The Philosophers' Cocoon

7 responses to “It’s a Wrap! The First Annual Philosopher’ Cocoon Philosophy Conference”

1. Martin Vacek

   October 20, 2013

   Yeah, following Marcus’s post I must just agree. We all had a great time and I hope we meet next year. Great job Marcus!

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2. elisa freschi

   October 21, 2013

   Great work, Marcus, and it’s nice to see how relaxed the atmosphere looks like.
   May I ask you for more details? E.g., how good did the skype presentations worked (we have been thinking about allowing them in our Coffee Break Conferences for a long time, but always refuted to, due to the fact that they seem to make lively discussions less easy and smooth, especially after the skype-presenter’s paper is over). And what about the two parallel sessions?
   Congratulations again!

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3. Marcus Arvan

   October 21, 2013

   Thanks Martin!
   Elisa: thanks! I think the Skype presentations were awesome. Truth be told, I was super worried about how they would turn out before the conference (I was worried they were going to be disasters). But, honestly — and surprisingly — they worked like a charm! There were almost no technical issues (besides a word or two cutting out here or there), and the discussions really went on just like the person was there in the room. Honestly, I’m shocked at just how well it worked. The skype sessions really weren’t substantially different than normal, in-person sessions.
   In terms of the parallel sessions, I was a bit worried about that as well, as the conference was quite small. But, luckily, I think that turned out great as well. Although the sessions were small (anywhere between 5-12 persons present per session), the discussions were really lively and convivial, and I don’t think anyone felt like the sessions were “too small.” On the contrary, several people noted how much they liked it (it gave the sessions something of a “workshop” feel).
   In one respect, I think it was probably better than having one session at a time. Sometimes if people are forced to sit through sessions outside their AOS, they get bored, tune-out, ask silly questions, etc. I think the M&E people thought it was cool to have an “M&E Room” and the ethics/political people found it cool to have a “Value Theory” room. Of course, these are mostly just my impressions, but the feedback I’ve received from participants coheres with them. Finally, I think there were enough people moving back and forth between the two rooms that it didn’t feel like two separate groups of people. Everyone interacted and got along splendidly!

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4. Elisa Freschi

   October 22, 2013

   Marcus, I am happy that everything worked so well. It came to my mind that I cannot remember how you organised the presentations. Was it 30′ speech + discussant + open questions?

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5. David Morrow

   October 22, 2013

   Many thanks to Marcus for organizing a great conference! It’s a ton of work to put a conference together, and you pulled it off beautifully, Marcus.
   As a Skype presenter, I can attest that the Skype presentation worked very well from my perspective.

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6. Moti Mizrahi

   October 22, 2013

   I’d like to join the heaping of praise on Marcus. Like David, I have participated via Skype without any problems at all. I hope that more philosophy conferences will add a Skype option for those who cannot attend in person.

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7. elisa freschi

   October 23, 2013

   David and Moti: Have you been able to participate also to some other parts of the conference beyond your single paper? If so, how did Marcus make it possible?

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