APT Conference 2026 – June 19th

UCL Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AL

 

Welcome to UCL 9.45 – 10.00

Opening Talk: 10.00- 10.45

Epistemic Injustice and Agency

Professor Lisa Bortolotti

 

Lisa Bortolotti is a philosopher of the cognitive sciences, focusing on the philosophy of psychology, the philosophy of psychiatry and biomedical ethics. Her main interests lie in the strengths andlimitations of human cognition and agency. She is the Editor in Chief of Philosophical Psychology and the author of Why Delusions Matter(Bloomsbury 2023) where she talks about the challenges of interacting with people who have radically different beliefs and values. Lisa is also the founder of the Imperfect Cognition blog and of The Philosophy Garden, where she gathers videos and games to engage young people in philosophical reflection on timely issues.

 

Break

Session 1: 11.15 – 12.15

Kant and Animals

This is the first edited collection devoted entirely to the question of the role of animals in the thought of Immanuel Kant. Though the topic is not one treated systematically in his work, mentions of animals occur throughout his corpus in relation to many of his central concerns. In this volume, a team of leading scholars address issues ranging over Kant’s theoretical and practical philosophy, including questions regarding the possibility of objective representation and intentionality in animals, the role of animals in Kant’s scientific picture of nature, the status of our moral responsibilities to animals’ welfare, and more. It also includes chapters concerning contemporary questions relating to animals and Kantian ethics and metaethics, making a use of Kant’s philosophy to help contend with one of the most crucial ethics issues facing us today.

Dr John Callanan

Dr Callanan did his undergraduate work at University College Dublin and also completed an M.Litt there in 1999. He graduated with a D.Phil from the University of Oxford in 2004, having studied at Trinity College. Dr Callanan then took up a post as temporary lecturer back at University College Dublin before taking up a Government of Ireland Post-Doctoral Fellowship there from 2005-2007. He joined King’s College London in 2007.

 

 

Lunch 

Session 2 1.15-2.15

Philosophy, Teaching and AI Panel Discussion

Anja Steinbauer and Alexandra Konoplyanik (From Philosophy for All) will be in conversation with two AI experts, Tom Berman (creator of Rational Grid.ai ) and Helen Rantsevitch (founder of Reputy.AI) about the potential use and pitfalls of AI in philosophy and teaching. 

 

Anja is a London-Based Sinologist and philosopher. She is the preseident of Philosophy for All in London making philosophy free and accessible to residents across the city, and is co-editor of Philosophy Now magazine.

Early, Middle and Late Heidegger

This talk will present some of the key ideas drawn from texts representative of some of Heidegger’s concerns during his early, middle and late periods. The first text considered will be Being and Time, focusing on an account of Dasein and Care as the source of temporality. The Origin of the Work of Art and The Age of the World Picture will be presented as representative works of the middle period, focusing in the former case on the struggle between earth and world as well as Heidegger’s distinctive notion of what a work of art is, in the latter text the focus will be on Heidegger’s critique of the intellectual machinery of modernity. Late Heidegger will be expounded on the basis of The Question Concerning Technology, especially the concept of standing reserve. The second text from this period will be The Thing, focusing on the idea of the four-fold.

Robert Penney is the Chair of the APT, he took his degree and masters in Philosophy at Edinburh University. Robert is Head of Philosophy and Religious Studies at St Dominic’s Sixth Form College.

Coffee and AGM – 2.15-2.45

Session 3: 2.45-3.45

Jeremy Hayward.

Jeremy Hayward is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Education, UCL. A former teacher, he has been involved in teacher education for the 25 years, including leading the Citizenship PGCE the MA Citizenship Education at the IoE.  He has written numerous textbooks, resources and guidance for schools in the areas of philosophy and citizenship – including the Hodder series of text books for the A-Level Philosophy. He specialises in the teaching of controversial issues and has recently received funding from the Pears Foundation to continue to work with schools in responding to disinformation/conspiracy theories.

The classroom:  a safe or brave space?

This session will critically explore the idea of the classroom as a safe space for discussion and then articulate the emerging idea of the classroom as a brave space and what this might mean for teaching practice.

Jamie Swann – AQA Lead Examiner

Jamie will be taking us through how to approach teaching students to master the demands of the 25 mark essay in the philosophy A level 

Join us for a pint after the conference at the London Pub – 39 Woburn Pl, London WC1H 0LW

2026 Conference Tickets

Free Attendance – Thanks to the generous support of the Royal Institute of Philosophy we’re able to offer attendance at the APT 2026 Conference free of charge for philosophy educators. You can register for your place at the eventbrite page by following the link below

APT Conference 2026 Registration

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