- HPS_EST - Philosophy bulletin board

What are we even doing? Metaphilosophical Conversations II (June 5, 5 - 7 PM)

by Piet Fritz Pankratz

Dear all, We are pleased to invite you to an event on metaphilosophy: What are we even doing? Metaphilosophical Conversations II. The event aims to explore fundamental questions concerning the methods, topics, and scopes of philosophical inquiry. Speakers: Maria Kronfeldner (CEU) Donata Romizi (University of Vienna) Thomas Ballhausen (Pädagogische Hochschule Wien) Where? HS 3D, NIG, University of Vienna (Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria) When? Friday, June 5, 2026, 5 - 7 PM Description: Metaphilosophy critically examines what philosophy is, how it is practiced, and what its broader societal implications are. In line with these thoughts, we seek to engage in a reflective discourse on the boundaries of philosophical activity, the ways in which philosophy is conducted, and its intersections with artistic and political practices. At best, our conversations will reveal sides and aspects of philosophy that fundamentally challenge our conceptions of the discipline. Aims and Scope of the Conversation: This event will serve as a platform to interrogate the traditional contours of philosophizing and its potential evolution. Some key topics we aim to explore include: The boundaries of philosophy: What are the realms of philosophy? When or where does a practice cease to be philosophical? And where does a practice that is not classified as philosophical enter into the realms of philosophy? The role of artistic and political methodologies in philosophy: Can literary expression, political activism, or artistic experimentation serve as valid and/or productive forms of philosophical inquiry? The limitations of academic structures: How do restrictive institutional frameworks shape, or hinder, philosophical activity? The inclusivity of philosophical discourse: Who are we willing to perceive as a philosopher? By examining these questions, we aspire to develop a more nuanced, and perhaps even messier understanding of what it means to engage in philosophical thought and discourse. As a salon for underrepresented philosophers, UPsalon seeks to create an open and inclusive space for philosophical engagement beyond conventional academic constraints. The very impetus for this event arises from our core mission: to challenge the restrictive frames that often define what philosophy is and who gets to participate in it. Traditional academic structures tend to privilege certain voices while marginalizing others, limiting not only individual opportunities but also the richness of philosophical discourse itself. By fostering a space where unconventional approaches and perspectives can flourish, UPsalon aims to encourage richer participation in philosophy and facilitate discussions that extend beyond institutional boundaries. This event is an integral part of that effort — bringing together scholars who question, reimagine, and push the limits of what philosophy can be. All the best, Piet Fritz Pankratz and Mira Magdalena Sickinger for UPsalon

5 months, 1 week

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Trans*Formations: 15.5. with Jane Russell KC

by Flora Löffelmann

Dear All, we want to cordially invite you to the May Trans*Formations Event at the Philosophy Institute. For those who do not know the series: This talk and workshop series organized by a bunch of people from the Philosophy Department (BA, MA and PhD) provides insights into recent developments in trans* philosophizing. Thanks to the Vienna Doctoral School of Philosophy (VDP) [1] and queer@hochschulen [2] for their financial support! In the next talk, Jane Russell KC (Lawyer from London) will discuss her experiences with contemporary cases in UK law that deal with rights of trans* people. She will give insight into her practice, and reflect on anti-trans* presuppositions and British terfism that become evident in these court cases. The event will be in English! When: 15.5.2026, 16:00-17:30 Where: HS 3A, NIG (Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Wien) Trans* Exclusion in UK Courts A Talk by Jane Russell KC As a lawyer, Jane Russell KC has represented the interests of the British trans* community in some of the most high profile cases of the past decade: Bailey v Stonewall and Garden Court (2022), involving the co-founder of the prominent anti-trans lobbying group LGB Alliance; Forstater v CGD (2019), involving the founder of Sex Matters, and which established that "gender critical views" are protected as a 'philosophical belief' under the Equality Act 2010; recently, Peggie vs Fife Health Board and Dr. B Upton (2025), which considered whether a nurse had been subject to discrimination by virtue of being expected to share a changing room with a trans* colleague. With her legal expertise and personal insights into the fight for trans* rights inside the courtroom, Jane Russell is ideally placed to shed light on how powerful groups use the law to target trans* people, and how trans* rights can be protected by the court. There will be drinks & snacks and a Q&A after the talk! We are especially happy if those join the talk who are versed in the legal situation of trans* people in Austria, so we can have a fruitful discussion on similarities, differences, and possible strategies for action. But: no prior legal knowledge required!!! Please register here [3] and forward to everyone who could be interested! Looking forward to seeing you at the talk! The Trans*Formations Team and UPSalon - A Salon for Underrepresented Philosophers [4] P.S.: Here [5], you find a poster - you can also print it and hang at your own department! -- Flora Löffelmann, MA MA Department of Philosophy University of Vienna Pronouns: they/them (for more info see: https://www.mypronouns.org/what-and-why/) Happy about a gender neutral "hello"! Links: ------ [1] https://vd-philosophy.univie.ac.at/ [2] https://queer-at-hochschulen.org/ [3] https://urise.univie.ac.at/mod/booking/optionview.php?optionid=2719&cmi… [4] https://upsalon.univie.ac.at/ [5] https://www.swisstransfer.com/d/91476ae5-ecba-47db-8f24-1f62f30b62fd

