Bilingual conference jointly organized by the Department of Political Science at Université Laval, the Chair in Democracy and Public Ethics (Université Laval), and the Centre for Research in Ethics (CRÉ).

We are pleased to welcome Jonathan Wolff (Oxford) and Daniel Weinstock (McGill) as our two keynote speakers.

Summary

The conference aims to explore how political philosophy can be mobilized to address the major challenges we face as a society – such as the climate crisis, the rise of populism, the erosion of democratic norms, and radicalization. In this context of polycrisis, there is a need to create a space for reflection dedicated to addressing these pressing problems. Hence the appeal to political philosophy, which is by nature a normative discipline: its objective is to provide us with norms and guidelines to help us move towards a more just society. However, it is not enough to have good ideas and policies; we need ideas and policies that will be supported by the population. It is therefore worth noting that there is a link between distributive justice and social acceptability, in that there is empirical evidence supporting the idea that fair distributions enjoy greater popular support. Thus, this discipline stands to gain significantly by directly addressing the major challenges we face today and by doing so in a way that brings knowledge out of the confines of academia.

This conference will therefore bring together renowned researchers to reflect on and formulate recommendations to help address these major challenges, including climate change, the rise of populism, disinformation, and the erosion of democratic norms. The presentations will therefore not be solely intended for the academic community, but rather for society at large. Presenters are encouraged to formulate clear recommendations, regardless of the stage of development of the problem they are considering. Researchers are invited (but not required) to shed light on concrete public decisions that have been or will be made, using specific examples (public policies, bills, evidence-based data), thereby demonstrating both how political philosophy is essential for understanding these issues and how it helps us move towards solutions that can garner broad public support.

Schedule: 

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

• 12:00 PM – 1:00PM – DKN-Hall Welcome table. Our team will be ready to assist with your registration, provide conference materials, and answer any queries. Snacks and coffee will be offered
• 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM- DKN-1157 Student Panel 1: Ester Palm (UdeM); Molly Dea Stephenson (McGill); Sasha Emanuel Mossu (ULavaL). Chair : Alexandre Gajevic Sayegh (ULaval).
• 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM- DKN-Hall Coffee Break Coffee and snacks will be served
• 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM-DKN-1157 Student Panel 2: David Oh (McGill); Mélanie Guillemette (ULaval); Alexandre Petitclerc (UdeM). Chair: Sylvie Loriaux (ULaval)
• 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM – Hôtel Le Concorde Walk – Les Plaines d’Abraham and Rue St Jean A pleasant walk in the Parc and the Citadel with stunning views of the city, and the Parliament, en route to the restaurant in vibrant neighbourhood St-Jean Baptiste.
• 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM Dinner Dinner in lively St-Jean Baptiste neighbourhood at Le Hobbit, walking distance from the Hotel.

Thursday, May 7, 2026

• 9:45 AM – 10:15 AM – DKN-Hall Welcome and Coffee Coffee and pastries will be served.
• 10:15AM – 10:30 AM – DKN-1157 Opening remarks: Conference organizer Alexandre Gajevic Sayegh will set the tone with a brief overview of the conference’s themes and a warm welcome to all participants.
• 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM – DKN-1157 Panel 1: Mauro Rossi (UQAM) – An Account of Structural Change; Pierre-Yves Néron(ESPOL) – Vers une esthétique de l’égalité? Chair: François Blais (ULaval)
• 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM – DKN-Atrium Lunch
• 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM – DKN-1157 Panel 2: Patrick Turmel (ULaval) – Dépasser la taxe Zucman: impôt sur le capital et démocratie; Vida Panitch (Carleton) – The Moral Limits of Markets and Non ideal Justice. Chair: Jérôme Gosselin-Tapp (ULaval)
• 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM – DKN-Hall Coffee Break
• 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM – DKN-1157 Panel 3: Amy Janzwood (McGill) – Build Baby Build? Lessons from Mega Pipelines and Mega Resistance; Alexandre Gajevic Sayegh (ULaval) – Climate Action in the Age of Populism. Chair: Naïma Hamrouni (UQTR)
• 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM – DKN-Hall Coffee Break Coffee and pastries will be served.
• 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM – DKN-1157 Keynote Session – Jonathan Wolff (Oxford) – Posterity and the ‘Me’ Generation. Chair: Alexandre Gajevic Sayegh (ULaval)
• 6:15 PM – 9:00 PM – DKN-Atrium Conference: Reception Drinks and a food buffet will be offered

Friday, May 8, 2026

• 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM – DKN-Hall Welcome and coffee. Coffee and pastries will be served.
• 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM – DKN-1157 Panel 4: Christian Nadeau (UdeM) – Mouvements sociaux et fragilisation de l’État de droit; Jocelyn Maclure and Hugo Cossette-Lefebvre (McGill) – Freedom of Speech, Autonomy and Epistemic Dependence; Denise Celentano (UdeM) – Ghost Work: Conceptual and Normative Concerns. Chair: Sylvie Loriaux (ULaval)
• 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM – DKN-Atrium Lunch
• 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM – DKN-1157 Panel 5: Natalie Stoljar and David Ho (McGill) – What is Institutional Distrust?; Laura Silva (ULaval) – On People’s Passion: On Emotion and Populism. Chair: Ryoa Chung (UdeM)
• 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM – DKN-Hall Coffee Break
• 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM – DKN-1157 Panel 6: Arash Abizadeh (McGill) – Popular Sovereignty vs Democracy: Or, How Rousseau Killed Democracy; Andrée-Anne Cormier (ENAP) – Democratic Education Today: Political Philosophy, Civic Skills, and Higher Education. Chair: Patrick Turmel (ULaval)
• 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM – DKN-Hall Coffee Break Coffee and pastries will be served.
• 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM – DKN-1157 Keynote Session – Daniel Weinstock (McGill) – The Challenge of Folk Political Philosophy. Chair: Alexandre Gajevic Sayegh (ULaval)
• 7:00 PM – 8 :00 PM – Hôtel Le Concorde Walk Old Town Gorgeous walk from Hotel Le Concorde through Quebec City’s famous old town. It’s all downhill from the Hotel to the Restaurant.
• 8:00 PM – 10:30 PM – Restaurant Le Don Diner – Le Don Dinner at Le Don, eclectic vegan spot for food and cocktails in beautiful Basse Ville.

Conference organizers: Alexandre Gajevic Sayegh (Associate Professor, Political Science, ULaval) Ryoa Chung (Full Professor, Philosophy, UdeM) Patrick Turmel (Full Professor, Philosophy, ULaval) Alexandre Petitclerc (PhD candidate, Philosophy, UdeM).

Our partners:
Chaire de recherche Démocratie et éthique publique
Centre de recherche en éthique (CRÉ)
Département de science politique, Université Laval
Faculté de philosophie, Université Laval
Institut d’éthique appliquée (IDÉA), Université Laval
Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire sur la normativité (GRIN)
Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval