Search
Close this search box.
The 2021 Joint Session
University of Hertfordshire ● 16–18 July 2021

The Joint Session is the premier UK general philosophy conference, held annually during the summer by the Aristotelian Society and the Mind Association. It has taken place at nearly every major university across the United Kingdom and in Ireland. Since 1910, the Joint Session has grown to become the largest gathering of philosophers in the country, attracting prestigious UK and international speakers working in a broad range of philosophical areas. Inaugurated by the incoming President of the Mind Association, the Joint Session includes symposia, open and postgradaute sessions, and a range of satellite conferences.

Due to ongoing uncertainty about the possibility of international travel and large gatherings in July 2021, the Mind Association, the Aristotelian Society and the local organisers at the University of Hertfordshire will hold the 95th Joint Session online. The conference will run from 16th to 18th July, with   the symposia, postgraduate, and SWIP sessions taking place live over zoom. The open sessions and Mind fellows talk will be prerecorded videos, linked from the conference website, with with speakers finding time to respond to your comments and questions over the course of the weekend. 

In addition to the regular symposia and talks, comedian Robert Newman will give a talk on ‘Wittgenstein’s Joke Book- notes on the philosophy of laughter’. Philosopher, literary critic, and poet Christopher Norris will read from his Socrates at Verse and Other Philosophical Poems and debut some new philosophical poetry. There will also be live interactive social events using wonder.me

There will be no registration fee for this year’s conference. Pre-recorded sessions will be available for to all who wish to view, and live sessions will require a Zoom link which will be sent to all registered participants. We kindly ask that participants who are not currently members of either the Aristotelian Society or the Mind Association join at least one of these prior to attendance.

The local organisers from the University of Hertfordshire are Constantine Sandis and Danièle Moyal-Sharrock.

For full details and to participate in the conference, and for updates on the format and program, please see the official conference website.

New – Video Recordings

Video recordings of the 2021 Joint Session are now available! Click on the speaker and symposium pages below to watch now.

The Programme

16–18 July 2021

University of Hertfordshire

De Havilland Campus

Mosquito Way

Hatfield AL10 9EU

FRIDAY, 16 JULY 2021

The Inaugural Address

14.30 – 16:00

University of Reading

16.30 - 17.00

On Audiences: Robert Newman

17.30 - 18.00

Poetry Special: Chris Norris

18.00 - 18.30

Live Social Event

Saturday, 9 July 2022

Symposium I

9.30 – 11.00

PANPSYCHISM

University of Birmingham

UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD

11.30 - 13.30

SWIP

14.30 - 15.30

Live Social Event

Symposium II

15.00 – 16.30

MILL ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Amherst College

University College London

Symposium III

17.00 – 18.30

TOXIC SPEECH

18.30 - 19.00

Live Social Event

Sunday, 10 July 2022

Symposium IV

9.30 – 11.00

BLAME

Macquarie University

King's College London

Symposium V

11.30 – 13.00

VIRTUE AND PARTICULARITY

University of Hertfordshire

Open University

14.00 - 14.30

Live Social Event

Symposium VI

14.30 – 16.00

MODAL METAPHYSICS

University of Nottingham

16.30 - 18.30

18.00 - 19.00

Live Social Event

The 2021 Joint Session

the postgraduate session

Student Subsidies

The Supplementary Volume