6 months, 1 week

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Vienna STS Talk by Vololona Rabeharisoa

by Katrin Hackl

We are happy to invite you to our 6th talk of the Vienna STS Talk Series in 2026S: [cid:image001.png@01DCD254.2CD40310]<https://sts.univie.ac.at/en/news-events/details-news-events/news/vienna-sts…> Best wishes, Katrin Hackl Mag. Katrin Hackl Research Support & Communication Department of Science and Technology Studies University of Vienna Department of Science and Technology Studies Universitätsstraße 7 /II/ 6th floor (NIG), 1010 Vienna / Austria T +43-1-4277-49607 katrin.hackl(a)univie.ac.at<mailto:katrin.hackl@univie.ac.at>

6 months, 2 weeks

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Buchsymposium mit Jan Völker zu Philosophie und Raumfahrt am 21. Mai in NIG 2H

by Miguel de la Riva

Liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen, während Artemis 2 nach der Umkreisung des Mondes zur Erde zurückfliegt möchten Ralf Gisinger und ich Sie herzlich zu einem Buchsymposium zu Philosophie und Raumfahrt am 21. Mai in NIG 2H einladen. In einem fachübergreifenden Workshop möchten wir mit Jan Völker über seinen 2025 bei Matthes & Seitz erschienenen Essay "Ein Weltall des Kapitals: Die Überwindung der terrestrischen Vernunft" diskutieren. Völker ist seit dem Wintersemester Professor an der Abteilung für Philosophie der Universität für angewandte Kunst. Sie finden im Anhang das Plakat zur Veranstaltung, ein detaillierteres Programm werden wir im Mai vor der Veranstaltung aussenden. PHILOSOPHIE UND RAUMFAHRT Symposium zu Jan Völkers Buch "Ein Weltall des Kapitals: Die Überwindung der terrestrischen Vernunft" (2025) Donnerstag, 21. Mai 2026, 14.00 – 18.30, NIG 2H Die Raumfahrt hat das Verständnis der Stellung des Menschen im Kosmos unwiderruflich verändert. Gagarin und Sputnik, Mondlandung und Erdfotografien waren wichtige Themen der Philosophie ihrer Zeit. Heute erlebt der Griff nach Mond und Sternen unter den Vorzeichen von kommerzieller Verwertbarkeit, neuer geopolitischer Rivalitäten und ökologischer Krisen eine Renaissance. In seinem neuen Essay wirft Jan Völker die Frage auf, ob sich damit der Abschied von einer terrestrischen Vernunft und dem Bild der Erde als unersetzlicher Heimstatt des Menschen ankündigt. Wir diskutieren darüber in einem fachübergreifenden Workshop, zu dem alle herzlich eingeladen sind. Vortragende: -- Prof. Dr. Alexandra Ganser, Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik -- Ralf Gisinger, Institut für Philosophie -- Assoz. Prof. Dr. Nina Klimburg-Witjes, Institut für Wissenschafts- und Technikforschung, ERC-Projekt „FutureSpace“ -- Miguel de la Riva, Institut für Philosophie -- Prof. Dr. Jan Völker, Abteilung für Philosophie, Universität für angewandte Kunst Mit besten Grüßen Miguel de la Riva & Ralf Gisinger -- Miguel de la Riva, M.A. Wissenschaftlicher Projektmitarbeiter Institut für Philosophie Universität Wien https://bsky.app/profile/m-de-la-riva.bsky.social

