Whisky and philosophy. Some might say that these two pastimes are better when enjoyed together. In this spirit we announce a call for abstracts that celebrates the relationship of whisky to philosophy and vice versa. The prospective book would be part of Blackwell’s “Epicurean Philosophy Series,” which includes Wine & Philosophy, Food & Philosophy, and Beer & Philosophy.
We are pleased to announce that all of these titles will be released in November of this year. The proposed volume, Whisk(e)y & Philosophy, would mark the second generation of this series. If you are interested in submitting work to this project, bear in mind that these books are meant to be accessible to the general public and so the essays are not designed to be overly technical. They can, however, incorporate serious philosophical reflection on the relationship between whisky and philosophy. We are open to suggestions for paper topics, but some general recommendations have been included below.
If you are interested in submitting work to this project, bear in mind that these books are meant to be accessible to the general public and so the essays are not designed to be overly technical. They can, however, incorporate serious philosophical reflection on the relationship between whisky and philosophy. We are open to suggestions for paper topics, but some general recommendations have been included below.
Please submit abstracts to whiskyphilosophy@gmail.com by December 1, 2007.
Suggestions for Abstract Topics
This list is by no means exhaustive, and your creativity is most welcome. Please feel free to develop your own proposal.
We are interested in contributions that would represent all relevant areas of philosophy: aesthetics, epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of language, ethics/politics, and so on. Below are some suggestions, though creativity is welcome:
- Are some whiskies better than others? If so, why?
- Can we rationally debate whisky preferences, or all they simply subjective?
- What is it like to drink whisky?
- Does the critic enjoy privileged access to features of whisky? If so, why?
- When we describe whisky, what are we doing? How do we do it?
- Is there vanilla and smoke in Scotch? What is the relationship between “whisky language” and whisky itself?
- Does presentation matter? Does it make any difference whether we use proper glassware?
- The “debate” over ice: does ice help open whisky up or just unnecessarily dilute something special?
- What role can whisky play in our lives? What sort of social and historical significance does it have?
- Whisky and identity: What do whiskies mean to the local communities that make them?
- What’s in a name?: Whisky, whiskey, and cultural identity.
- How do nationalities matter? What is the difference between American whisky, Scotch whisky, and Irish whiskey? Is any objectively better (or worse) than any other?
- Whisky and patriotism: Is it rational to prefer Bourbon to Scotch (or vice versa)?
- Whisky and Prohibition in America: A tough start.
- Do regions matter? Or does it just come down to taste?
- Islay versus Highlands: How much peat is too much?
- Does age matter, or is it just a state of mind?
- Whisky and Conglomerates: Why are most whiskies controlled by huge corporations? How does this affect whisky culture and quality?
Guidelines for Contributions
- Abstract of paper (approx. 250 words) submission deadline: December 1, 2007
- Acceptances will be issued December 15, 2007
- Submission deadline for completed papers will be in the Summer 2008
- Final papers should be approximately 5,000 words
- Abstracts should be submitted by e-mail to whiskyphilosophy@gmail.com
We are very excited about this project! Please feel free to contact us at whiskyphilosophy@gmail.com
Now this is a project I can get excited about.
Who's the "we," by the way?
It looks to be a fun little volume. I keep going up an down on whether I should submit one of the dozen ideas I have. I'm afraid I may be to busy this year.
The "we" are the co-editors Fritz Allhoff and Marcus Adams, both of whom are at your alma mater Western Michigan.
I'll have to get in touch with them. Bourbon needs an advocate in these Scotch-crazed times.