6, 2026

    12:00 pm – 1:00 pm·: Welcome table

    • 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Student Panel 1, chaired by Alexandre Gajevic Sayegh (ULaval).
      • Molly Dea Stephenson (McGill), Ecotage and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: On Defensive Justification of Putatively Hopeless Climate Activism;
      • Ester Palm (UdeM), Repenser la justice à partir du ‘travail animal’ et du ‘prolétariat du sentient’;
      • Sasha Emanuel Mossu (ULavaL), Différentes crises, différentes philanthropies : quelle durée de vie pour les fondations ?.

    2:30 pm – 3:00 pm: Coffee Break Coffee and snacks will be served

    • 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Student Panel 2, chaired by Sylvie Loriaux (ULaval).
      • David Oh (McGill), Reconsidering (Dis)trust: Reluctant Reliance and Normative Expectations;
      • Mélanie Guillemette (ULaval), Ce que les injustices épistémiques et l’ignorance active font à la démocratie;
      • Alexandre Petitclerc (UdeM), Le court-métrage documentaire et la philosophie politique: au delà de la mobilisation des connaissances.

    6:50 pm – 7:30 pm: A pleasant walk in the Parc and the Citadel with stunning views of the city, and the Parliament.

    7:30 pm – 10:00 pm: Dinner in lively St-Jean Baptiste neighbourhood at Le Hobbit.

    Thursday, May 7, 2026

    9:45 am – 10:15 am: Welcome and Coffee

    • 10:15 am – 10:30 am: Opening remarks.
      • Conference organizer Alexandre Gajevic Sayegh will set the tone with a brief overview of the conference’s themes and a warm welcome to all participants.
    • 10:30 am – 12h00 pm: Panel 1, Structural Change and the Aesthetics of Equality, présidée par François Blais (ULaval).
      • Mauro Rossi (UQAM) – An Account of Structural Change – CANCELED;
      • Christian Nadeau (UdeM) – Mouvements sociaux et fragilisation de l’État de droit.

    12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: Atrium Lunch

    • 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Panel 2, Taxation, Capital and the Moral Limits of Markets, chaired by Jérôme Gosselin-Tapp (ULaval).
      • Patrick Turmel (ULaval) – Dépasser la taxe Zucman: impôt sur le capital et démocratie;
      • Vida Panitch (Carleton) – The Moral Limits of Markets and Non ideal Justice.

    2:30 pm – 3:00 pm: Coffee Break

    • 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Panel 3, Pipelines, Resistance, Climate Action and Populism, chaired by Naïma Hamrouni (UQTR).

    4:30 pm – 5:00 pm: Coffee Break 

    6:15 pm – 9:00 pm: Reception Drinks and a food buffet will be offered

    Friday, May 8, 2026

    9:30 am – 10:00 am:  Welcome and coffee

    • 10:00 AM – 12:00 pm: Panel 4, Social Movements and Ghost Work, chaired by Sylvie Loriaux (ULaval).
      • Jocelyn Maclure and Hugo Cossette-Lefebvre (McGill) – Freedom of Speech, Autonomy and Epistemic Dependence;
      • Denise Celentano (UdeM) – Ghost Work: Conceptual and Normative Concerns.

    12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: Atrium Lunch

    • 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Panel 5, Institutional Distrust and Political Emotions, chaired by Ryoa Chung (UdeM).
      • Natalie Stoljar and David Ho (McGill) – What is Institutional Distrust?;
      • Laura Silva (ULaval) – On People’s Passion: On Emotion and Populism.

    2:30 pm – 3:00 pm: Coffee Break

    • 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Panel 6, Education and Democracy, chaired by Patrick Turmel (ULaval).
      • Arash Abizadeh (McGill) – Popular Sovereignty vs Democracy: Or, How Rousseau Killed Democracy;
      • Andrée-Anne Cormier (ENAP) – Democratic Education Today: Political Philosophy, Civic Skills, and Higher Education – CANCELED.

    4:30 pm – 5:00 pm: Coffee Break 

    • 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Keynote Session, chaired by Ryoa Chung (UdeM).

    7:00 pm – 8 :00 pm: Walk Old Town Gorgeous walk from Hotel Le Concorde through Quebec City’s famous old town. 

    8:00 pm – 10:30 pm: Le Don Dinner at Le Don, eclectic vegan spot for food and cocktails in beautiful Basse Ville.

    Conference organizers: Alexandre Gajevic Sayegh (Associate Professor, Political Science, ULaval) Ryoa Chung (Full Professor, Philosophy, UdeM) Patrick Turmel (Full Professor, Philosophy, ULaval) Alexandre Petitclerc (PhD candidate, Philosophy, UdeM).

    Our partners:
    Chaire de recherche Démocratie et éthique publique
    Centre de recherche en éthique (CRÉ)
    Département de science politique, Université Laval
    Faculté de philosophie, Université Laval
    Institut d’éthique appliquée (IDÉA), Université Laval
    Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire sur la normativité (GRIN)
    Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval

    Read more

  • Chrisoula Andreou (University of Utah) @ Room 309, CRÉ, hybrid

    12 h 00 – 13 h 30

    The CRÉ welcomes Chrisoula Andreou (University of Utah), who will give a presentation entitled “Benevolence, Free-Riding, and Efficacy.”

