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1st Bajo Palabra International Philosophy Conference: &#8220;Reflections for a pluralistic world&#8221;Madrid, 21-25 November 2011With the purpose of opening a pluralistic arena for the development and discussion on the reflections of philosophers and researchers, the 1st Bajo Palabra International Philosophy Conference will take as its main, general topic of discussion that of the challenges of the present world with its complex realities. DEADLINE 15th April 2011Following this general vocation that aims to share &#8220;reflections for a pluralistic world&#8221;, the following branches are offered to those researchers interested in presenting a paper (of about 25-30 minutes, including some minutes for debate) in the Conference:1. Metaphysics and Philosophy of Religion:The Conference&#8217;s Branch on Metaphysics and Philosophy of Religion proposes an open debate on three fundamental concepts in the history of Western thought: Necessity, Contingency and God. The modal coordinates of the concepts of necessity and contingency open possibilities for multiple philosophical approaches, all of them turning around one and the same core issue: the necessity of God and the contingency of the world. Our expectation is to open a historical and conceptual debate on the conflict between two antagonistic ontological modalities: that of the &#8220;cosmologies of necessity&#8221;, as opposed to that of the &#8220;ontologies of contingency&#8221;. Such an approach has the advantage of its great versatility as for the range of relevant questions and issues it covers.Branch coordinators: Ana Carrasco Conde, Iv&#225;n de los R&#237;os and Miguel &#193;ngel L&#243;pez.2. Aesthetics and Theory of Arts:The contemporary modes of experience, be it sensory or artistic, that are so characteristic of our present times, are confronting the new challenges of the virtual or digital universes, opening a wide range of issues that extend from the materiality of their technological supports to the many different ways in which these technologies enable global connectivity and exchange fluxes. Taking these new conditions of existence as a background, we would like to open a debate concerning the aesthetic phenomenon, in order to examine its present coordinates and its still unexplored potentialities &#8211; including references to classical issues, or to more traditional modalities of aesthetic experience whose reassessment may prove particularly pertinent in this context.Branch coordinators: David D&#237;az Soto, Javier Lareu y Rub&#233;n Prada.3. Ethics, Political Philosophy and Philosophy of Law:We are in a situation which everyone seems to agree in describing as a &#8220;crisis&#8221;, be it political, economical or at the level of values. Such a crisis has taken place following the fall of ideologies and the rise of liberal conceptions as a dominant paradigm. In Western philosophy, the influence of Post-structuralism has given place to a lack of structural and systematic stability, making the present situation a rather confused and unpredictable one. In such a context, some are already warning against a regression with respect to our previous social achievements, while others speak about the weakening of political discourse. This presents us with the urgent task of rethinking the reality or virtuality in which we could reformulate the political, ethical, moral and legal issues, and reconsider how these can affect and transform reality.Branch coordinators: Delia Manzanero, Jos&#233; David S&#225;nchez Melero, Diego Fern&#225;ndez Peychaux y Diana Constantinescu.4. Philosophy of History:The philosophy of history is represented by two main lines of thought at the Bajo Palabra congress. The first line of thought seeks both to promote reflection and criticism of the different conceptions of time that have been defended throughout history and to advance the discussion of the historical secularization of theology. The second line of thought is concerned with the conception and conceptualization of temporality, especially in light of the influence of globalization and postmodernism, currents which have made clearer the difficulties, dangers, and traps of teleological thinking.Branch coordinators: Cayetana Mart&#237;nez, Martin Eyrich and Eduardo Zazo Jim&#233;nez.5. Philosophy of Education:This branch will address the current situation and consider the vigor of international contemporary discussions that are taking place within the field of philosophy of education. The panel of philosophy of education intends to be an open space of reflection for those researchers interested in thinking about and discussing different educational issues from a large variety of philosophical perspectives. Living as we do in a world of increasingly pluralistic dimensions requires a reflective effort from both the educational and pedagogical stands.Branch coordinators: Bianca Thoilliez, Marina Schwimmer and John Tillson.6. Spanish and Iberoamerican Philosophy:The Spanish and Iberoamerican Philosophy branch of 1st Bajo Palabra International Philosophy Conference calls all researchers interested in this field to collaborate with papers focused on the following subjects: &#8220;New proposals coming from Spanish and Iberoamerican thought in the face of the crisis of Western reason&#8221;; &#8220;The humanistic dimension of Spanish and Iberoamerican thought&#8221;; &#8220;Multiculturalism and new forms of global organization&#8221;.Branch coordinators: Marta Nogueroles, Gemma Gordo Pi&#241;ero and Carmen Arriaga.7. Logic, Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Language:The main purpose of this Branch is to stimulate research on issues relating to the fields of Logic, Philosophy of Language, History and Philosophy of Science, Epistemology and related disciplines. Proposals offering innovative approaches, as well as pertinent reassessments of more traditional issues will be particularly welcome. Argumentation and philosophical consideration of issues will be given preference over their merely erudite exposition.Branch coordinators: Alejandro Rodr&#237;guez Pe&#241;a and Jorge Ru&#237;z Ab&#225;nades.PUBLICATIONParticipants with accepted papers can submit their complete works (with a length of 12-15 pages) to the Editorial Board of the journal &#34;Bajo Palabra. Revista de Filosof&#237;a&#34; for publication in the next issue. Interested authors should send their articles before 30th November 2011. In order to encourage participation of young researchers and to promote the inclusion of their works in the journal, it is announced the: 1st AWARD COMPETITION OF BAJO PALABRA JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY FOR YOUNG RESEARCHERS. This competition is open to any researcher under 35 years old, who are registered with the Conference and who have submitted an unpublished work to one of the proposed branches. Several prizes will be awarded. Works will be selected by an international jury, based on their originality, academic rigor and accuracy. Each of the winners will receive a certificate from the Autonomous University of Madrid, the outstanding publication of the paper in a journal issue and the return of the registration fees.