Scene: A shared grad student office in a philosophy department, with piles of papers and a bike leaning against a wall. Young hotshot philosopher Jet(setter), reads a book and the second, older, scruffier Care(taker)y is working on a laptop. Carey makes a few clicks, emits a small shriek, and Jet looks up, intrigued.
Jet: Something good?
Carey: Yeah—I got invited to comment on a paper at the APA!
J: Nice! Congrats! Perfect timing, since you’re going on the market, right? Which APA?
C: It’s ours, the Pacific. It’s happening online next year.
J: Oh.
C: What?
J: Well, the online one isn’t…good. You don’t get much out of being online. It’s just a bunch of Zoom rooms.
C: So…should I say “no”?
J: Maybe. I dunno. The in-person ones are way more fun.
C: Well, for people who can get to them.
J: What do you mean?
C: Oh, just that there are some practical things for me. Taking time away from my kids is really hard, since my partner’s work schedule is all over the place. And APA meetings are expensive—I don’t think our department could fully reimburse me for it. I know some people can pay out of pocket, but I can’t.
J: You still have to pay the registration fee for the online one.
C: Yeah, but there’s no travel or hotel costs. It’d be a lot easier to be reimbursed if I was only asking for registration costs.
J: Fine. But $175 of department money for two hours of Zoom and one line on your CV?
C: I wouldn’t go for only my session. It looks like Patricia Churchland is giving the Dewey Lecture, and there are sessions on some of my favorite topics, like gaslighting, loneliness, and Daoism. There’s even going to be a symposium on the ethics of online conferences…Then there’s the Teaching Hub, the Climate Hub, and some socializing events using Gathertown—which is pretty fun. I think you get a wider range of philosophers at these, since it loops in people who can’t travel. It’s a chance to do some networking, especially with people overseas.
J: Maybe. But the best networking is always over beer.
C: Uh, for people who drink and can travel to the Pacific, sure. But what about everyone else? Travel these days is…complicated for some people. And what about philosophers who limit their travel to cut their carbon emissions?
J: That’s a thing, sure. Philosophers do seem to fly a lot, and I imagine an APA meeting makes for a lot of flights. Still, I wouldn’t sign up for a virtual one.
C: That’s fine. Next year a different division will meet virtually, and ours will be back to in-person meetings, so you can sign up then. Or you could go to one of the other two divisions, which will hold in-person meetings next year.
J: I guess that’s all right—people like me who can’t stand virtual conferences still get two out of every three APAs to do our thing.
C: Oh, also. They’ve got a “Watch Party” option—would you be into that?
J: What is it?
C: Something where departments or undergrad clubs can watch some sessions together—kind of like a Superbowl party for philosophers.
J: All right, yes. I could tune into that, especially if it involved food.
C: Definitely! We could use a party—things are kind of grim these days. We could make it a Bake Off or something.
J: Okay, cool. Let’s do it. And look, I just want to say: it’s great you got invited, and I can see how it makes sense for you and other people.
C: Thanks! I’m glad we talked!
The 2026 Pacific Division meeting will be held entirely online April 8 through April 12. Visit the meeting page to learn more about the virtual format and to register for the meeting.
Eric S. Godoy
Eric S. Godoy is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Illinois State University. He specializes in environmental philosophy, ethics, and social-political philosophy. He has recently published on divestment, dinosaur films, and dentists who hunt lions. His collaborative, transdisciplinary work on climate research has been cited by the IPCC. In his spare time, he makes and plays both music and board games.
Kian Mintz-Woo
Kian Mintz-Woo is a lecturer at the Department of Philosophy and an affiliate of the Environmental Research Institute at University College Cork. He was recently profiled by this blog.
yup. Explains why SAGP went to online, even though many would like in-person meetings.
Thanks for this, Tony! I hadn’t heard about SAGP’s decision. I help fun an online Schopenhauer working group that has been great – and that couldn’t possibly work in person.
Eric, Kian, and I are all believers in the importance of in-person events too. (I definitely need in-person interactions to stay motivated and up-to-date.) So we hope nobody thinks we’re advocating for getting rid of non-virtual conferences across the board.