    To participate via Zoom, click here (Meeting ID: 704 532 7051; Passcode: 9Me2EW).

    Read more

  • Tyler DesRoches (Arizona State University) @ Room 309, CRÉ, hybrid

    12 h 00 – 13 h 30

    The members of the CRÉ’s Ethics and Economics Axis are pleased to welcome Tyler DesRoches (Arizona State University), who will present a paper co-authored with his colleagues Paul Bartha, Kian Mintz-Woo, Angela Rodriguez, and Daniel Steel, entitled “Climate Nudging, Climate Catastrophe and Cost-Benefit Analysis.”

    To join via Zoom, please click here (Meeting ID: 815 3210 8882; Passcode: 9Me2EW).

    Chair: François Claveau (University of Sherbrooke)

    Abstract

    Green nudges (GNs) are increasingly popular behavioral interventions aimed at mitigating environmentally mediated harm, particularly in the context of climate change. Examples include default enrollment in renewable energy programs and real-time feedback on energy consumption, designed to promote sustainable behaviors by leveraging behavioral insights and social norms (Thaler and Sunstein 2008; Allcott 2011).

    The justification of GNs traditionally relies on cost-benefit analysis (CBA), which quantifies the total costs and benefits, factoring in probabilities to maximize expected utility (Sunstein and Reisch 2013; DesRoches et al. 2023). However, the application of CBA faces significant challenges when GNs involve potential catastrophic outcomes associated with climate change and climate nudging. These include violating basic human rights, potential civilization collapse, and ethical concerns over autonomy and paternalism (Caney 2010; Steel et al. 2022; Berlin 1969).

    This article argues that the qualitative distinction between catastrophic and non-catastrophic outcomes poses a challenge for traditional CBA. While CBA is adept at assessing ordinary costs and benefits, it struggles to accommodate the putative catastrophic outcomes linked to climate change and climate nudging. To address this challenge, this article considers the lexical precautionary principle (LPP) as a viable decision-making framework for climate nudging. Unlike CBA’s decision rule, maximize expected utility, LPP maximizes lexical utility, thereby prioritizing the avoidance of catastrophic outcomes (Bartha and DesRoches 2021; Steel and Bartha 2022).

    This article makes two original contributions to two different literatures, one negative and one positive: the first is to the literature on the ethical permissibility of green nudging. Our claim is that the received view on justifying GNs should be amended for the special case of climate nudging when catastrophic outcomes are at stake. If climate nudging involves the prospect of catastrophic outcomes and CBA cannot handle the distinction between non-catastrophic and catastrophic outcomes, then a decision-making framework that can accommodate such outcomes should be given careful consideration. Second, our article shows how the LPP can apply to climate nudging, which is a contribution to the theoretical literature on the precautionary principle. We argue that LPP offers a notable advantage over CBA by accommodating the qualitative distinction between catastrophic and non-catastrophic outcomes, even when policymakers disagree or foresee multiple catastrophes.

    References

    Allcott, H. 2011. Social norms and energy conservation. Journal of Public Economics, 95(9-10), 1082-1095.

    Bartha, Paul and C. Tyler DesRoches. 2021. “Modeling the Precautionary Principle with Lexical Utilities.”Synthese 199, 8701–8740.

    Berlin, Isaiah. 1969. “Two Concepts of Liberty.” In Four Essays on Liberty, 118–172. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Caney, Simon. 2010. “Climate Change, Human Rights, and Moral Thresholds,” Climate Ethics: Essential Readings. New York: Oxford Academic.

    DesRoches, C. Tyler, Daniel Fischer, Julia Silver, Philip Arthur, Rebecca Livernois, Timara Crichlow, Gil Hersch, Michiru Nagatsu and Joshua K. Abbott. 2023. “When is Green Nudging Ethically Permissible?”Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 60C.101236.

    Steel, Daniel, C. Tyler DesRoches and Kian Mintz-Woo. 2022. “Climate Change and the Threat to Civilization.” Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences of the United States of America 119 (42) e2210525119.

    Steel, Daniel, and Paul Bartha. 2022. “Trade-offs and the Precautionary Principle: A Lexicographic Utility Approach.” Risk Analysis. 43 (2): 260-268.

    Sunstein, Cass R. and Lucia A. Reisch. “Green by Default.” Kyklos 66 (3): 398-402.

    Thaler, R. H., and Sunstein, C. R. 2008. Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Yale University Press.

     

     

     

     

     

    Read more

  • Kory P. Schaff (California State University, Los Angeles) will give a presentation entitled “Free from Work? Dependence, Independence, and Automation” as part of the activities of the Philosophy of Work Network.

    The activities of the Philosophy of Work Network are open to researchers and graduate students with research interests in this area. Please write to the organizers, Denise Celentano (denise.celentano@umontreal.ca) and Pablo Gilabert (pablo.gilabert@concordia.ca), to receive the Zoom link.

