CALL FOR PAPERS, POSTER SESSIONS, AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS

for a conference on

Evolution, the Environment, and Responsible Knowledge

An International Multi- and Interdisciplinary Conference Presented by

The University of Central Florida Department of Philosophy, the QEP for
Information Fluency, the UCF Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, and
AAC&U's Core Commitments Grant

January 26-28, 2009 at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL

In the brief time humans have inhabited the earth, we have wrought great changes
in the biosphere and in our consciousness.  A responsible approach to knowledge
would help us clarify and disseminate the best information to formulate an
appropriate response to biological, social, and ethical challenges we are facing
now and will face in the future.

The topics of this conference are complexly interconnected and interrelated
across a variety of disciplinary dimensions, and we welcome contributions
transcending academic boundaries, developing disciplinary insights in creative
and unexplored ways, and those that express perspectives in diverse or
underutilized media, including visual imagery, song, dance, storytelling, and
technologically novel creations. Presentations focused on any dimensions of the
conference topic are welcome. We seek to be inclusive and diverse in appeal and
participation, welcoming submissions of abstracts, artworks, poster sessions,
and panel discussion plans from persons of various backgrounds and interests. 
For example, evolution may be understood as a time dimension; environment as
spatial; knowledge as the dimension of consciousness, and some combination of
these dimensions leading to a fourth, the dimension of the facilitation of
responsible action.

This conference is the third in a series of conferences on the ability to
acquire, evaluate, synthesize, and use information in responsible ways and is
designed to appeal to and include a broad range of interests and topics,
discussions and disagreements, and forms of presentation on these interrelated
but independent issues.  Our goal is to bring together scholars (students,
faculty members, and administrators from both higher and secondary education),
business leaders, artists, poets, musicians, health care professionals,
researchers, engineers, environmentalists, activists, government employees, and
all others who have interests in any or all of the topics of the conference.

Examples of possible contributions to the conference include, but are certainly
not limited to:

**Librarians, information specialists, and educators from primary, secondary,
and higher education who facilitate the acquisition and dissemination of various
forms of knowledge and would like to share ideas about improving effectiveness
in conveying meaningful information to a larger society

**Natural scientists who are in touch with crucial knowledge concerning the
well-being of the planet and its inhabitants and who seek or are developing
better ways of disseminating that knowledge

**Social scientists and historians who have a grasp of changes that have
occurred, are occurring, or might occur in human social organization

**Philosophers and those working in the humanities and other fields who have an
interest in fundamental issues of reality, truth, morality, the virtues of
honesty and courage, ways of living in beauty, or similar deep concerns as they
pertain to the conference theme

**Psychologists and others who would discuss processes underlying
self-deception, denial, disconnection, and other states that inhibit our
abilities to make good decisions and take appropriate actions

**Physicians and other health care professionals who provide insights into
evolutionary trends of medical importance, such as the development of antibiotic
resistant disease organisms, or with creative ideas concerning the integration
and presentation of knowledge about individual and social choices that promote
or diminish health and well-being

**Physicists, engineers, leaders of business and industry, and others who can
address issues of infrastructure sustainability, alternative technologies and
methodologies for meeting present and future human needs

**Legal scholars, economists, ethicists, and religious leaders who can address
ways of making our social institutions do the jobs they were designed to do, to
restore us to a world in which values leading to the good of humanity and the
world are of primary concern

**Agriculturists, gardeners, and biologists who will present ideas regarding the
way in which finite resources will be able to sustain an ever-growing human
population

**Artists, musicians, poets, and creative individuals of all types whose works
may help humanity to integrate what we already know or think we know or open up
new possibilities for thinking and acting

Deadlines for receipt of proposals/abstracts:

Proposals/abstracts are accepted between September 30th and November 3rd, 2008. 
Those received by October 15th will be reviewed by an expedited process, so
please send your proposal/abstract as soon as possible. Proposals/abstracts are
accepted by e-mail only.  Send to:

stanlick@mail.ucf.edu (Nancy Stanlick, Associate Professor, Department of
Philosophy, University of Central Florida).

Proposals and abstracts for poster sessions, performances, academic papers,
panel discussions, and any other forms of conference submissions are accepted by
e-mail only.  Send to:  stanlick@mail.ucf.edu.


Registration Fees

(UCF Students and Faculty are free of charge)

Non-UCF Professionals and Full-Time Faculty Members:
Early registration:  $250 (by November 15)
On-time registration:  $300 (by December 5)
In-person/on-site registration:  $350 (by January 28, 2009)

Non-UCF Students, Part Time Faculty, and Others:
Early registration $150 (by November 15)
On-time registration $200 (by December 5)
Late registration $250 (by January 28, 2009)


There are no refunds after January 15, 2009.  A 25% administrative fee will be
charged for all registration cancellations.

Information on Hotel Accommodations is available at http://www.if.ucf.edu/

Driving Directions to UCF are available at http://www.if.ucf.edu/

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