Conference: "Trust, Sociality, Selfhood"

December 4-5, 2008 in Copenhagen

Conference

The goal of this conference is to clarify the role, scope and significance of trust for selfhood and sociality.
A theory of the self has to address the link between selfhood and sociality. That sociality is intrinsic to selfhood seems to be current and common wisdom. Yet, the question is still open: What does this mean? Are there limits to this insight?
The idea behind the title of the conference "Trust, Sociality, Selfhood" is that trust goes to the core of both sociality and selfhood: Can we have sociality without trust? Is trust not of critical importance to becoming and being a self? Thus, the suggestion is to address the issue of sociality and selfhood by focusing on questions implied in dealing with trust, such as: in what sense is trust a personal attitude both in terms of the attitude of a person and the attitude towards the other as a person? In what sense is trust the 'atmosphere' in which sociality succeeds, and in what sense can trust also show the limits of the social character of the self on the one hand, and of the subjective character of sociality on the other hand?
These questions will be explored in an interdisciplinary approach.

Programme

Thursday, December 4

09:00-09:15 Welcome and Introduction
09:15-10:30 Ingolf U. Dalferth (University of Zurich/Claremont): "'In God We Trust': Trust, Mistrust and Distrust as Modes of Orientation"
10:30-11:45 Anne Marie Pahuus (University of Århus/Copenhagen): "Creative Trust – The Power of Promise, Expectation, and Confidence"
11:45-13:00 Lunch break
13:00-14:15 Lilian Alweiss (University of Dublin): "Against Cartesian Mistrust"
14:15-15:30 Lars Hertzberg (Åbo Akademi University): "The Personal Character of Trust"
15:30-16:00 Coffee break
16:00-17:15

Günter Figal (University of Freiburg): "Trusting in Persons and Things"

Friday, December 5

09:30-10:45 Karen Jones (University of Melbourne): "Finite, Social and Reflective Agents: On Trust and Its Importance"
10:45-12:00 Burkhard Liebsch (Ruhr-University of Bochum): "Violated Trust and the Self"
12:00-13:15 Lunch break
13:15-14:30 Philippe Rochat (Emory University): "Trust at the Origin of Development"
14:30-15:45 Claudia Welz (University of Copenhagen): "Trust as Basic Openness and Self-Transcendence"
15:45-16:15 Coffee break
16:15-17:30 Arne Grøn (University of Copenhagen): "Trust, Alterity, Selfhood"