    Abstract

    The automation of tasks accelerating in the labor market threatens a sizeable portion of workers with unemployment through no fault of their own. While technological unemployment in general is thought to be temporary, many economists are worried that the scope and depth of automation now taking place will leave many permanently unemployed. This threat raises the obvious question: what will they do for their own welfare including the satisfaction of needs and pursuit of life plans? Underlying this question is a conception of freedom that includes some form of self-sufficiency: that is, individuals are independent insofar as they can satisfy their own welfare. In this paper, I explore the arguments in support of this conception and evaluate whether they serve as the basis for a critique of automation. The philosophical question pursued here is, can one be “free” without work?

    Read more

  • You are cordially invited to a special session of the Philosophy of Economics Reading Group, which will be held in hybrid format (Zoom) on Thursday, April 30, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (Montreal time). The meeting will take place in room 2.880 (space z), 2nd floor at HEC, 3000 Côte Ste-Catherine (in the premises of the Alphonse-et-Dorimène-Desjardins International Institute of Cooperatives at the end of the hallway next to the library).

    This session will focus on a chapter from the book by Tyler DesRoches (Arizona State University) titled A New Theory of Consumer Well-Being. Tyler will lead the session in person, but it will also be possible to attend remotely via Zoom using the following link.

    Please note that Tyler will also present another article titled “Climate Nudging, Climate Catastrophe, and Cost-Benefit Analysis” from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in room 309 of the CRÉ.

    Pour receive the text, please write to the organizers: Morgane Delorme (morgane.delorme1@umontreal.ca); Gabriel Monette (gabriel.monette@hec.ca); and Nicolas Pinsonneault (nicolas.pinsonneault@hec.ca).

    Read more

  • Conference on the theme of “Trust” @ Salle C-2059, Carrefour des arts et des sciences, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx, Université de Montréal, mode hybride

    All day

    The Centre de recherche en éthique (CRÉ) is pleased to announce a workshop devoted to the theme of Trust, which will mark the launch of its new flagship research theme.

    Few would dispute the importance of this notion, which cuts across multiple research axes and contexts of analysis: institutional trust and distrust, the role of mistrust in vaccine hesitancy, trust in the patient–physician relationship, among others. This workshop aims to bring together CRÉ researchers working on these issues in order to present their work in progress, share avenues for reflection, and foster discussion and collaboration.

    Designed as an open and stimulating space for exchange, the event will place a strong emphasis on discussion, in a deliberately informal format conducive to the exploration of new ideas.

    Schedule:

    • 9:15 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.: Welcome & launch of thème phare – Kristin Voigt (McGill)
    • 9:30 a.m. – 10:20 a.m.: Natalie Stoljar (McGill) and David Oh (McGill): “What is Institutional Distrust?”
    • 10:30 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.: Daniel Weinstock (McGill): “Why (and when) to distrust”
    • 11:30 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.: Alexis Morin-Martel (McGill): “Vicarious Distrust”
    • 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.: Lunch
    • 1:30 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.: Abraham Tobi (UdeM): “Relational Trust-Building”
    • 2:30 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.: Aude Bandini (UdeM): “Would you trust a stranger? The role of authenticity and relatability in online peer-support groups” (via Zoom)
    • 3:30 p.m. – 4:20 p.m.: Ian Gold (McGill): “Institutional Trust, Vaccine Hesitancy, and Conspiracy Thinking During the COVID-19 Pandemic”
    • 4:30 p.m. – 5:20 p.m.: Kristin Voigt (McGill): “Equality, distrust and public health policy: how (not) to ban menthol cigarettes”
    • 5:20 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.: Closing remarks – David Oh (McGill), Natalie Stoljar (McGill), Kristin Voigt (McGill)

    Everyone is welcome. Please register before April 26, 2026, via the following link.

    We very much hope you will be able to join us.

    To participate via Zoom, please click here (Meeting ID: 827 5605 4721; Passcode: 392745).

    Read more

  • Charles Côté-Bouchard (Collège Montmorency) @ Room 309, CRÉ, hybrid

    12 h 30 – 14 h 00

    The CRÉ is pleased to welcome Charles Côté-Bouchard (Collège Montmorency), who will give a talk entitled “Le brain rot et son importance: un examen sceptique.”

    Abstract

    The aim of this presentation is to shed philosophical light on the concept and phenomenon of brain rot. Translatable as digital stupefaction or mental dulling, the term has recently entered common usage and has quickly become ubiquitous in discussions about our use of the web. It was also named Word of the Year 2024 by the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary, who define it roughly as follows:

    The supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state as a result of overconsumption of content (especially online) that is trivial or not intellectually stimulating.

    But what exactly is brain rot? What kind of mental or intellectual deterioration is at issue? Is brain rot necessarily or conceptually bad? Are we right to fear this phenomenon? Does it really designate something new and distinctive? After distinguishing several of the main uses of the expression, I defend a generally skeptical stance regarding both the significance of brain rot and the theoretical usefulness of the concept.

    To participate via Zoom, click here (Meeting ID: 883 6649 5097; Password: 478352.)

    Please note that the presentation will be in English.

