The Diversity and Inclusiveness Beat is running a mini-series called “Why I Support the Virtual APA.” This post marks the second of four installments. The mini-series was organized by Colin Marshall, who serves as Program Chair for the 2026 Pacific APA.
Last year, during the Central APA, I was teaching at an institution that no longer had a philosophy major. In my Modern Philosophy class we had the unique opportunity to join a public session at the APA. None of these students could be philosophy majors at this institution even if they wanted. Yet, thanks to the 2+1 program, they could participate in the ISEE public panel on Indigenous Environmental Ethics. I know, I know—spending class time diverting from “Mad Madge” Cavendish to talk about contemporary environmental ethics? Not everyone would make that choice. However, this class had a great energy, and I thought they would enjoy seeing professional philosophers in action, even if it wasn’t a clear career path for them. (To be fair, I attempted to connect the panel to the Scala Naturae section we had covered in the class, so it wasn’t a complete non sequitur.)
And the students did enjoy it. When the panel opened up to questions, I asked the room if anyone had a question. A very philosophically engaged student did not disappoint. He took the stage and asked a question to the panel. As he introduced himself, the classroom cheered. After the question was asked and answered, microphone muted, the class cheered again. “Represent!” There was palpable pride and enthusiasm.
There are lots of reasons for pessimism and concern around the humanities and philosophy today. What will students do with a philosophy degree? How can we communicate the value of a liberal arts education to the general public? How can we demonstrate our value to skeptical administrators? There are also plenty of reasons that online conferences and events do not work for everyone. Why spend money on something where you must sit in front a screen for several hours? Why budget precious time for events that have tech issues which inevitably frustrate and raise one’s blood pressure? Why attend a conference online when some of the most memorable parts of the conference experience are the informal, unanticipated conversations can be less seamless in person?
I understand these concerns and the reasons folks have for choosing not to participate in online conferences. What is especially attractive about the 2+1 model is that it does not require everyone to move online. Philosophers who prefer in-person conferences can apply for and attend either (or both) of the other two in-person APA conferences any given year.
There are many professional and personal reasons why I prefer online conferences to ones that require extensive travel. Especially as a philosopher working in environmental ethics, justifying emissions for travel (not making this solely a personal responsibility issue rather than a systemic issue) is getting harder. The 2+1 model that the APA has been using makes navigating that personal concern easier, because I can choose to apply for and attend the online conference that year.
Many of the communities I frequent both in philosophy and adjacent to it are primarily online because the members are in disparate geographical locations. So, having a conference online for philosophy is not that different from my biweekly veterinary nonprofit meetings, quarterly plant studies steering committee check-ins, and Philosophers for Sustainability workshops.
Professionally, there are also funding issues. Historically I have worked as an adjunct or at teaching-centered institutions that either do not have much funding to travel for research or relatively low ability to fully fund multiple conferences in a year. While there is still a registration fee to support the logistics of the online conference, it is much less expensive overall than attending a conference in person.
Working at teaching-centered institutions, I feel more concerned about missing classes due to conferences than I did in more research-oriented positions. With online conferences, my students can participate in the conference, rather than needing to cancel class both for travel and participation in conferences.
Personally, while I loved travel in my younger years, as I’ve gotten older, travel is less attractive in the midst of stressful semesters and changes in my embodied experience. Traveling makes tight schedules tighter and physical limitations more prominent. Alternatively, online conferences cut out additional travel time and reduce the lead work I need to prepare for physically navigating new environments.
In a position specific to my home life, it is nearly impossible to find care for my elderly dog in my current household context (two-body necessitating long distance). I mention these things not because they are universal, but because they are important parts of my life that bear heavily on the practicality of traveling often and extensively.
The social aspect of philosophy is crucial to me. Community is what largely carried me through my Ph.D. and has supported my continued participation in academic philosophy. I love online conferences because not only can I more easily engage in this necessary part of my philosophical practice from my rural location, but also because I can bring my students into the conversation. They get to witness and participate in the social aspect of the work firsthand. And they don’t even have to be majors to experience it! Online conferences aren’t for everyone and don’t solve all of the access issues that we have in academic philosophy. But for some, they can be truly invaluable access points to a world they would otherwise not be able to access. And those of us who find joy in that world can receive the gift of sharing that with our students and other communities through online conferences.
Kate Brelje
Kate Brelje is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at St. Bonaventure University. She currently teaches Introduction to Ethics, Feminist Philosophy, and Environmental Ethics. Her current research is on ethics of care and plants.
