CALL FOR PAPERS

Book Symposium

Abstract: Individuating action depends upon how people comprehend value judgements about the consequences of an action to distinguish–or not to distinguish–between them. The question “what is action?” cannot be fully addressed until it is established whether two action descriptions–whether in law, business, insurance policies, or ordinary conversation–refer to the same or different actions. This book approaches the problem of action individuation by arguing for a variantist account, where the moral valence of the consequences of an action plays a foundational role in distinguishing between actions. Actions with bad consequences are associated with the originating act from which the action arises; actions with positive consequences are separate from their originating act. When we consider whether a bad or good consequence is identical to an originating action, the normative valence of the consequences of the action matter. Drawing from an empirical assessment that tests non-philosophers' intuitions about individuating actions, along with real-world examples, Joseph Ulatowski explores the practical and philosophical significance of how we distinguish between actions.

Author Bio: Joseph Ulatowski is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Assistant Vice-Chancellor of Sustainability at the University of Waikato, Aotearoa New Zealand. Besides Identities of Action, he is the author of Commonsense Pluralism about Truth: An Empirical Defence, co-editor of two forthcoming anthologies: Lynch and His Critics and Experimental Philosophy and Corpus Analysis, as well as special issues of the Asian Journal of Philosophy on cross-cultural analyses of the nature of truth, Synthese on Paul Horwich's minimalism about truth, and an Australasian Philosophical Review with a lead article on the value of truth in a post-truth era by Gila Sher. His work largely focuses on the nature and value of truth, action theory, and the history of philosophy in Poland.

Overview

The Society for Philosophy of Emotion and the Journal of Philosophy of Emotion (JPE) are organizing a book symposium on Professor Ulatowski book, The Identities of Action: How the Normative Valence of Consequences Matters for Act Evaluation. We are looking for commentators and session chair/guest editor for the SPE's 2027 Central APA (in-person) affiliated group session, and for a subsequent publication in the Journal of Philosophy of Emotion, including a JPE podcast edition. (No additional work beyond seeing your commentary through to publication with the JPE will be required for the podcast edition.) If you are interested in engaging in a critical discussion of Professor Ulatowski's book, with the aim of moving forward the discourse on relevant topics highlighted by his book as they relate to the philosophy of emotion, or chairing the APA affiliated group session and guest editing this book symposium, please complete the APA Affiliated Group Session and JPE Book Symposium Interest Form. Because the JPE requires the use of Google workspace tools, you will be required to log-in with a Google account to access the form. If you do not use your Gmail account on a regular basis, we recommend you set your Gmail to forward your emails to the email that you regularly use so you do not miss any correspondence from us. If you are interested in participating as a commentator or session chair/guest editor, please complete the form, which includes uploading a copy of your CV, by August 28, 2026. We will contact you by September 4, 2026, with a decision regarding your expressed interest and any further details. 

Society for Philosophy of Emotion

Accepted commentators will be invited to present their commentaries during the in-person book symposium, as a part of a Society for Philosophy of Emotion (SPE)-American Philosophical Association (APA) affiliated group session at the 2027 Central APA, which will be an in-person conference. Commentaries for this book symposium are due to the author six (6) weeks before the SPE-APA session date, and author replies are due (3) weeks before the session date, in accordance with the APA meeting participation guidelines and prior to the due date for the JPE book symposium. Commentators would also be required to register for the 2027 Central APA conference, and be a member of the SPE at the time of their participation (which includes a one-time JPE submission fee waiver). An annual SPE membership is $35, with a discounted rate of $10 for graduate students and underemployed scholars. 

Guest editors would be invited to contribute an editorial introduction, including highlighting the significance of the discussions in the book symposium to the relevant scholarly discourses. Information on guest editor responsibilities can be found on the JPE's Join the Team page. The session chair/guest editor would also be required to register for the 2027 Central APA conference, but they will receive a free one year SPE membership (which includes a one-time JPE submission fee waiver). 

Please note that commentators and guest editors who agree to participate in this in-person book symposium will not be eligible for any funding assistance from the APA since only those who are presenting in an APA main program event are eligible for such funding. However, participants can also submit a paper or volunteer to comment on a paper for an APA main program event and apply for APA funding if they are accepted, since APA main program participants are allowed to also participate in affiliated group sessions without any restrictions. Organizers will also be informed to avoid any scheduling conflicts. 

Journal of Philosophy of Emotion

Commentaries for the JPE will be due one month after the Society for Philosophy of Emotion (SPE)-American Philosophical Association (APA) affiliated group session for this book symposium (read below). We encourage a diversity of scholars of all ranks who are interested in participating as a commentator to respond to this CFP, provided that they are willing and able to commit to fulfilling the expectations set by the JPE's submission guidelines and the JPE’s double-anonymous peer review process. Please refer to past issues of the JPE for examples, and all submissions must adhere to the JPE’s style guideline (which includes a Google Doc manuscript template), and note that authors are responsible for providing all necessary DOIs and appropriately formatting their references. All contributors are also responsible for copyediting their own submissions and providing any requested citation information, although the JPE will also conduct a preliminary review and copyedit check of all submissions prior to sending them to peer review. No submission will be sent to peer review without the appropriate formatting, in accordance with the JPE style guidelines. The JPE also requires a submission fee of $35 or you can use your SPE one-time JPE submission fee waiver. 

Selection Criteria and Peer Refereeing

Commentators will be selected not only based on their qualifications, but also based on their cooperative compliance and the consideration for the value of diversity and inclusiveness among equally qualified commentators. Potential contributors are also welcome to let us know in their letter of interest in refereeing this book symposium if for some reason they were not invited to contribute a commentary, but would still like to contribute to the book symposium, or if they would rather referee the book symposium. All referees may also choose to be publicly acknowledged in a subsequent winter issue of the JPE. Referee's will also receive a free membership to the Society for Philosophy of Emotion, which includes a one time author submission fee waiver for the JPE, for the year of their membership.

SPE Membership Fee/JPE Manuscript Submission Fee

The JPE is an independently published, open-access journal, operating as a Public Charity under the US Treasury, 501(3)(c), 509(a)(2), and the SPE is an affiliate organization operating under the JPE's business license. All manuscript submission fees and membership fees go toward paying for operating costs and providing need based subventions to facilitate diverse and inclusive participation. Our completely transparent Financial Report is also made available for your review.