    Read more

  • (Décom)poser les limites : dialogues et enjeux actuels @ Room 223, University of Montréal, hybrid mode

    8 h 45 – 17 h 00

    Join us for the 2025–2026 CRÉ Annual Graduate Fellows Conference! This year, the conference will feature three sessions and roundtables: the first session will focus on social limits and normativity; the second will address the nature of political, economic, and ecological limits; and the third will explore limits and mortality. See below for abstracts for each presentation and session.

    To participate via Zoom, click here (Meeting ID: 704 532 7051; Secret code: 9Me2EW)

    Schedule:

    • 8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.: Coffee and welcome snacks
    • 9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.: Opening remarks, Ryoa Chung (UdeM), co-director of the CRÉ

    First session – focus on social norms – chaired by Alex Stankovich (UdeS), “Les limites à la reconnaissance des savoirs expérientiels : une discussion croisée entre les milieux académique et pratique”

    • 9:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: Presentations by Reem Alameddine (Mauve Clinic, UdeM, UQÀM), “Habiter l’entre-deux : produire du savoir depuis une position située”; Aude Bandini (UdeM), “Savoirs expérientiels et extractivisme épistémique”; Amandine Catala (UQÀM), “Savoirs expérientiels et justice épistémique dans le contexte de la neurodiversité”; and Fernanda Pérez-Gay Juárez (McGill; Neurophilosophy Lab), “Des vécus pluriels aux savoirs reconnus : patient·es, clinicien·nes et chercheur·es en circulation”
    • 11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.: Break

    Second session – focus on the nature of political, economic, and ecological constraints – chaired by Olivier Boucher (UdeM) and Nohémie Bokuma (Concordia), “Les limites économiques et politiques : réflexions sur la gestion collective des limites”

    • 11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Presentations by Denise Celentano (UdeM), “Les limites du travail”; and Michaël Lemelin (UdeM), “L’argument démocratique en faveur du limitarisme à l’épreuve de la stagnation économique”
    • 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.: Lunch

    Third session – focus on limits and mortality – chaired by Olivier Boucher (UdeM), “Les limites et la mortalité : trois voies/voix de réflexion sur l’expérience de la finitude”

    • 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.: Presentations by Louise La Fontaine (AQSP, UdeS); France Lacharité (UdeS); and Vincent Rochelle (ULaval)
    • 3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.: Break
    • 3:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.: Plenary session – chaired by Alex Stankovich (UdeS) ; Sophie Djigo (Laboratoire STL, Lille ; Institut Convergences Migrations), “Frontières et limites : Déjouer le blanchiment / résister en solidarité”
    • 4:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Closing remarks

    First session: “Les limites à la reconnaissance des savoirs expérientiels : une discussion croisée entre le milieu académique et les milieux de pratique”

    Participants: Reem Alameddine (Clinique Mauve, Université de Montréal, Université du Québec à Montréal), Aude Bandini (Université de Montréal), Amandine Catala (Université du Québec à Montréal) and Fernanda Pérez Gay Juárez (PGY-2, psychiatrie, McGill University; Neurophilosophy Lab).

    Description of the roundtable 

    L’université comme institution, avec sa vocation pédagogique non-négligeable, entretient un rôle sociétal fort. Ayant centralement des buts épistémiques (ex. : création/conservation/révision des savoirs), elle a une implication, à degré variable, sur ce que nous considérons comme un savoir dit « valide » ‒ qui possède (ou non) une expertise, quoi devrait être étudié ‒ et assure la transmission de ces connaissances au public. Ce pouvoir lui génère donc aussi des responsabilités épistémiques.

    Sachant que toutes les voix ne sont pas audibles et que toutes les expériences ne sont pas visibles, pour l’axe Normativités sociales du colloque annuel des boursier·ère·s du CRÉ, nous avons décidé de saisir l’occasion de mettre en dialogue des intervenant·e·s des milieux universitaires, pratiques et aussi ceux·celles qui se trouvent entre les deux. Bien que notre table ronde n’ait pas la prétention d’entamer un changement systémique ou institutionnel, nous croyons qu’une réflexion fertile pourrait éclore sur la pertinence des savoirs situés et de la (ou des) (in)justice(s) épistémique(s), afin de repenser les pratiques hégémoniques de production des connaissances.

    Reem Alameddine (Clinique Mauve, Université de Montréal, Université du Québec à Montréal)

    “Habiter l’entre-deux : produire du savoir depuis une position située”

    Abstract

    Cette présentation propose une réflexion située sur les limites à la reconnaissance des savoirs expérientiels, à partir d’un double ancrage en recherche doctorale et en pratique clinique à la Clinique Mauve. En mobilisant une posture d’ethnographie féministe, elle met en lumière les tensions liées à la position de chercheuse à la fois « insider » et « outsider », ainsi que les enjeux éthiques et épistémiques associés à la production, à la traduction et à la représentation des savoirs issus des personnes musulmanes LGBTQI+.

    À partir d’exemples concrets, notamment en contexte de pratiques transaffirmatives et intersectionnelles, la présentation interroge les conditions de légitimité des savoirs expérientiels dans les milieux académiques et institutionnels, et souligne les dynamiques de pouvoir qui continuent de structurer leur reconnaissance. Elle propose enfin des pistes de réflexion visant à repenser les rapports entre savoirs académiques, communautaires et expérientiels, dans une perspective de justice épistémique et de transformation des pratiques.