7 months

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Trans*Formations Talk Luana Pesarini, 30.4. 2026

by Flora Löffelmann

Dear All, please save the date for the next Trans*Formations Event at the Philosophy Institute. For those who do not know the series: This talk and workshop series organized by a bunch of people from the Philosophy Department (BA, MA and PhD) provides insights into recent developments in trans* philosophizing. Thanks to the Vienna Doctoral School of Philosophy (VDP) [1] and queer@hochschulen [2] for their financial support! In the next talk, Luana Pesarini (Goethe Universität Frankfurt) will discuss historical and contemporary theories of the neural basis of transness, and the presuppositions these studies rely on, from a trans/feminist science studies perspective. The next Event will be in English! When & Where: Thursday, 30.4.2026 - 18:00-19:30 at HS 3A, NIG (Universitätsstraße 7) The Trans Brain? History and Current Hypotheses on the Neural Basis of Transness Abstract: Against the background of contemporary debates about the supposed natural basis of sex/gender and the intersection of neurodivergence and transness, the lecture will turn to the history and contemporary theories of the neural basis of transness. Contemporary trans brain hypotheses rest on a whole array of presuppositions: The assumption that brains have a sex/gender; that this brain sex/gender can stand in opposition to the sex assigned at birth; that brain sex/gender develops in response to hormonal changes; that this development has a temporal threshold; and that one can discern transness from a trans-sexed/gendered brain - all of these conveyed through imaging technologies. To fan out the presuppositions that fuel contemporary theories of the neural basis of transness, the lecture will trace its history through the lens of trans/feminist science studies. Starting from theories about the natural bisexuality and plasticity of mammals and their eugenic interpretations at the beginning of the 20th century (Eugen Steinach, Paul Kammerer), the lecture will move through the early hypotheses about the neural basis of transness in the post-Second World War inception of trans medicine in the US (John Money, Robert Stoller, Harry Benjamin), to the first neuroimaging studies on transness in the 1990s and early 2000s, to finish with the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of transness in contemporary neuroscience and a discussion of its impacts on the lives of trans people. Neuronal explanations of transness certainly do not carry the same weight in the debates about the natural basis of sex/gender and transness as chromosomal explanations. Incidents such as the International Chess Federation's ban of trans women from the women's category, the European Society of Endocrinology's considerations about brain scans as "a useful tool for earlier identification of transgenderism in young people," and calls from neuroscientists to intervene in and prevent the development of transness in the brain nevertheless illustrate the current and potentially future power of such explanations over the lives of trans people. Bio: Luana Pesarini is a philosophy-trained sociologist specializing in feminist science and technology studies, theories of materiality, and trans feminism. She is currently working as a doctoral researcher in the German Research Foundation-funded RTG "Fixing Futures. Technologies of Anticipation in Contemporary Societies" at Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany. There will be a Q&A after the talk, as well as snacks and drinks! Please also save the date for the next Trans*Formations Events: A talk on Law and Gender by UK barrister Jane Russell on 15.5., and a full-day event with a focus on Gender Euphoria on 7.6. with, among others, talks by Quill Kukla (Georgetown University) and Eric A. Stanley (University of California, Berkeley). We are thankful to our previous Trans*Formations speakers: Luce deLire [3], Alyosxa Tudor [4], Eric Llaveria Caselles [5], Emelia Stanley, [6] Emma Heaney [7], Juliana Gleeson, [8] Gen Eickers & Sigmond Richli [9], Jonah I. Garde [10] and Anna Klieber [11]! We are looking forward to seeing you at the event, and happy if you forward this invitation and the attached poster to others who might be interested! With all the best, the Trans*Formations Team Links: ------ [1] https://vd-philosophy.univie.ac.at/ [2] https://queer-at-hochschulen.org/ [3] https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/en/news-events/nachrichten-news-events/det… [4] https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/news-events/nachrichten-news-events/detail… [5] https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/news-events/nachrichten-news-events/detail… [6] https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/news-events/nachrichten-news-events/detail… [7] https://lists.philo.at/hyperkitty/list/news@lists.philo.at/thread/GIUSVC6TO… [8] https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/news-events/nachrichten-news-events/detail… [9] https://urise.univie.ac.at/mod/booking/optionview.php?cmid=293&optionid… [10] https://lists.philo.at/hyperkitty/list/news@lists.philo.at/thread/ZUJBVRNM7… [11] https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/news-events/nachrichten-news-events/detail…

