Speakers/authors for the Proceedings are chosen by the Executive Committee of the Aristotelian Society. All members of the committee are invited to nominate potential speakers/authors. At one of our committee meetings, there is discussion of these nominations and a list, with reserves, is agreed upon. The Editor then invites speakers/authors from this list.
Since we are inviting someone to give a talk and to publish a paper in our journal, it is useful to have evidence that someone will give a great talk and write a great paper. Therefore, in order to nominate a speaker/author, it is helpful if a committee member has seen them give a talk, read some of their work, or heard reliable testimony from someone who has, although this is not a necessary condition.
Speakers/authors for symposia at the Joint Session/Supplementary Volume are chosen by the Executive Committee of the Aristotelian Society and the Executive Committee of the Mind Association. Each committee proposes several symposium pairings, which they have proposed and discussed at one of their own committee meetings. Then, at the Joint Session, there is a joint meeting of both committees at which all of the proposals from both committees are discussed, and at which is agreed a list of pairings, with reserves. The Editor then invites symposium participants/authors from this list.
Philosophy is a small world. Inevitably, many of our speakers/authors will have connections to members of the committee(s): they may be colleagues, collaborators, friends, enemies, family members, and so on.
Members of the committee(s) are expected to declare significant conflicts of interest at the relevant committee meetings where speaker/author nominations are discussed. These include recent professional collaboration/co-authorship, recent doctoral or post-doctoral supervision, or a close family or romantic relationship.
“Conflicts of interest” is a standing item on all meeting agendas. If conflicts of interest arise through the course of the meeting that were not declared during this item, members are expected to declare them as soon as they arise.
Committee members are invited to leave the room during discussion concerning the person in virtue of whom they have the conflict. They may be present for some of the discussion, since they may have useful information on that person’s work. But they will be absent for at least some of the discussion.