    Aude Bandini (Université de Montréal)

    “Savoirs expérientiels et extractivisme épistémique”

    Abstract

    À première vue, la notion de “savoir expérientiel” constitue un outil prometteur que l’on gagnerait à intégrer à l’appareillage théorique de l’épistémologie sociale. Dans cette présentation, je défendrais cependant la thèse selon laquelle après réflexion, ce concept n’a pas la robustesse nécessaire pour ce faire, en raison des tensions internes qui en rendent la définition nécessairement confuse, et le rendent particulièrement susceptible de faire l’objet de diverses instrumentalisations et de pratiques extractivistes dommageables pour les personnes concernées.

    Amandine Catala (Université du Québec à Montréal)

    “Savoirs expérientiels et justice épistémique dans le contexte de la neurodiversité”

    Abstract

    Cette présentation souligne l’importance des savoirs expérientiels et des perspectives à la première personne des personnes autistes pour cultiver une plus grande justice épistémique. Je commence par un bref survol de ma théorie pluraliste de l’agentivité et de l’injustice épistémiques, qui inclut non seulement les savoirs propositionnels mais aussi pratiques, tacites, incarnés et affectifs. Je montre ensuite en quoi cette théorie pluraliste peut s’appliquer dans le contexte de la neurodiversité et de l’autisme.

    Fernanda Pérez Gay Juárez (PGY-2, psychiatrie, McGill University; Neurophilosophy Lab)

    “Des vécus pluriels aux savoirs reconnus : patient·es, clinicien·nes et chercheur·es en circulation”

    Abstract

    Cette intervention examine comment les savoirs expérientiels en santé mentale, ancrés dans le vécu des patient·es et la pratique des clinicien·nes, s’articulent avec les savoirs produits en recherche. Elle met en lumière les tensions éthiques liées aux hiérarchies entre formes d’expérience et à leur reconnaissance académique.

    Second session: “Les limites économiques et politiques : réflexions sur la gestion collective des limites”

    Participants: Olivier Boucher (Université de Montréal), Denise Celentano (Université de Montréal) and Michaël Lemelin (Université de Montréal).

    Description of the roundtable

    Alors que les inégalités ne font que s’aggraver à travers le monde, en 2026, nous constatons qu’il a fallu moins de 9 heures pour que les 100 patrons d’entreprises les mieux payées au Canada « empochent l’équivalent du salaire annuel moyen des travailleurs ». Ainsi, de ce même constat où les élites, une minorité, accumulent une richesse écrasante et sans fin au détriment des plus pauvres, Professeure Ingrid Robeyns introduit le concept du limitarisme. En soulignant que l’extrême richesse affaiblit la démocratie, est incompatible avec le bien-être de tous et a des impacts considérables sur notre environnement, Robeyns met de l’avant une question importante pour nos invités, celle de la nécessité des limites par rapport à l’économie et la politique. Ainsi, cette discussion cherche à introduire des réflexions critiques sur le capitalisme et la précarité qu’il entraîne à tous les niveaux, en plus de la manière dont les limites peuvent servir d’outils afin de réimaginer le monde d’aujourd’hui.

    Third session: “Limites et mortalités : trois voies/voix de réflexion sur l’expérience de la finitude”

    Participants: France Lacharité (Université de Sherbrooke), Louise La Fontaine (AQSP, Université de Sherbrooke) and Vincent Rochelle (Université Laval).

    Description of the roundtable

    Alors que nos sociétés sont de plus en plus confrontées aux frontières de la vie humaine, les limites de nos existences et de notre rapport à la mort sont ici mises en question. Dans ce contexte, la Dre Louise La Fontaine, Ph. D., (médecin à la retraite, spécialisé en soins palliatifs et présidente de l’Association québécoise de soins palliatifs, professeure associée au Centre d’études du religieux contemporain de l’Université de Sherbrooke), entamera une discussion avec France Lacharité (doctorante en études du religieux contemporain à l’Université de Sherbrooke et proche aidante) et Vincent Rochelle (doctorant en philosophie à l’Université Laval). En croisant des savoirs issus de la pratique clinique, de l’expérience vécue et de la réflexion philosophique, cette rencontre des différentes voies/voix permettra d’interroger les manières dont la finitude humaine est comprise, habitée et accompagnée. Elle ouvrira également un espace de réflexion sur les expériences subjectives et les horizons de sens qui émergent à l’approche de la mort. Les échanges mettront ainsi en dialogue les aspects pratique des expériences de la finitude vécues lors de l’accompagnement de personnes malades et de leurs proches en soins palliatifs, en lien avec des dimensions théoriques et conceptuelles.