7 months

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Vienna STS Talk x INNORES Talk by Stephen Hilgartner

by Katrin Hackl

We are happy to invite you to our 5th talk of the Vienna STS Talk Series in 2026S: [cid:image001.png@01DCC124.DE8EDBC0]<https://sts.univie.ac.at/en/news-events/details-news-events/news/vienna-sts…> Best wishes, Katrin Hackl Mag. Katrin Hackl Research Support & Communication Department of Science and Technology Studies University of Vienna Department of Science and Technology Studies Universitätsstraße 7 /II/ 6th floor (NIG), 1010 Vienna / Austria T +43-1-4277-49607 katrin.hackl(a)univie.ac.at<mailto:katrin.hackl@univie.ac.at>

7 months, 1 week

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Vienna STS Talk x FutureSpace Talk by Anne Johnson

by Katrin Hackl

We are happy to invite you to our 4th talk of the Vienna STS Talk Series in 2026S: [cid:image001.png@01DCBD51.53C4F690]<https://sts.univie.ac.at/en/news-events/details-news-events/news/vienna-sts…> Best wishes, Katrin Hackl Mag. Katrin Hackl Research Support & Communication Department of Science and Technology Studies University of Vienna Department of Science and Technology Studies Universitätsstraße 7 /II/ 6th floor (NIG), 1010 Vienna / Austria T +43-1-4277-49607 katrin.hackl(a)univie.ac.at<mailto:katrin.hackl@univie.ac.at>

7 months, 1 week

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EST Master seminar

by Tarja Knuuttila

Dear EST Students, Are you thinking of doing the MA thesis in the near future? The EST MA program is offering an MA seminar this summer season. For the moment there are only 5 students in the seminar, and 1-2 more students are likely to come. If you do not yet have a clear idea for an MA thesis or a supervisor, this seminar will help you in starting your MA thesis project. Philosophy MA seminars tend to be crowded; in this MA seminar you will get more attention to your work. Grab the opportunity. The MA seminar is given by Dr. Nick Wiggershaus. He has a BA in physics (Dortmund), an MA in history and philosophy of science (Utrecht) and a PhD in philosophy (Lille). His PhD thesis concerned the ontology of computer programs, and it also dealt with philosophy of art, in addition to philosophical discussions of models, representation, and computational artefacts. Cheers! Tarja Prof. Tarja Knuuttila Department of Philosophy University of Vienna

7 months, 4 weeks

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Vienna STS Talk x FutureSpace Talk by Asif Siddiqi

by Katrin Hackl

We are happy to invite you to our 3th talk of the Vienna STS Talk Series in 2026S: [cid:image001.png@01DCA66C.16A3E1F0]<https://sts.univie.ac.at/en/news-events/details-news-events/news/vienna-sts…> Best wishes, Katrin Hackl Mag. Katrin Hackl Research Support & Communication Department of Science and Technology Studies University of Vienna Department of Science and Technology Studies Universitätsstraße 7 /II/ 6th floor (NIG), 1010 Vienna / Austria T +43-1-4277-49607 katrin.hackl(a)univie.ac.at<mailto:katrin.hackl@univie.ac.at>

