Well-being in Contemporary Society International Conference on the Philosophy and Science of Well-being and their Practical Importance Location: University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands Date: July 26-27, 2012 Program Chair: Philip Brey (University of Twente) Organising committee: Johnny Hartz Søraker (University of Twente) Pak-Hang Wong (University of Twente) Jan-Willem van der Rijt (University of Amsterdam) Jelle de Boer (University of Amsterdam) Web site: <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/wics2012/">http://sites.google.com/site/wics2012/</a> Keynote Speakers: Bruno S. Frey (Professor of Economics, University of Zurich) Valerie Tiberius (Professor of Philosophy, University of Minnesota) J. D. Trout (Professor of Philosophy and Psychology, Loyola University Chicago) Invited speakers (confirmed as of January 26): Erik Angner (Philosophy, Economics and Public Policy, George Mason Univ.) Ernst Bohlmeyer (Psychology, University of Twente) Jo Littler (Media and Cultural Studies, Middlesex University) Raffaele Rodogno (Philosophy, Aarhus University) Eunkook M. Suh (Psychology, Yonsei University) Miriam Teschl (Economics, University of Vienna) About the Conference In recent years, well-being has enjoyed a renaissance in philosophical discussions, as well as in fields like psychology, economics, development studies and sociology. Although these approaches share a common goal – to better understand what well-being is and how it can be enhanced – these developments have led to a great diversity in philosophical and scientific approaches to the analysis of well-being. Despite the increasing amount of research, most of the work on well-being is also performed at a highly abstract level. This is especially true in philosophy, but relatively little work has been devoted to the application of theories of well-being also in other fields, in particular when it comes to an understanding of life in contemporary society. Developments such as globalization, consumerism, and the rapid innovation and use of new and emerging technologies, all exert significant impact on the well-being of people living today, and we need a better understanding of their consequences for well-being. Contemporary society requires that well-being researchers examine these problems – and, if possible, propose solutions to address them. This international conference aims to bring together researchers from various disciplines, including, but not limited to, psychology, economics, sociology, philosophy and development studies, in order to examine the practical role of well-being in contemporary society. Potential Topics We are looking for contributions that examine the notion of well-being in the context of contemporary society. The conference particularly welcomes papers that employ a notion of well-being to address social, political and ethical issues in present-day society. Suggested topics for the workshop include, but are not limited to: ● Theoretical developments and approaches in the philosophy and science of well-being in relation to contemporary society, culture and life. ● Well-being in social and political philosophy and/or in policy studies ● Positive psychology (and related research fields) and its practical applicability ● New and emerging technologies and well-being ● Intercultural and interpersonal comparisons of well-being ● Reliability, validity and applicability of well-being measures ● Other specific practical issues pertaining to well-being in contemporary society The workshop will include both invited papers and an open call for papers. For the open call, we invite extended abstracts (1500-2000 words). Please anonymise the abstract, and include title, name and address in the accompanying email. The abstract, and any questions you may have about the conference, should be sent to <a href="mailto:wics2012@utwente.nl">wics2012@utwente.nl</a>. Your abstract should be submitted before February 15th 2012, and will be subject to blind peer review. Publication Following the conference we aim to publish the papers, subject to a blind review process, in either an edited volume or a special issue of a relevant journal. We did so successfully with our previous conference, Good Life In a Technological Age, from which select papers were published as a book in the prestigious Routledge Studies in Science, Technology and Society series, and will be available in February 2012. Registration Fees (includes lunch, coffee breaks and conference materials) Students, Early-bird (before May 1): €30 Students (after May 1): €50 Regular, Early-bird (before May 1): €50 Regular (after May 1): €80,- Optional Conference dinner (on July 26): €30,- (we may be able to waive the registration fee under special circumstances. Please contact us at <a href="mailto:wics2012@utwente.nl">wics2012@utwente.nl</a> if you would like to inquire about this) Important Dates Abstract Submission Deadline: February 15, 2012 Notification of Acceptance: March 1, 2012 Conference Dates: July 26-27, 2012