Northwest Philosophy Conference
at
Lewis & Clark College
Portland, Oregon
October 30-31, 2026
Campus Map
Call for Papers
The seventy-seventh annual Northwest Philosophy Conference is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, October 30-31, at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon.
Mark Bedau (Reed College) will deliver the Keynote Address, Pluralism about Emergence.
Much of the debate regarding emergence assumes a "single-kind" framework, creating a zero-sum game where defending one model requires rejecting all others. I propose a pluralist alternative that welcomes any form of emergence meeting three criteria: (i) it satisfies the hallmarks of dependence and autonomy; (ii) it is internally consistent; and (iii) it possesses explanatory utility. By recognizing that different combinations of dependence and autonomy define distinct, valid types of emergence, this pluralism resolves unproductive disagreements and clarifies that emergence and reduction are not inherently incompatible.
There wil be a $70 registration fee for the conference, payable online at
https://payit.nelnet.net/form/aD4BFrDa
Papers in any philosophical area are welcome. The Northwest Philosophy Conference welcomes submissions from women and members of minority groups.
Papers must not exceed a length of 3000 words. On the first page of your paper, include the following items:
1. word count - 3000 words maximum!
2. author's name.
3.academic status (professor, unaffiliated, graduate student).
4. highest earned degree (PhD, MA).
5. institutional affiliation (if any).
6. email address.
7. the paper's title.
8. and an abstract - 100 words maximum!
No more than one paper by the same author can be considered.
Submit your paper as a pdf file to:
Title your file this way:
LastNameFirstName.pdf
for example: ArendtHannah.pdf
In the subject header of your email, put:
NPC Paper Submission
Papers must be submitted by September 1. Persons who submit their papers earlier will receive notifications of acceptance within 48 hours.
Notification of acceptance will be made via email.
Each paper will have a commentator. Persons whose papers are accepted are expected to serve as commentators if asked.
Persons interested in commenting should email fritzman@lclark.edu by September 1, stating their availability and areas of interest. Graduate students who are not yet ABD are encouraged to volunteer.
The Keynote Address will take place at 1:30 Friday afternoon. The conference will conclude at 6:00 Saturday evening.
https://www.lclark.edu/live/files/7676-campus-map
has a map of the Lewis & Clark College campus.
Places to Stay
https://www.lclark.edu/visit/places_to_stay/
lists lodgings that offer a special rate to Lewis & Clark visitors.
Updated 13 April 2025