8 months

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17. März 2026: Einladung zum Semesterauftakt Wissenschaftsgeschichte

by Anna Echterhölter

Liebe EST'ler:innen, wir hoffen, das neue Semester lässt sich gut an! Das Team Wissenschaftsgeschichte trifft sich nächste Woche Dienstag zu einem Semesterauftakt. Hier kann man sich einen Überblick verschaffen, woran die Dozent:innen aus der Wissenschaftsgeschichte derzeit schreiben und arbeiten. Im Anschluss ist Raum für einen Austausch, gerne auch über Anliegen aus dem EST. ***** *17. März 2026: In celebration of manuscripts -- Semesterauftakt Wissenschaftsgeschichte* Wo: Währingerstraße 29, SR 8 Wann: 11:30 bis 14:45 Uhr (Doppelveranstaltung) *Artikel und Buchprojekte:* Wir beginnen die Veranstaltung mit einem Austausch über unsere aktuelle Forschung. Mehrere Mitglieder des Teams Wissenschaftsgeschichte präsentieren Texte die gerade entstehen. *Brown bag lunch:* Wir haben Zeit für eine Mittagspause eingeplant. Das Format sieht vor, dass eigene Lebensmittel mitgebracht werden, gerne zum Teilen. *World café:* Im zweiten Teil der Veranstaltung gibt es die Möglichkeit, Themen und Fragen im Fachgebiet zu diskutieren, die dringend Aufmerksamkeit verdienen. Wir teilen uns in mehrere Diskussionsgruppen auf. Sie können gerne Ihre eigenen thematischen Gruppen vorschlagen. Es gibt bereits drei angemeldete thematische Gruppen, und es wird einen Tisch für (neue) Studierende des Scherpunkts Wissenschaftsgeschichte im MA Geschichte und im MA Epistemologien der Wissenschaft und Technik geben. Als Koordinatorin des Projektmoduls M4 möchte ich Ihnen einige hervorragende studentische Projekte der letzten Semester vorstellen und freue mich auf Ihre Meinungen und Rückmeldungen. Die Veranstaltung ist öffentlich: Bringen Sie gerne Freunde und Kolleg:innen mit. ******************************* *17 March 2026: In celebration of manuscripts -- Semesterauftakt Wissenschaftsgeschichte* Where: Währingerstraße 29, SR 8 When: 11.30 am to 14.45 pm (double session) *Papers and books in the making: *We will start into the teaching period with an exchange on our current research. Several members of the History of Science team present what is on their desks right now. *Brown bag lunch: *We have reserved some time for a lunch break. Please bring your own or even something to share. *World café:* In the second part of the session the floor is yours to discuss issues or topics you think need attention. We split into several discussion groups. Your own thematic groups are welcome and can be announced that day. There are three thematic groups already and there will be one table for (new) students of MA History/Epistemology of Science and Technology. As coordinator of the project module M4 I will give examples of some excellent student’s projects of recent semesters and would like to hear your thoughs and experiences on the programmes. This is an open session: feel free to bring friends and colleagues. Kind regards, also on behalf of Nils Güttler, Birgit Nemec and Sebastian Felten, Anna (Echterhölter) _______________________________ Anna Echterhölter Professor of History of Science University of Vienna Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies Department of History Universitätsring 1 1010 Vienna| Austria T + 43-1-4277-40 865 Predictive Practices <https://www.hsozkult.de/event/id/event-160852> -- Concluding conference of the VWS Project "How Is AI Changing Science” Co-Editor of Science in Context <https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/science-in-context> Member of DFG Network: Global Cultures of Enquête: Towards a Praxeology of Surveying (17th–21st Century) <https://enquete-cultures.org/publications/> Co-Spokesperson of the Key Research Area History of Science in Vienna <https://fsp-wissenschaftsgeschichte.univie.ac.at/>

8 months

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