Such is the nature of questions the Australasian Association of Philosophy could ponder during a conference at the University of Wollongong this week.

Hundreds of philosophers from 15 countries have flocked to Wollongong for the six-day event, which will showcase more than 200 papers on everything from the ethics of extinction to teaching philosophy to schoolchildren.

Conference organiser Dr Patrick McGivern, who spent 18 months organising the event, said it aimed to forge a stronger connection between philosophy and public life.

"The Philosophy in School sessions is one pretty good example of that effort to branch out [into more public spheres] but we also have a number of topics scattered through the week including global ethics, women in philosophy and things like film and philosophy," the UOW lecturer said.

"There's another one on tracking and surveillance [which not only addresses] some straightforward, philosophical questions about knowledge and tracking, but also looks at things like surveillance online, surveillance on CCTV cameras and the impact surveillance has on our lives."

Yesterday's keynote speaker, Professor Galen Strawson, from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, spoke about real naturalism to a 200-strong audience.

The conference will continue until Friday.