    — Keynote speaker —

    Sophie Djigo (Laboratoire STL [Savoirs, Textes, Langage], Lille; Institut Convergences Migrations)

    “Frontières et limites : Déjouer le blanchiment / résister en solidarité”

    Sophie Djigo est une philosophe engagée, professeure de philosophie en khâgne et directrice de recherche au Collège International de Philosophie, également chercheure affiliée au laboratoire STL (Savoirs, Textes, Langage) à Lille ainsi qu’à l’Institut Convergences Migrations. Spécialiste des questions migratoires, elle s’impose comme une philosophe de terrain en menant des enquêtes approfondies auprès des personnes en exil à Calais, Londres, Paris-La Chapelle, et Bruxelles. Ses recherches explorent la condition migrante, les politiques migratoires françaises et européennes, ainsi que les différentes formes de solidarité. Défenseure des droits, elle a fondé en 2018 le collectif citoyen Migraction59, dédié à l’accueil et au soutien des personnes migrantes. Plus récemment, ses travaux se sont concentrés sur les liens entre les questions migratoires et la politisation des quartiers populaires, soulignant l’urgence d’une réflexion critique sur les dynamiques sociales et politiques à l’œuvre dans ces contextes. Elle a notamment publié Les migrants de Calais (2016), Aux frontières de la démocratie (2019), Des philosophes sur le terrain (2022) et il y a quelques semaines: La solidarité n’est pas un crime (Textuel).

    Abstract

    La notion de limite se trouve au cœur de l’élaboration du régime de frontière. Or, le régime de frontière, en fabriquant des limites, en particulier ethno-nationales, ouvre la possibilité d’un régime d’action « sans limites » du point de vue pratique et moral, qui court-circuite toutes les règles de l’action et les lois. Ce régime déploie un processus de frontiérisation de la solidarité, qui l’enferme dans des limites ethno-nationales, au-delà desquelles « tout est permis ». Il fonctionne par un double geste d’affirmation-abolition: affirmation des lois et du droit à l’intérieur de l’espace national et au profit des citoyens/ abolition des droits à l’extérieur, notamment dans les espaces coloniaux ou marqués par la colonialité. Cela est rendu possible par un épaississement et une démultiplication de la frontière, y compris à l’intérieur de l’espace national, en fabriquant des catégories hors-la-loi et privées de droit. Historiquement, l’impérialisme colonial repose sur l’accumulation primitive des richesses, qui constitue justement l’objet d’un effacement, ou plutôt, d’un processus de blanchiment: les violences de la spoliation coloniale sont légalisées, normalisées, invisibilisées par les États de droit qui peuvent ensuite assurer le règne de la stabilité et d’une relative abondance au sein de leur territoire, tout en niant son coût à l’extérieur. Pire, pour perpétuer l’accumulation, les États de droit occidentaux continuent à piller dans d’autres territoires, en toute impunité. Ce qui est obtenu illégalement d’un côté de la limite est transformé en propriété légitime de l’autre. C’est le blanchiment — avec toute la connotation raciale qu’il implique aussi. Ce processus de blanchiment contraste avec la criminalisation de ceux que l’on appelle les “passeurs”. Il y a alors deux formes de transgression des limites, l’une, qui est blanchie et légitimée malgré sa violence, l’autre, qui est criminalisée et condamnée alors qu’elle repose sur le droit fondamental de libre circulation et la quête d’asile. Un double processus opère d’une part, à travers la légitimation de pratiques transgressives et immorales et d’autre part, avec la disqualification des acteurs qui tentent de contourner, transgresser, subvertir le régime de frontières et de revenir à une limite commune — celle des mêmes droits pour tous. Dans un monde où la solidarité se retrouve frontiérisée par des clôtures (sociales, nationales, ethno-nationales), transgresser les frontières de la solidarité permet de remettre une limite à l’exercice de la violence coloniale.

    *Please note that this event will take place in French.

    Organized by Olivier Boucher (Université de Montréal), Nohémie Bokuma (Concordia University), Melissa Hernández-Parra (Université de Montréal), France Lacharité (Université de Sherbrooke), Vincent Rochelle (Université Laval) and Alex Stankovich (Université de Sherbrooke).

    Poster design: Déborah Léa Girard Iduma.

    Read more

  • Join us for a study day on radicalization, scheduled for April 23, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at the Félix-Antoine Savard Pavilion at Laval University, 2325 rue des Bibliothèques, in Quebec City. This event will feature a presentation by guest speaker Miriam Schleifer McCormick, professor of philosophy at the University of Richmond, titled “The Value of Doubt.”

    Schedule:

    Morning (room FAS-428)

    • 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.: Laurence Lévesque (PhD student in philosophy, ULaval), “Changement de valeurs et radicalisation : une objection à la théorie du bien-être de Valerie Tiberius”
    • 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: Vincent Rochelle (PhD student in philosophy, ULaval), “Rationalité et temporalité dans la radicalisation émotionelle”
    • 11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.: Break 
    • 11:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.: Romane Marcotte (PhD student in philosophy, ULaval), “Faut-il blâmer les personnes radicalisées ?”
    • 11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.: Erika Olivaux (PhD student in philosophy, ULaval), “À quoi sert le concept de victime ?”

    Lunch, from 12:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.

    Afternoon (room FAS-413)

    • 1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.: Catherine Rioux (Professor of Philosophy, ULaval), “Engagements profonds et vie épanouie : une tension insurmontable ?”
    • 2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.: Break
    • 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Miriam Schleifer McCormick (Professor of Philosophy, University of Richmond), “The value of doubt”

    *Please note that all presentations will be given in French, with the exception of the keynote speaker’s lecture. 

