Dear All,
The next talk in the "Wittgenstein=steine" series is this Friday (June
13th) at 3pm in room NIG 3D.
The speaker is Konstantin Deininger, and his title is:
_"On the Material and Formal Aspects of (Moral) Certainty"_.
Abstract:
Does morality have a binding character in the sense that chains of
justification come to an end? In this talk, I will affirm this question
and argue that we can plausibly distinguish between formal and material
aspects of moral certainty. As a starting point, I will interpret
Wittgenstein's idea of "bedrock," introduced in §217 of the
Philosophical Investigations, as standing for the end of a chain of
reasoning. In doing so, I align with certain Wittgensteinian
interpreters who maintain that some chains of moral reasoning end with
certainty. However, I will arrive at deviating conclusions by
demonstrating that different kinds of moral certainties function in
different ways. Wittgensteinian scholars such as Cora Diamond and Nigel
Pleasants correctly identify the formal aspect of moral certainty,
showing that some propositions resist justification and doubt. However,
the candidates for formal certainties they propose do not fully satisfy
the criteria of certainty. This, I argue, is due to their failure to
adequately distinguish between the formal and material aspects of
certainty. Material certainties, such as Diamond's "slavery is unjust
and insupportable" or Pleasants' "killing is wrong," remain intelligible
to some extent and are thus subject to justification and doubt. Still,
these propositions function as regress stoppers by putting an end to the
chain of reasoning--but they do not mark the boundary of the
unintelligible as formal certainties do. Drawing on Wittgenstein's later
writings, I will argue that only formal certainties--which I refer to as
transcendental certainties--are entirely exempt from justification and
doubt. I identify the principle "equals are to be treated equally" as a
plausible candidate for transcendental certainty. This certainty is
foundational to moral reasoning and enables moral thought. I illustrate
its role through debates on justice in animal ethics.
Everybody welcome!
Best wishes from the organizers,
Esther Heinrich-Ramharter
Anja Weiberg
Martin Kusch
> *Summer School*
>
> *Call for Applications *
>
> *(Deadline: February 15, 2026)*
>
> **
>
> *24^th univie: summer school – Scientific World Conceptions (USS-SWC)*
>
> *GLOBAL HEALTH***
>
> *Vienna, July 6-10, 2026*
>
> *https://summerschool-ivc.univie.ac.at/*
>
> **
>
> *Course Description*
>
> ‘Global health’ has attracted wide attention. This program will
> explore this interdisciplinary topic from a variety different but
> interrelated perspectives. First, global health reveals significant
> health disparities: but what causes these, and which disparities are
> unjust and demand redress? How types of social oppression – such as,
> racism and heterosexism – relate to health injustices will be
> explored, alongside investigating the contentious role of advocacy in
> public health.
>
> Second, global health reveals dilemmas between individual rights and
> communal benefits. For example, clinical trials funded by Western
> pharmaceutical companies benefit and exploit participants in
> low-income countries; measures to control the spread of Covid-19
> protected and restricted individuals; and international differences in
> assisted dying legislation largely depend on how much a jurisdiction
> values individual autonomy. Such dilemmas are viewed through a
> philosophical bioethics/public health ethics lens.
>
> Third, global health will be explored from a sociological and
> humanistic perspective, emphasizing how health is shaped by global
> interdependencies, power relations, and cultural meanings. Moving
> beyond biomedical paradigms, the sociology of health can highlight the
> social, political, and epistemological dimensions of illness, care,
> and inequality. In addition, Graphic Medicine as an innovative visual
> and narrative approach to representing experiences of vulnerability
> and global crisis, will be introduced.
