Phenomenology and Speculative Realism will be the subject of this year's Engaging the Contemporary seminar - an annual event that encourages the participation of postgraduates and academics from different departments and backgrounds.
Phenomenology, which is a type of study whereby the mind or consciousness focuses on the meaning or essence of things, irrespective of whether or not they exist, ranks as one of the traditions that has contributed to some of the most interesting insights into the resolution of philosophical issues. Speculative realism, on the other hand, is a relatively new philosophy that considers it possible to return to a world that exists independently of the mind or language.
The Malta Independent on Sunday spoke to Professor Claude Mangion, Head of the Philosophy Department at the University of Malta who provided a more detailed background to the whole point of the seminar, as well as the topics to be discussed.
"We wanted to create a forum that lends itself to having a meeting of students and scholars, even people from other faculties. Two years ago we had the first seminar on Derrida and Foucault, so we had people from the English and Social Services departments. It was a reasonable success. Last November we held the second one on Agamben and Ranciere. The idea is to help Maltese students stay up-to-date with what's going on at the moment in philosophy.
"This year we have a relatively new branch of philosophy called 'speculative realism'. It started in 2006 as a return to reality, in reaction to modern deconstructionism.
"The interesting thing about speculative realism is subjects such as a return to God. Time will tell if, in 20 years time, it will still be relevant. When the philosophers are among you, it is difficult to predict whether or not they will last.
"We have called the seminar 'Phenomenology and Speculative Realism' because they are opposites, so you may have people from either side of the argument. Last year, to our surprise, we had four visitors who came to Malta just for the seminar, which is completely free because we use all the resources of the University. We had a lecturer from Iran and three PhD students from Italy, Belgium and the UK, which is good because it means the Maltese can make connections with people all over the world."
A call for papers has been officially issued for those interesting in presenting a 20-minute paper of about 3,000 words. Those interested in participating must submit an abstract of around 300 words by email to [email protected] by 22 September. Notifications of acceptance of papers will be sent by 30 September and the finished papers must then be submitted by no later than 11 November.
Asked about his expectations in terms of papers and attendance, Prof. Mangion said it appeared that, every year, the number of papers has increased "but this year will be different, because this is a relatively new topic. Many people don't take the risk of trying something else because it is a new philosophy. The price you pay is that you might not be an expert on everything the person says. Mind you, I'm eclectic. I have to read other things, even if I am not a genius on the subject, because otherwise I'll get bored. I'm calculating we should get between 12 and 15 papers of about 3,000-3,500 words.
"Since it's a long day, it's better to be more condensed and to the point and then we have a talk afterwards. So far, people have always discussed these things frankly and openly. You'd be surprised how many times someone who isn't in philosophy will ask you something that catches you off-guard because they're in a different frame of mind. And that's good because if it comes to publishing the paper, you can pre-empt reactions."
This year, Prof Mangion hopes to have people from the field of Sociology, remarking that "usually the English Department gives us a good number of speakers. We will also work with the Faculty of Education. I'm hoping for at least three or four departments. I've also invited the Theology Department to pitch in, due to this idea of the possibility that God 'might' exist."
The seminar is also an attempt to break away from the usual format of discussing philosophy at University which, due to the style in which we have been brought up in Malta, tends to have more of a lecturer-to-student approach rather than free discussion, as is the style used in most universities abroad.
Prof Mangion remarked on this point, adding: "We certainly encourage the audience to take up some of the issues and challenge or question them, or even sometimes just request or provide clarification. I'm hoping that, in our classes, we're encouraging more communication. Just this morning, I was stopped - in a good way - during a 'History of Philosophy' lecture. Of course, it always depends on the lecturer and the time, because it ends up with having to try to catch up with material. This year I've been trying to get students to read more. They come here with the mentality of being lectured, and have to get used to different methods. Now we are using the University's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and we share YouTube clips and articles with the students, as well as telling them which books to buy."