    This event is organized by the Centre de recherche en éthique (CRÉ), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (CRSH – SSHRC) and the Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire sur la normativité (GRIN). 

    Read more

  • As part of the Midis de l’éthique du CRÉ lecture series, Will Gildea will present on “Casal on interspecies justice without over-demandingness.” The presentation will be given in English, but the ensuing discussion can be held in French and/or English.

    To participate on Zoom, click here.

    Credit : Harmut Kiewert, “Evolution in Revolution“.

    Read more

  • You are cordially invited to the next Philosophy and Ethics of Economics Reading Group, which will be held in hybrid format (Zoom) on Monday, April 20, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Montreal time). The meeting will take place in room 2.880 (space z), 2nd floor at HEC, 3000 Côte Ste-Catherine (in the premises of the Alphonse-et-Dorimène-Desjardins International Institute of Cooperatives at the end of the hallway next to the library).

    This session will focus on an article by Simone Sommer Degn entitled “Yes, Friendship and Love Can Be Bought and Sold” (Journal of Applied Philosophy, 2026). To participate via Zoom, click here.

    To receive the text, please write to the organizers: Morgane Delorme (morgane.delorme1@umontreal.ca) ; Gabriel Monette (gabriel.monette@hec.ca) ; and Nicolas Pinsonneault (nicolas.pinsonneault@hec.ca).

    Read more

  • Advising policymakers. Choice and responsibility @ Room C-3061 Carrefour des arts et des sciences, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx, Université de Montréal

    16 Apr – 17 Apr All day

    RéCCord’s Second Annual Meeting

    Thursday, April 16, 2026

    • 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.: Welcome and opening remarks
    • 9:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.: Emmanuel Picavet (Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne), “Sur les rapports entre norms au croisement de la connaissance et du conseil”; Marc-Kevin Daoust (École de technologies supérieur), “Déférence et collaboration dans les systèmes à viseurs publics”
    • 11:15 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Xavier Chatron-Colliet (Aix-Marseille School of Economics), “L’eudaimonia, entre justice sociale et agentivité relationnelle”; Morgane Delorme (ESG-UQÀM, ULaval), “La banque centrale comme  « conseiller public » : éthique de la justification en démocratie”
    • 2:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.: Luca Timponelli (U. of Lausanne), “Responsabilité individuelle et société industrielle : la synthèse républicaine”; Constanze Binder (Erasmus U. Rotterdam), “Walking a Mile in Your Shoes: Policy-Making and Partial Agreement in Plural Societies”
    • 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.: Keynote speaker, Daniel Weinstock (McGill), “La voie du conseil”

    Friday, April 17, 2026

    • 9:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.: Ryoa Chung (UdeM), “Justice en santé et politiques publiques”; Sacha-Emmanuel Mossu (ULaval), “Philanthropie et innovation sociale : le rôle des fondations en démocratie”
    • 11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.: Adrienne Sala (Waseda U., School of International Liberal Studies), “L’expertise à l’épreuve du droit et de la justice procédurale : le cas du nucléaire japonais”
    • 1:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.: François Claveau (U. of Sherbrooke), “Scientifique en chef aux pouvoirs étendus : y a-t-il un inacceptable conflit d’intérêts?”; Gilles Campagnolo (CNRS), “Du Caméralisme à la Sozialwirtschaft. Retour sur l’évolution du conseil politique en économie”
    • 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Network meeting

    Open to all. No registration required. To participate via Zoom, click here.

    For more information, please send an e-mail to the following address: democratieehiqepublique.chaire@ulaval.ca.

    Read more

  • You are cordially invited to the second conference in the Invisible Labour lecture series organized by the Ésope Chair, in collaboration with the Centre de recherche en éthique. For this second event, we are pleased to welcome Eszter Kollar (KU Leuven), who will give a talk entitled On the Normative Significance of Colonial Legacies for Justice in Labour Migration. The conference will be held in English.

    The event will take place on April 14, 2026, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m., in room 422 of the University of Montreal’s Department of Philosophy (2910 Édouard-Montpetit Boulevard, Montreal, QC). Please register via the following link.

    Abstract

    Colonial systems of labour organization, structured through racial hierarchies and differentiated migration schemes, re-emerge in contemporary labour immigration regimes that differentiate migrants by skills and rights. How this resurfacing should be properly accounted for in normative theorizing, and what its normative implications are, remains insufficiently understood in contemporary political philosophy. This paper aims to address that gap. First, I argue that a historically informed mapping of the structural processes of colonialism and capitalism enables theories of migration justice to capture a previously overlooked dimension of injustice in today’s differentiated labour immigration regimes: namely, that racialization as skill devaluation is a key form of labour control that is reinforced through contemporary border control regimes and their stratified migration systems. Second, I argue that a historically grounded understanding of injustice and labour deepens our normative grasp of what is unjust about contemporary labour migration and border control. It paves the way for rearticulating the normative problem of differentiated skills and rights through borders as a seemingly race-neutral, meritocratic organization of labour that, in fact, perpetuates a global racialized hierarchy. The injustice of differentiated labour migration regimes thus lies not merely in the restriction of migrant workers’ rights that conflict with liberal-democratic principles of social and political equality. Contemporary borders are a crucial site of global structural injustice, whereby present-day labour migration regimes systematically constrain the rights, mobility, and opportunities of racialized workers from the Global South, devalue their labour through border control, and expose them to persistent conditions of exploitation and marginalization.

