Sofia International Conference on Ontology'2009: THE STAKES OF CONTEMPORARY ONTOLOGICAL THINKING: 2009

I. Conference description:

The idea: Ontology has successfully developed in many directions during the last decades. After many years of being neglected and treated at best as a secondary (ancillary) field that serves epistemology, ontology is now enjoying a renaissance and new independence. This renaissance has generated/fostered different approaches and directions for its further development. There is, in other words, an urgent need to consider the present situation and to outline the most important stakes of contemporary ontological thinking.

The aim: The aim of the conference is to explore the most important current approaches in ontology, such as the different versions of process ontology, the possibility for interplay between different ontological approaches within and outside process philosophies, and the interplay between science and ontology, crucial for the Western ethos.

Topics: The idea and the aim of the conference suggest three main overlapping topics:
1. Ontology after Whitehead (Process ontology).
Whitehead’s metaphysics lies to a great extent at the foundation of contemporary ontological thinking - at least in so far as it is “processual”. Based on that architectonics, contemporary process ontology has been developed by several generations of his students, colleagues and scholars. But how exactly has ontology changed after Whitehead? His ideas have been interpreted in different ways, so much so that we have now at our disposal a manifold of approaches in process ontology itself. Hence it would be advisable to clarify this state of affairs. Finally, it remains essential to outline the most important problems facing process ontology.
2. The Interplay between contemporary ontological approaches.
(process ontology, analytic metaphysics and phenomenological ontology)
Contemporary ontological thinking offers many different streams of thought. We need to explore how process ontology interacts particularly with analytic metaphysics and with phenomenological ontology. Can we expect that the interplay between these ontological approaches will give rise to new fruitful ideas in ontology and that it will be useful for the further development of each of these approaches? Is it possible to argue that some of these different ontological approaches are more rewarding than the others, or is it the case that each of them has its own value and all of them should be developed in parallel in their mutual interaction? All these questions need to be given systematic answers.
3. The Interplay between science and ontology.
Our contemporary world is characterized by the very rapid development of techno-science. Science has entered, for better and for worse, into every aspect of our lives. Therefore, philosophy, and in particular ontology, have also been influenced by contemporary science, and we need to explore the interaction of science and ontology. On the one hand, different branches of science have influenced ontology to the extent that it has changed its claims, its approaches and even its essence. On the other hand, ontological (and more generally philosophical) ideas have entered into the field of newly developed sciences such as computer science, artificial intelligence, etc. Sciences in such branches look at ontology as a general methodological framework for their own field of work. During the last decades we began to speak of applied ontology, ontology as technology, etc. We need to explore these processes and to outline at least some of the most important questions and problems in this interplay between science and ontology.

Expected results: Our discussions will generate research papers that will be published in a volume of conference proceedings, probably by Ontos Verlag, with whom there has been preliminary editorial contacts. This volume will:
• improve our understanding of contemporary ontological thinking.
• contribute to better mutual understanding amongst specialists in all different approaches of ontology.
• provide better possibilities for interdisciplinary co-operative work between scientists and ontologists.

II. Organizers:
Bulgarian Ontological Society
Bulgarian Center for Process Studies
Institute for Philosophical Research  Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Department of Philosophy of the Philosophical Faculty of SU “St. Kl. Ohridski”

III. Local Organizing committee:
1. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vesselin Petrov (Institute for Philosophical Research - BAS) - head
2. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aneta Karageorgieva (SU “St. Kl. Ohridski”)
3. Assist. Prof. Dr. Ivan Kolev (SU “St. Kl. Ohridski”)
4. Assist. Prof. Dr. Stefan Dimitrov (IPhR-BAS)
5. Assist. Prof. Dr. Marina Bakalova (IPhR-BAS)
6. Tsena Zhelyazkova, PhD student (IPhR-BAS)

IV. Program committee
1. Prof. Dr. Bruno Leclercq (Belgium)
2. Prof. Dr. Dermot Moran (Ireland)
3. Prof. Dr. Francois Beets (Belgium)
4. Prof. Dr. Johanna Seibt (Denmark)
5. Prof. Dr. Liliana Albertazzi (Italy)
6. Prof. Dr. Michel Weber (Belgium)
7. Prof. Dr. Nenad Miscevic (Slovenia)
8. Prof. Dr. Roberto Poli (Italy)
9. Prof. Dr. William Hamrick (USA)
10. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vesselin Petrov (Bulgaria)

