Geneva Conference 'The Limits of Objectivity' (June 17-19, 2026)
There is a special range of difficulties that metaphysical thinking seems to run into when it tries to be strictly objective, detaching itself from any particular ‘point of view’ or ‘perspective’ on the reality it aims to describe. Reflection on these difficulties – surveyed perhaps most famously by Thomas Nagel, in The View From Nowhere – tends to engender philosophical reactions of different kinds. Some philosophers remain convinced that an objective conception of reality can, if suitably elaborated, accommodate all phenomena, including the seemingly recalcitrant ones. Others are instead tempted to depart from the objective conception, enriching their account of reality with ‘perspectival facts’ of various sorts. Yet others take the difficulties faced by the objective conception to motivate scepticism about the realist presuppositions implicit in metaphysical thinking. 40 years since the publication of Nagel’s book, this conference aims to bring together philosophers interested in understanding the limits of objectivity, their sources, and their implications for metaphysical inquiry.
When : From 4pm on 17/06/2026 to 6pm on 19/06/2026
Where : University of Geneva - Uni Philosophes (room 211), Boulevard des Philosophes 22, Geneva
Confirmed speakers:
Tim Button (UCL)
Lisa Doerksen (CEU)
Andy Egan (Rutgers)
Max Kölbel (Vienna)
Martin Lipman (Leiden)
Michela Massimi (Edinburgh)
Elisabetta Sassarini (Geneva)
Crispin Wright (Stirling)
Organization: Giovanni Merlo
Attendance is free. To register, please send an email to giovanni dot merlo at unige dot ch
A limited number of travel grants (3-night accommodation + up to 400CHF for flight and/or train tickets) are available for PhD students and early-stage researchers (up to 4 years from PhD completion). To apply, please send your CV and a brief letter of motivation explaining your interest in the conference (max 1 page) to giovanni dot merlo at unige dot ch by March 15th 2026. Applications from members of underrepresented groups are especially encouraged.
This conference is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) through the Starting Grant project “Metaphysics We Can Believe In” (TMSGI1_218195).
