ACU hosts 100th anniversary conference

Recently, ACU Philosophy hosted the 100th anniversary conference of the Australasian Association of Philosophy at our Melbourne Campus.

Founded in 1922, the Australasian Association of Philosophy (AAP) is the peak body for the promotion of philosophical research, education and scholarship in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Its membership consists of academic philosophers, students and community members with an interest in philosophy.

In 1923, the AAP (then the Australasian Association of Psychology and Philosophy) held its first annual conference in Sydney, and published the first issue of its journal, now the Australasian Journal of Philosophy, which remains one of the world’s leading journals in the field.

The 100^th anniversary conference was opened by ACU Acting Executive Dean Faculty of Theology and Philosophy Associate Professor Richard Colledge (representing the Head of the School of Philosophy Dr Stewart Braun), Director of ACU Dianoia Institute of Philosophy Professor Stephen Finlay, and AAP Patron the Honourable Pamela Tate AM KC.

Attracting much attention during the conference, a fascinating documentary and pictorial exhibition on the history of the AAP was set up in the Mary Glowrey building.

Five keynote addresses were given during the conference, along with around 200 individual papers by scholars from around the globe in areas such as:

• ethics and applied ethics, including bioethics and issues relating to generative AI
• philosophy of mind and cognitive science
• political philosophy
• the history of philosophy
• Continental, eastern and indigenous philosophy
• epistemology
• the philosophy of language
• logic
• aesthetics
• metaphysics
• the philosophy of science.

The conference also featured recognition of outstanding postgraduate work and contributions to media, an undergraduate Winter School and workshops on inclusive curriculum; the idea of progress in philosophy; and, indigenous philosophy in Australia and New Zealand.