    The Lecture Series on Invisible Work is an initiative by Denise Celentano (University of Montreal), holder of the Aesop Chair, in collaboration with the Centre de recherche en éthique.

    For more information, please contact Denise Celentano at the following address: denise.celentano@umontreal.ca.

    General information about the Lecture Series: The concept of invisible work describes the forms of work that fall outside the traditional model of waged employment and are not recognized, in a monetary and/or symbolic sense, to the point that even their nature as “work” is often disputed. Invisible work takes place behind the scenes of more recognized and valued work. Given its liminal nature with respect to long-established categories, it serves as a prism for exploring a number of issues, from recognition to social segregation to the critical questioning of the normative assumptions behind what is supposed to count as “work.” The notion of invisible work promises to shed light, as it were, on the mechanisms of valorization that operate behind social cooperation. This series of lectures, open to the public, explores the subject from both a philosophical and interdisciplinary perspective.

    Read more

  • Please, note that this event is canceled.

    You are cordially invited to the second conference of the lecture series on invisible labor organized by the Aesop Chair in collaboration with the Centre de recherche en éthique. For this conference, we are pleased to welcome Valerio de Stefano (York University), author of the book Your Boss Is an Algorithm (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022), with a presentation entitled The Legally Invisible Platform Workers.

    The event will take place on April 2, 2026, at 4:30 p.m., in room C-2059 of the Lionel Groulx building at the University of Montreal (3150 Jean-Brillant Street, Montreal, QC H3T 1N8). Please register via the following link.

    Abstract

    Platform workers are increasingly visible in our communities, and their work attracts growing public attention. Yet the law has not fully recognised platform work. Even recent legislation specifically targeting platform work often fails to make it visible and legally salient across the full spectrum of protections. In some cases, it operates as a barrier, placing platform work behind a façade that risks concealing from workers fundamental rights and protections that should belong to all workers. This presentation analyses the legal mechanisms that produce this invisibility and discusses potential solutions to lift the cloak of legal invisibility now affecting platform workers.

    The Lecture Series on Invisible Work is an initiative by Denise Celentano (University of Montreal), holder of the Aesop Chair, in collaboration with the Centre de recherche en éthique.

    For more information, please contact Denise Celentano at the following address: denise.celentano@umontreal.ca.

    General information about the Lecture Series: The concept of invisible work describes the forms of work that fall outside the traditional model of waged employment and are not recognized, in a monetary and/or symbolic sense, to the point that even their nature as “work” is often disputed. Invisible work takes place behind the scenes of more recognized and valued work. Given its liminal nature with respect to long-established categories, it serves as a prism for exploring a number of issues, from recognition to social segregation to the critical questioning of the normative assumptions behind what is supposed to count as “work.” The notion of invisible work promises to shed light, as it were, on the mechanisms of valorization that operate behind social cooperation. This series of lectures, open to the public, explores the subject from both a philosophical and interdisciplinary perspective.

    Read more

  • You are cordially invited to the next Philosophy and Ethics of Economics Reading Group, which will be held in hybrid format (Zoom) on Monday, March 30, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Montreal time). The meeting will take place in room 2.880 (space z), 2nd floor at HEC, 3000 Côte Ste-Catherine (in the premises of the Alphonse-et-Dorimène-Desjardins International Institute of Cooperatives at the end of the hallway next to the library).

    This session will focus on an article by Gabriel Monette (HEC) and Alexis Morin-Martel (McGill University) entitled “The Ethics of Kingmaking” (Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 2026). Gabriel and Alexis will present their recently published article and participate in the discussion.

    To receive the text, please write to the organizers: Morgane Delorme (morgane.delorme.1@umontreal.ca), Gabriel Monette (gabriel.monette@hec.ca) and Nicolas Pinsonneault (nicolas.pinsonneault@hec.ca).

    To participate via Zoom, click here.

     

    Read more

  • The Faces of Responsibility @ Law Faculty, Maximilien-Caron Building and Carrefour des arts et des sciences, Université de Montréal

    25 Mar 12 h 00 – 27 Mar 16 h 10

    The conference The Faces of Responsibility aims to explore the plurality of forms that responsibility takes in our individual, social, and institutional practices. From an interdisciplinary perspective, bringing together scholars in moral and political philosophy, political science, and legal theory, the objective is to examine the concepts of moral responsibility, political responsibility, and legal responsibility.

    The conference will be held in a hybrid format. David Owen’s and Philip Pettit’s presentations will be delivered via Zoom. To attend the conference yourselves by Zoom, you are invited to register here. You will then receive the connection link.

    The program (PDF) is available here, and the presentation abstracts are available here.

    Organization: Alex Carty (McGill), Melissa Hernandez-Parra (UdeM), Christian Nadeau (UdeM), Christine Tappolet (UdeM) & Daniel Weinstock (McGill).

    Read more