Philosophy Undergraduate Research Conference

Friday March 13, 2026, 9:00 am – 5:15 pm, JHB 418

It’s that time of year again! Join us for exciting debates and new ideas in undergraduate philosophy scholarship at the 2026 Undergraduate Philosophy Research Conference. Expect a full day of insight, discussion, and community.

This year’s keynote speaker is Arianna Falbo (TMU), who will be speaking at 3:45 PM on Friday March 13, 2026. Dr. Falbo’s research focuses on inquiry, with areas of expertise in epistemology, feminist and social philosophy, and philosophy of language.

Undergraduate Philosophy Research Conference 2026 Schedule

All talks will be held in JHB 418

8.30-9.00: Coffee, Tea, and Pastries

9.00-10.00: Session One

• Xinyue Ji “From Emptiness to Praxis: Chan as the Performative Realization of Madhyamaka”
• Ayesha Noon: “When Meaning Bursts Forth All at Once: A Look into and Refutation of Bhartrhari’s Theory of the Sentence and Its Meaning as Indivisible Units”

10.00-11.00: Session Two

• Jack Lamon: “The Probability of Yes: Equiprobability as a Necessary Condition for Agency & Consent”
• Arion Okubo: “What if the Deceived Businessman Finds Out?”

11.00-11.15: Break                                                           

11.15-12.15: Session Three

• Sofia McTaggart: “Partless Temporal Extension: In Defense of Simplism”
• Willow Macdonald: “Kant Against Fundamental Mereology”

12:15-12:45: Lunch

12.45-2.15: Session Four

• Sarah Morra: “For the Greater Good Me: An Exploration of the Dichotomy Between Hubris and Humility in Civic Life”
• Santiago Alzamora Goller: “International Students & Free Speech in the Age of the Internet”
• Nathaniel Dickie: “Equality versus Choice: A Defense of Educational Adequacy and Community Self-Determination”

2.15-2.30: Break

2.30-3.30: Session Five

• Chi Zhang: “The Skeptic and the Dogmatist about Induction”
• Oleksii Varlamov: “Why Moral Skepticism Does Not Entail Normative Skepticism”

3.30-3.45: Break

3.45-5.15: Keynote Presentation

• Arianna Falbo (TMU): “Shouldn’t Have Inquired?”