>
> *Topics*will be selected reflecting participants’ interests and may
> include:
>
> ·History of efforts to account for what causes public health
> disparities, and what makes a disparity an injustice/inequity in need
> of intervention
>
> ·Efforts to theorize how various types of social oppression relate to
> health injustices and the amelioration of those injustices
>
> ·Role of advocacy in public health, including limits on the roles of
> public health experts in crafting social policies around issues such
> as immigration and climate change
>
> ·Ethics of clinical trials by Western pharmaceutical companies that
> take place in low-income countries
>
> ·Justification for liberty-limiting measures to control the spread of
> Covid-19 around the globe
>
> ·International differences in forms of assisted dying and which, if
> any, are justifiable.
>
> ·The conceptual evolution from Public Health to One Health and
> Planetary Health, focusing on how sociological approaches reframe
> health as a relational and systemic phenomenon
>
> ·Postcolonial and decolonial perspectives, questioning how global
> health reproduces colonial hierarchies and epistemic injustices
>
> ·Visual storytelling: how comics and graphic narratives contribute to
> understanding emotional labour, care, and social inequality in health
>
> **
>
> **
>
> *Lecturers*:
>
> *Stephen Holland (University of York)*
>
> Stephen Holland is a Professor in the Departments of Philosophy and
> Health Sciences, University of York.
>
> Stephen’s main research interests are in ethics, including moral and
> political philosophy, bioethics, and public health ethics. As well as
> numerous articles, he is the author of ‘Bioethics: A Philosophical
> Introduction’ and ‘Public Health Ethics’, both published by Polity,
> and ‘Ethics and Governance of Public Health Information’, published by
> Rowman & Littlefield. He is currently working on a book on assisted
> dying, due to be published by Polity next year.
>
> *Veronica Moretti (University of Bologna)*
>
> Veronica Moretti is an Associate Professor at the University of
> Bologna and a member of the University Bioethics Committee. Her main
> research interests lie in the field of creative and participatory
> methods within the sociology of health and illness, and in the
> intersections between technology and human practices, with a specific
> emphasis on digital health theories.
>
> She is co-coordinator of the ESA Research Network 22 Sociology of Risk
> and Uncertainties, a board member of the European Society for Health
> and Medical Sociology (ESHMS), and one of the founders of Graphic
> Medicine Italia. Her latest publication, The Social Genre of Comics
> (Palgrave, 2025), investigates how comics can function as a social and
> epistemological genre within the humanities and social sciences.
>
> **
>
> **
>
> **
>
> *Sean A. Valles (Michigan State University)*
>
> Sean A. Valles, PhD, is Professor and Director of the Michigan State
> University Center for Bioethics and Social Justice and Director of
> Learning Environment for the College of Human Medicine.
>
> Dr. Valles is a philosopher of health specializing in the ethical and
> evidentiary complexities of how social contexts combine to create
> patterns of inequitable health disparities. His work includes studying
> the challenges of responsibly using race and ethnicity concepts in
> monitoring health disparities, scrutinizing the rhetoric of the
> COVID-19 pandemic as an ‘unprecedented’ problem that could not be
> prepared for, and examining how biomedicine meshes with public health
> and population health.
>
> Dr. Valles is author of the 2018 book “Philosophy of Population
> Health: Philosophy for a New Public Health Era.” He is also co-editor
> of the Oxford University Press book series "Bioethics for Social
> Justice.” Dr. Valles received his PhD in history and philosophy of
> science from Indiana University Bloomington.
>
> **
>
> *Application form and further information*:
>
> https://summerschool-ivc.univie.ac.at/application/
> <https://summerschool-ivc.univie.ac.at/application/>
>
> USS-SWC operates under the academic supervision of an International
> Program Committee of distinguished philosophers, historians, and
> scientists. Its members represent the scientific fields in the scope
> of USS-SWC, make contact to their home universities and will also
> support acknowledgement of courses taken by the students. The annual
> summer school is organised by the Institute Vienna Circle of the
> University of Vienna.
