IAFOR - The Asian Conference on Ethics, Religion & Philosophy 2016 (ACERP2016)

Kiyoshi Mana Announcement
Location
Japan
Subject Fields
Human Rights, Philosophy, Religious Studies and Theology

Held alongside The Asian Conference on Psychology and the Behavioral Sciences 2016 (ACP2016) at the Art Center of Kobe, Kobe, Japan from Thursday, March 31 - Sunday, April 3, 2016, join us as we discuss this year’s conference theme, “Justice” in an international, interdisciplinary and intercultural setting.

To participate as an audience member, please visit the website or contact us for more information.To register: http://iafor.org/acerp2016-registration/Visit the conference website: http://iafor.org/conferences/acerp2016/Enquiries: acerp@iafor.org

Join us in Kobe from Thursday, March 31 - Sunday, April 3, 2016, and contribute to the conference dialogue along with Conference Chair and Keynote Speaker, Professor Frank S. Ravitch and Conference Chair and Featured Speaker Professor Brian Daizen Victoria.

Join IAFOR at ACERP2016 to:

  • Deliver your research findings to a global audience
  • Have your work published in the conference proceedings and considered for peer-reviewed, open access IAFOR Journals
  • Benefit from IAFOR’s interdisciplinary focus by hearing the latest research in the field of Ethics, Religion & Philosophy
  • Participate in a truly international, interdisciplinary and intercultural event
  • Participate in interactive audience sessions
  • Access international networking opportunities

Conference Theme

The conference theme for ACERP2016 is “Justice”. Justice is one of, if not the most challenging, controversial and complex but also universal concepts at the root of all philosophical, ethical and religious discourse. From ancient times it was a practical challenge to all emerging forms of excessive authority. The Hebrew prophet Amos (c 800 BCE) called for justice to flow like a mighty river (Amos 5:24). The Greek term dikaiosunei was the central issue in Plato’s theory of the state. Jesus of Nazareth instructed his disciples to seek the Kingdom of God and its “justice” (dokaiosunei: St. Matthew 6:33). Justitia was basic to the Roman view of the world: “fiat justitia, ruat caelum”, (may there be justice though the heavens fall). The famous 1217 Magna Carta, agreed to by King John of England still forms an important symbol of liberty to the present day, often cited by politicians and campaigners, and is held in great respect by the British and American legal communities. Lord Denning described it as “the greatest constitutional document of all times – the foundation of the freedom of the individual against the arbitrary authority of the despot”. Western law and jurisprudence owe a great deal to it. In modern times, Professor John Rawls revitalised the debate about the nature of justice in his masterpiece Theory of Justice New York: Belknap Press, 1971 in which he linked justice with fairness in an attempt to redefine the concept in the democratic tradition.

Modern theories of retributive justice are concerned with punishment for wrongdoing. That debate as to how to deal with deviant behavior remains. Public hanging, for example, as a deterrent punishment in Britain did not end until the early 20th century. The death penalty remained in force until its abolition for murder in 1965 and finally in all circumstances in 1998. Currently debated alongside older theories of retributive and distributive justice are the more controversial theories of restorative justice (also sometimes called “reparative justice”) that focus on the needs of victims and offenders. The controversy about what is justice remains elusive and enigmatic.

Some of the obvious questions to be asked are how these theories relate to the modern world. A drone aircraft that causes substantial collateral damage is whose responsibility? The designer who intended it for destructive purposes, the military command that deployed it or the individual at the computer that set it in motion? If a war crime is committed, how is the issue of justice to be handled?

Is restorative justice as a system within which convicted criminals confront their victims realistic or even fair to either side?

What would constitute “justice” in the commercial sphere? How can the notion of distributive justice be applied? People engaging financial crimes that impoverish thousands, many of whom may invest in “ethical” businesses, are inflicting damage not merely on their customers, but also on innocent dependents. What punishment is fit for this?

Is the idea of justice as fairness itself not merely a tautology that avoids the question altogether?

This selection of problems and themes call for perpetual reflection, and we are confident that this theme will excite a number of new research avenues. We look forward to this being an intellectually stimulating, enlightening and powerful event.

About IAFOR and its events

IAFOR welcomes thousands of academics to our conferences each year, which range in size from around 100 to in excess of 500 attendees. They do so because of the supportive and nurturing research environment, because of the unique networking opportunities, and because of the strength of the organization’s platform.

Our conferences are meticulously planned and programmed under the direction of prominent academics to ensure that they offer programs of the highest level, and are also quite unique in the way in which they are supported by some of the world’s leading academic institutions, including the University of London (UK), Virginia Tech (USA), Monash University (Australia), Barcelona University (Spain), Waseda University (Japan), the National Institute of Education (Singapore), and The Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKSAR).

IAFOR’s credibility has enabled it to become a genuine pioneer, and has grown to be the most respected and trusted organization encouraging international, intercultural and interdisciplinary study. The organization is a formative influence in providing new research avenues and visionary development solutions necessary in our rapidly emerging globalized world.

We welcome you to engage in this expanding global academic community of individuals and network of institutions, and look forward to seeing you at one of our future events, as we look forward to breaking new ground, together.

To learn more about IAFOR - http://iafor.org

Contact Email
acerp@iafor.org