The most recent AMINTAPHIL meeting was held at Washington University in St. Louis, MO from November 2 - 5, 2006. The topic was Coercion, Justice and Democracy. David Reidy and Walter Riker are the editors of the volume that will result from that meeting.
Program Outline, AMINTAPHIL Conference. Coercion,
Justice and Democracy
I. General Conceptual Issues.
II. Evaluative Conceptual Issues.
III. Normative Issues - Theoretical.
IV. Normative Issues - Applied.
The next AMINTAPHIL conference will lo be held at University of Baltimore School of Law from October 25 – 27, 2012. The topic is “Democracy in the Twenty First Century: Problems and Prospects." Please click here for detailed information.
The next World Congress of the International Association for Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy (IVR) will be in 2013 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil
The AMINTAPHIL volume from the 2008 Conference, Freedom of Expression in a Diverse World, has been published. The editor is Deirdre Golash, American University. The volume from the 2010 meeting on Economic Justice is in process. Both volumes are published by Springer Science and Business Media as part of a series entitled AMINTAPHIL: The Philosophical Foundations of Law and Justice. For further information, click here or see the Publications page.
A. What is Coercion? Moralized vs. Nonmoralized Accounts.
B. Coercion by the State.
C. Coercion by Groups (corporations, cultural or religious groups,
advocacy and nongovernmental organizations, etc.).
D. Coercion by Individuals.
E. Coercion and Context: Domestic vs. International.
Evaluative Conceptual Issues.
A. Conceptualizing/Mapping the Moral Issue(s).
1. Coercion: The Right and The Good.
2. Coercion: Substantive Values and Procedural Values.
B. Particular Evaluative Concepts Relevant to the Moral Assessment
of Coercion: Justice, Democracy, Common Good, Freedom, Equality,
Fraternity, Reciprocity, Respect, Rights, Constitutionalism,
Tolerance, Paternalism, Virtue, Republicanism, Legitimacy, Consent,
Rule of Law, Neutrality, Self-Determination, Obligation.
Normative Issues - Theoretical.
A. The Domestic Context.
1. When and Why is Coercive State Action vis a vis Citizens
Morally Permissible?
a. Democratic States;
b. Nondemocratic States;
c. Civil Disobedience, Resistance and Rebellion
2. When and Why is Coercive Action by Nonstate Actors Morally
Permissible?
a. Groups as Actors;
b. Individuals as Actors;
c. Disobedience, Resistance, etc.
B. The International Context.
1. When and Why is Coercive State Action vis a vis Other
States Morally Permissible?
a. International Organizations as Actors and Other Multilateral
Actions;
b. Unilateral State Action;
c. Disobedience, Resistance, etc.
2. When and Why is Coercive Action Against States by Nonstate
Actors Morally Permissible?
a. Nongovernmental Organizations and Advocacy Groups as
Actors;
b. Commercial Corporations as actors;
c. Other Groups (Militias, Organized Populations, etc.)
as Actors; d. Disobedience, Resistance, etc.
C. Theoretical Frameworks: Past and Present.
1. What can we learn from the theoretical treatment of these
issues by: Augustine, Aquinas, Grotius, Pufendorf, Hobbes,
Wolff, Locke, Vattel, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Mill, Dewey,
Rawls, Walzer, Nozick, Dworkin, Simmons, Sandel, Buchanan,
Edmundson, Young, Richardson, et al.
Normative Issues - Applied.
A. The Domestic Case: Democratic and Nondemocratic Contexts.
1. Coercive State Action.
a. Criminal Law and Punishment
b. Military Conscription
c. Taxation, Public Goods and Redistribution
d. Property Rights, Regulation and Eminent Domain
e. Compulsory Education
f. Vaccinations, Quarantine and Public Health
g. Police, Security and Law Enforcement
h. Adjudication and Judicial Review
i. Other: Marriage law, Contract law, etc.
2. Coercion by Nonstate Actors.
a. Spouses, Parents and Family
b. Churches and Clergy
c. Private Schools and Teachers
d. Property Owners and Commercial Corporations
e. Other groups: unions, political parties, advocacy groups,
hospitals, etc.
f. Other individuals: employers, physicians, pharmacists,
males, etc.
B. The International Case
1. Coercion by States through International Organizations
and Multilateral Action
a. UN Security Council and United Nations Generally
b. World Bank and IMF
c. WTO
d. NAFTA, CAFTA, EC and other trade associations
e. EU, ASEAN and other multifaceted regional federations
and associations
f. NATO and other military alliances
g. Coalitions of the Willing
2. Unilateral Coercion by States
a. War, Sanctions and Other Interventions
b. Borders, Deportation and Immigration Control
c. Hegemony and Imperialism
3. Coercion and Nonstate Actors
a. Corporations and the Global Economy
b. Nonstate Militias and Terrorism
c. Nongovernmental Organizations and Advocacy Groups - Amnesty,
Human Rights Watch, EarthFirst, GreenPeace, PETA, antiglobalization