>
> https://wienerkreis.univie.ac.at/ <https://wienerkreis.univie.ac.at/>
>
> Find information about our exchange programme with Duke University (North
>
> Carolina) here:
>
> https://international.univie.ac.at/en/international-cooperation/university-…
> <https://international.univie.ac.at/en/international-cooperation/university-…>
>
> *Inquiries:*
>
> __
>
> _Administrator:_
>
> Zarah Weiss
>
> Institute Vienna Circle
>
> Alser Straße 23/32
>
> 1080 Wien
>
> summerschool.ivc(a)univie.ac.at <mailto:summerschool.ivc@univie.ac.at>
>
> _Scientific director:_
>
> Georg Schiemer
>
> Institute Vienna Circle
>
> Alser Straße 23/32
>
> 1080 Wien
>
> georg.schiemer(a)univie.ac.at <mailto:georg.schiemer@univie.ac.at>
>
>
CALL FOR POSTERS
International Conference
The Vienna Circle and Logical Empiricism - Research and Historiography
Organizers: Institute Vienna Circle, University of Vienna, and Vienna
Circle Society
Programme Committee: Esther Heinrich-Ramharter, Martin Kusch, Elisabeth
Nemeth,
Georg Schiemer (Co-Chair), Friedrich Stadler (Co-Chair)
Date: October 19-21, 2026
Location: Aula, Campus of the University of Vienna, Court 1
Research and publications on the Vienna Circle and Logical Empiricism
are growing and flourishing for decades. On the occasion of the 35th
anniversary of the Institute Vienna Circle and 90 years after the
assassination of Moritz Schlick, the founder of the Vienna Circle, it
seems reasonable to critically assess and re-evaluate the scholarly
output on the history and influence of the Vienna Circle as a collective
as well as of its individual members. The aim of this conference is to
focus on added values and novelties in research and publications as well
as from the perspective of theoretical sustainability. A special
attention is laid on archival sources with new results and on completed
and running research projects dealing with Carnap, Gödel, Neurath, and
Schlick, in addition to gender and migration studies.
Sections:
1. The Vienna Circle and Logical Empiricism as collective phenomena
2. Individual members: From Gustav Bergmann to Edgar Zilsel
3. The Philosophical Periphery: Einstein, Popper, Ramsey, Russell,
Wittgenstein etc.
4. The European Context: Berlin, Cambridge, Helsinki, Prague, Paris, Warsaw
5. The “Americanization” and Diaspora: Reception and Influence
6. The Gender Dimension: Women in/of Logical Empiricism
7. The Vienna Circle / Logical Empiricism in contemporary history of
philosophy of science, scientific and analytic philosophy
8. Neglected research topics and future perspectives
Workshop 1: Exhibitions and movies on the Vienna Cricle and its members
Workshop 2: Completes, running and planned Edition Projects (Carnap,
Gödel, Schlick …)
Workshop 3: Archives and Primary Sources, VALEP
Keynote speakers:
Juliet Floyd (Boston) 9th Arthur Pap Lecture 2026
Alan Richardson (Vancouver) Michael Friedman Memorial Lecture 2026
Jan von Plato (Helsinki) 34th Vienna Circle Lecture 2026
Confirmed speakers:
Francesca Biagioli (Turin), Anna Brożek (Warsaw), Hans-Joachim Dahms
(Berlin), Christian Damböck (Vienna), David Edmonds (London), Eva-Maria
Engelen (Berlin), Massimo Ferrari (Turin), Johannes Friedl (Graz),
Janette Friedrich (Geneva), Maria Carla Galavotti (Bologna), Michael
Heidelberger (Tübingen), Veronika Hofer (Wien), Ulf Höfer (Graz),Hannes
Leitgeb (Munich), Martin Lemke (Rostock), Alexander Linsbichler (Linz),
Christoph Limbeck-Lilienau (Vienna), Flavia Padovani (Philadelphia),
Günther Sandner (Vienna), Sahotra Sarkar (Austin), Christoph Schuringa
(London), Anne Siegetsleitner (Innsbruck), Karl Sigmund (Vienna),
Michael Stöltzner (Columbia, SC), Bastian Stoppelkamp (Wien), Marta
Sznajder (Vienna / Munich), Ádám T. Tuboly (Pécs), Sander Verhaegh
(Tilburg), Thomas Uebel (Manchester), Pierre Wagner (Paris)
CALL FOR POSTERS: Especially junior scholars are invited to send an
abstract (not more than 500 words) suitable for blind review, of the
proposed poster presentation in conjunction with one of the above listed
section topics latest by March 31, 2026, to:
Georg.Schiemer(a)univie.ac.at and Friedrich.Stadler(a)univie.ac.at
Notification date: April 30, 2026
The organizers will support submitters of accepted posters after
application with a certain amount for travel and/or accommodation
dependent on the final conference budget.
