Entanglements of Philosophy and Poetry: Contemporary Positions

2024-08-31

Tattva Journal of Philosophy

And

Department of English and Cultural Studies

Christ (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, India

Organizes

The 2nd Annual International Conference

On

“Entanglements of Philosophy and Poetry: Contemporary Positions”

December 19-20, 2024

 

 

We are still reluctant to admit that the poetic imagination sets the bounds for human thought. At the heart of philosophy’s quarrel with poetry is the fear that the imagination goes all the way down…This fear causes philosophers to become obsessed by the need to achieve direct access to reality. (Richard Rorty)

 

I believe I summed up where I stand in relation to philosophy when I said: one should really only do philosophy as poetry. (Ludwig Wittgenstein)

 

Let us struggle for the flash of conflict, we philosophers, always torn between the mathematical norm of literal transparency and the poetic norm of singularity and presence. Let us struggle then, but having recognized the common task. (Alain Badiou)

 

Poetry and philosophy share at least one thing in common. It is that both are language dependent. Whatever form they may eventually take in the hands of the poet and philosopher they are constituted by and articulated through language. Therefore, it is not a surprise that both poets and philosophers have spent some of their most productive thinking on how their respective practical activity affects and is affected by language. From here on they diverge considerably. As reflected in the quotes at the beginning, philosophers are aware of the difficult relationship that poetry and philosophy shares. At times they are dismissive of each other, at other they think they have the same project, and sometimes want to keep their domains guarded even though they acknowledge each other’s existence and are respectful. They are certain though that they are distinct intellectual and creative activities in unique relationship to their notions of reality, truth, and beauty.

 

This international conference comes at a point in time when both philosophy and poetry are confronted with contemporary social, political, and increasingly technological and ecological issues of the 21st century. The poetical forms, medium, and performativity have changed enormously as a result of social media, transformation in the nature of performance spaces, and the ways in which readers/audience/consumers engage with poetry. Similarly, the traditional core branches of philosophy are faced with the task of thinking about the many unique contemporary phenomena that are unfolding. It is still unclear as to how does contemporary philosophical enterprise and poetic expressions engage with each other and is still a work in progress. This international conference is an invitation to philosophers, poets, social scientists, natural scientists, and readers in general to share their thought and work on their positions vis-à-vis the entanglements of poetry and philosophy in contemporary times.

 

The conference is open to papers including but not limited to the following themes:

  • Continental Philosophy and Poetry
  • Analytic Philosophy and Poetry
  • Ethics of Contemporary Poetry
  • Political Philosophy and Contemporary Poetry
  • Contemporary Poetry and Philosophy in Non-Western and Indigenous Traditions
  • AI, Poetry, and Philosophy
  • Performing Poetry and Philosophy in the Digital Media

 

This is the 2nd International Conference organized by Tattva Journal of Philosophy, Centre for Publication, and the Department of English and Cultural Studies, Christ (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, India. The first international conference was organized in December 2023 on “(Art)ificial Intelligence and the Problems of Language, Thinking, and Writing: Interrogations to Jacques Derrida.” The selected papers presented in the annual conference is published in Tattva Journal of Philosophy, UGC-CARE Listed Journal (Group I, Arts and Humanities).

Confirmed Keynote Speakers:

 

Soumyabrata Choudhury, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India

Soibam Haripriya, IIIT-Delhi, India

Eesha Kumar, New York University, USA

 

Please submit an abstract with the title of the paper (300 words) and a short bio-note with current affiliation (200 words) to tattva@christuniversity.in by October 15, 2024.

 

Important Dates:

Submission of Abstracts --- October 15, 2024

Selection of abstracts --- October 31, 2024

Registration --- November 10, 2024

Full paper --- December 01, 2024

 

Registration Fee:

Individual (Doctoral Scholars and Temporary Faculty) --- INR 2000

                   (Full time and permanent faculty) ---- INR 3500

                   (International Doctoral Scholars) --- USD 75

                    (International Faculty) --- USD 100