About
The Joint Session is a three-day conference in philosophy that is 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.
The first Joint Session took place in the summer of 1910 off Albermarle Street in the Mayfair area of London. For a number of years it included the British Psychological Society. In 1918, the first official record of the Joint Session was published as the Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, Supplementary Volume.
One notable feature of the Joint Session is its symposium format. The symposia provide a rare opportunity to witness live and engaging debate between leading philosophers. According to the 11th President of the Aristotelian Society, H. Wildon Carr (1915-1918):
“The purpose of the Aristotelian Society Symposium is to bring together opposite, divergent, and diverse answers to some vital question of philosophical controversy in a definite manner. The opening paper is designed to state a thesis, and the second paper an antithesis, and these are followed by other points of view’’ (Supplementary Volume I [1918]).
Gratis: Symposia on “Pretending” feat. J.L. Austin & G.E.M. Anscombe at the1958 Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society & the Mind Association - University of Southampton
Featured symposia include Gilbert Ryle and G.E. Moore (1933), R.W. Hepburn and Iris Murdoch (1956), Thomas Nagel and Bernard Williams (1976), Martha Nussbaum and Rosalind Hursthouse (1984), John Broome and Derek Parfit (1997), and many more.
2021 Joint Session
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. 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 virtual drinks and coffee, grant application and publishing advice for graduate students, and a range of interactive social events.
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. Please consult the main conference website for updates on the format and content of the online conference.
future joint sessions
supplementary volume
The inaugural address and symposia for the Joint Session are published in the Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, Supplementary Volume, which is published digitally and in hardcover every June. The Supplementary Volume is sent to subscribing members of the Society in categories 4 and 5.
Members in other categories can purchase the hardcover Supplementary Volume from the Online Shop. Volumes will also be available at the registration desk during the conference.
Subscriptions to the Supplementary Volume also includes online access via Wiley Online Library (please note that one-off purchases of the hardcover volume do not include membership or online access).
Learn more about the Supplementary Volume, including info on how to subscribe to the 2021 edition.
Latest Release: View the abstracts and full papers for the 2020 Supplementary Volume
past conferences
subscribing memberships
Subscribing members receive online access to the Proceedings from 2000 to the most current issue.
Subscribing members also receive the bound, hardcover volume of the latest Proceedings through the post.
Learn more about subscribing memberships with the Aristotelian Society
