Oxford Philosophy, Law, and Politics Colloquium

Oct 15, 2025: Regina Rini (York, Canada), with comments by David Enoch (Oxford), 5-7 p.m. Old Library, All Souls College. 

'Alone in the Light: How Enlightenment errors threaten democracy today'

Dec 3, 2025: Juliana Bidadanure (NYU), with comments by Cécile Fabre (Oxford), 5-7 p.m. Old Library, All Souls College. 

Trashification

Many contemporary political philosophers have been influenced by relational egalitarianism, which urges us to create communities where members can relate as equals, unmediated by rank and status. However, further progress is needed to develop the relational ideal beyond the somewhat opaque language of relations of equality. One way to advance this is by focusing on understanding our failure modes. We treat others as inferiors when we engage in infantilization, animalization, demonization, or objectification, for instance. In my presentation, I will theorize one inferiorizing mode of relating, which I call “trashification”—a form of objectification in which individuals are perceived as trash and treated accordingly. Since trash has negative value and must be discarded or hidden, trashification represents a particularly extreme form of objectification and should be singled out as such. By drawing on contemporary examples and using existing theories of objectification as a foundation, I develop an account of the uniqueness of trashification and illuminate its specific wrongness. 

May 13, 2026: Danielle Allen (Harvard), with comments by Jo Wolff (Oxford), 5-7 p.m. Old Library, All Souls College.

May 27th, 2026: Reva Siegel (Yale), with comments by Kate Greasley (Oxford), 5-7 p.m. Hertford College Room TBC.

Accompanying some colloquia will be an Oxford PLP Seminar for students during which the paper and any other relevant material to the colloquium will be discussed. All students are welcome. 

October 14, 2025: Seminar discussion of Regina Rini, 3-5p.m., University College, 12 Merton Street, Room 2. Convened by Ruth Chang.

December 2, 2025: Seminar discussion of Juliana Bidadanure, 3-5 p.m., University College, 12 Merton Street, Room 2. Convened by Ruth Chang.

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October 17, 2024: Margaret Levi (Stanford University), 'Expanding the Community of Fate by Expanding the Community of Care', with Jonathan Herring (Oxford Law) opening discussion, 5-7 p.m. Old Library, All Souls College. The paper is here.

November 21, 2024: Lord Jonathan Mance (Former Deputy President of the UK Supreme Court), 'The Judiciary and the Role of Law in a Changing World: In Conversation with Lord Jonathan Mance with Professor Jonathan Harris (KCL Law) and Professor Rebecca Williams (Oxford Law), 4-5p.m. tea in the Alington Room, followed by the talk from 5-6:30p.m. 10 Merton Street Lecture Theatre (enter through University College Lodge). No paper for this session. 

February 27, 2025: Stuart Russell (University of California, Berkeley), 'Provably Beneficial AI', Weston Bodleian Library, co-sponsored with the Oxford Institute for Ethics and AI, 5-6:30 p.m. with commentary by Caroline Green and Philipp Koralus. For more information, including registration, go here. 

May 14, 2025: Stefan Gosepath (Free University, Berlin), 'In Defense of Term Limitations on Property Rights', with Cecile Fabre (Oxford Politics and Philosophy) opening discussion, 5-7 p.m. Old Library, All Souls College.  

May 21, 2025: Elizabeth Anderson (University of Michigan), with David Enoch (Oxford Law and Philosophy) opening discussion, 5-7 p.m. Old Library, All Souls College. Challenges to Creating an Egalitarian Society_0.pdf