V. Keynote speakers:
1. Prof. Dr. Johanna Seibt (Denmark) (for topic No 1)
2. Prof. Dr. Bruno Leclercq (Belgium) (for topic No 1)
3. Prof. Dr. Dermot Moran (Dublin) (for topic No 2)
4. Prof. Dr. Nenad Miscevic (Slovenia) (for topic No 2)
5. Prof. Dr. Roberto Poli (Italy) (for topic No 3)
6. Prof. Dr. Liliana Albertazzi (Italy) (for topic No 3)

VI. Provisional program:

18 June 2009
THEME: ONTOLOGY AFTER WHITEHEAD (PROCESS ONTOLOGY)
8,30 - 9,00
Registration
9,00 - 9,15
Opening of the conference
9,15 - 10,45
Johanna Seibt (Denmark)
Functions, Norms, and Values: A Process-Ontological Analysis.
10,45 - 11,00
Coffee break
11,00 - 12,30
Bruno Leclercq (Belgium)
Reconsidering the Alternative Between the Referentialist and the Semantical Paradigms in Contemporary Ontology.

12,30 - 14,00
Break
14,00 - 14,30
Gary Herstein (USA)
Spatial Reasoning as the Bridge Between Logic and Metaphysics

14,30 - 15,00
Emeline Deroo (Belgium)
On the Potentialities of an Encounter between Alfred North Whitehead and Gilbert Simondon.

15,00 - 15,30
Bogdan Ogrodnik (Poland)
How can we verify metaphysical hypotheses? On necessary connection between metaphysics, ontology and science.

15,30 - 16,00
Coffee break

16,00 - 16,30
Vesselin Petrov (Bulgaria)
Process Ontology in the Context of Applied Philosophy

16,30 - 17,00
Tsena Zhelyazkova (Bulgaria)
Ontological Reflections on the New.

17,00 - 17,30
Wu-Tso Lin (Taiwan)
Visible and Invisible Worlds – Research on the Ontology of Film.

17,30 - 18,00
Frederic Tremblay (USA)
Are Processes Relations? An Unresolved Aporia

18,00 - 20,00
Cocktail party

19 June 2009
THEME: THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN CONTEMPORARY ONTOLOGICAL APPROACHES
9,00 - 10,30
Dermot Moran (Ireland)
Sartre’s Ontological Phenomenology of Embodiment.

10,30 - 11,00
Coffee break
11,00 - 12,30
Nenad Miscevic (Slovenia)
The Ontology of Secondary Qualities

12,30 - 14,00
Break
14,00 - 14,30
Peter Costello (USA)
Comparative Ontologies: Whitehead and Merleau-Ponty on Intersubjectivity.

14,30 - 15,00
Ivan Kolev (Bulgaria)
Overcoming of Metaphysics

15,00 - 15,30
Ivelina Ivanova (Bulgaria)
The Phenomenological Ontology of Martin Heidegger as a Foundation for Redefining the Concept of Interpretative Approaches in Theory of History.

15,30 - 16,00
Coffee break
16,00 - 16,30
Nikolay Milkov (Germany and Bulgaria)
Towards a Reistic Social Ontology.

16,30 - 17,00
Ina Dimitrova (Bulgaria)
Social Ontology and Collective Intentionality.

17,00 - 17,30
Fabrice Pataut (France)
Ontology, Skepticism. About the Senses and Ordinary Language.

17,30 - 18,00
Marina Bakalova (Bulgaria)
Ontology of Abilities

20 June 2009
THEME: THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN SCIENCE AND ONTOLOGY
9,00 - 10,30
Roberto Poli (Italy)
Towards an Age of Synthesis. The Need of a New Vision.

10,30 - 11,00
Coffee break
11,00 - 12,30
Liliana Albertazzi (Italy)
The Matter of Qualities.

12,30 - 14,00
Break
14,00 - 14,30
Anguel Stefanov (Bulgaria)
Causality: Ontological Principle or Explanatory Scheme?

14,30 - 15,00
Lilia Gurova (Bulgaria)
Sparse and Dense Categories: What They Tell Us About The Natural Kinds.

15,00 - 15,30
Aneta Karageorgieva, Dimitar Ivanov (Bulgaria)
On the Nature of Mechanisms of Ontological Thinking in Philosophy and Science.

15,30 - 16,00
Coffee break
16,00 - 16,30
Olena Dobrovolska (Ukraine)
The Interaction of Philosophical and Computer Science Ontology.

16,30 - 17,00
Rosen Lutskanov (Bulgaria)
What is Mathematics About? A Quinean Case for Structuralism.

17,00 - 17,30
Vladimir Stoychev (Bulgaria)
Ontology of Science

17,30
Closing the conference

Presentations of the invited speakers will last for an hour and a half (one hour presentation and half an hour discussion).
Presentations of the participants who are not invited speakers will last half an hour each (20 min. presentation and 10 min. discussion).

VII. Conference abstracts and papers:
Submission of abstracts: no more than 500 words
Deadline for submission of abstracts: 1 March 2009
Notification of acceptance: 1 April 2009
Submission of papers to be considered for publication? [The deadline is after the conference.]: up to 3000 words with an abstract and key words up to 200 words. All papers should be send electronically to the e-mail: sico2009@gmail.com until 15 July 2009 in Word for Windows, Times New Roman, 12 pt.
Publication: A collection of the best papers will be published in an authoritative international publishing house after the end of the conference.

VIII. Registration and accommodation:
Registration fee: The conference fee will be 200 Euros per person before 1 June 2009, and 240 Euros if payment is made later. The conference fee includes accommodation in a 3-star hotel (three nights with breakfast) and a cocktail on 18 June 2009.
The fee should be paid to:
“Unicredit Bulbank”, Sofia, Bulgaria;
IBAN: BG 78UNCR96603119902717
BIC: UNCRBGSF
Institute for Philosophical Research
Patriarh Evtimi blvd., 6
Sofia 1000, Bulgaria

It is also possible to pay the registration fee in cash during the registration of participants at the beginning of the conference.

Accomodation and hotel: hotel “Slavjanska Beseda” in the center of the town and hotel “Ganesha” 15 min. by bus from the University of Sofia. More information about the hotels can be seen on the conference web site.
The Local Organizing Committee will make reservations for these hotels for all participants.

IX. General Information:
Place: Sofia University, central building, Hall 1
Date: 18 - 20 June 2008
Working language: English
Contact persons (phone, e-mails):
Tsena Zhelyazkova, PhD student (IPhR-BAS)
e-mail: sico2009@gmail.com
zhelyazkova@gmail.com
Web-site: http://sic-ontology-2009.blogspot.com/

X. Useful information:
Sofia: Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria with a population of about 2 million people. The city is very old; its origin is about 2000 years ago. There are many museums and historical buildings to visit. Very close and easily reached is the mountain of Vitosha one hour from the center of the city. There is a lift to the top of the mountain, where there is a beautiful view of the whole city as well as the mountain of Rila. This mountain, about 140 km from Sofia, is also easily reached. On it is located the greatest and one of the oldest monasteries in Bulgaria - Rila monastery. In addition, the second town in Bulgaria - Plovdiv - is 120 km from Sofia; it has an interesting old part with a large, well-preserved amphitheatre dating from ancient Greece. All these and many other attractions make Sofia a very interesting place to visit. Cultural events will also be organized during the conference.

Letter of invitation: An official letter of invitation will be sent upon request.
Visa: Bulgaria is a member of the European Union; so, the visa rules for the EU are also valid for Bulgaria.

Climate: June is the beginning of the summer in Bulgaria. Usually we enjoy a temperature around 25-300 C.
Bank information: Bulgarian money are called ‘lev’. Bulgaria has a currency board which means that lev is fixed to the Euro: 1 Euro is equal to 1,95 leva.
Transport: Sofia University is in the center of the city of Sofia. It is in 5 min. walk from the hotel “Slavjanska beseda”. From the Sofia airport to the city center you can take the Bus No 284 or a taxi. The organizers will provide maps and all necessary assistance upon request.

XI. Sponsors:
1) Bulgarian Science Fund at the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science.
2) Philosophical Foundation “Minerva”
3) Euratec Ltd.

XII. FAQ:

For any questions please contact the Local Organizing Committee:
e-mail: sico2009@gmail.com
zhelyazkova@gmail.com

Sofia International Conference on Ontology'2009: THE STAKES OF CONTEMPORARY ONTOLOGICAL THINKING

Friday, May 29, 2009

Orientation Map

Final Program

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Second announcement

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