--
Friedrich Stadler
Professor for History and Philosophy of Science, University of Vienna, ret.
Institute Vienna Circle (Permanent Fellow) https://wienerkreis.univie.ac.at/
Vienna Circle Society (Director) http://www.univie.ac.at/vcs/
Forum Contemporary History of the University of Vienna https://forum-zeitgeschichte.univie.ac.at/
Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society (Former President, Consultant) http://www.alws.at
Turin Academy of Sciences (Foreign Member) https://www.accademiadellescienze.it/accademia/soci/friedrich-stadler
Email: Friedrich.Stadler(a)univie.ac.at, Postal Address: Universität Wien, Universitätscampus, Hof 1.13, Spitalgasse 2, 1090 Wien, Austria
Personal Website: https://vcs.univie.ac.at/stadler/FS_short.pdf
by Initiative to Support Women in Academic Philosophy
Dear all,
we hope that you are looking as much forward to the next semester as we
are!
We are happy to announce the date, time and venue for the next UPSalon
Stammtisch: Wednesday, 18.3.2026, 19:00 at Café Weingartner
(Goldschlagstraße 6).
UPSalon are a group of students, doctoral and post-doctoral researchers
at the department of philosophy; the initiative aims at creating a space
and community in Vienna where underrepresented philosophers - such as
women, trans, inter and non-binary persons, BIPOC, socioeconomically
disadvantaged people, queer people, and people with disabilities - can
connect on a regular basis at events and informal gatherings.
We are looking forward to resuming the conversations we had at our last
meeting in January, and are happy about new people who want to join.
We also want to remind you that our first event of next semester, the
Trans*Formations talk by Anna Klieber, will take place on Monday, 23.3.,
18:30-20:00 at HS 3F, NIG. Please find the event description below and
the poster attached.
Looking forward to seeing you there too!
With all the best,
UPSalon
------
EINLADUNG zum
Trans*Formations Vortrag von Dr. Anna Klieber, Cardiff University
23.3. 2026, 18:30-20:00, HS 3F
„Sich einen Namen machen": trans Namensfindung und Namensgebung als
subversive linguistische Praktiken
Abstract: In diesem Vortrag argumentiere ich, dass
geschlechtsspezifische Namensgebung eine sozio-linguistische Praktik
darstellt, die Individuen im sozialen Raum _verortet_. Diese Verortungen
passieren in den häufigsten Fällen entlang cis-normativer Vorstellungen
zu Geschlecht: Namentliche Einteilung erfolgt entlang binärer,
geschlechtsspezifischer Schemata, Benannte haben selten
Entscheidungskraft über ihren Namen. In vielen Gesellschaften trägt der
gegebene Name mitunter die Funktion, Geschlechtszugehörigkeit nach außen
zu kommunizieren. Namensänderungen in der trans Community stellen
demnach _linguistische Neuverortungen_ dar, die, angesichts der
cis-normativen Namensgebungspraktiken unserer Gesellschaft, subversives
Potenzial haben können. Dies wird insbesondere dann deutlich, wenn wir
diese Namensgebungen aus Perspektive der trans Community selbst
betrachten, jenseits des Interpretationsrahmens des cis-normativen
Mainstreams. Ziel meines Vortrages ist es aufzuzeigen, dass der
subversive Charakter von Namensgebung im trans Community Kontext sowohl
aus der Wiedererlangung jener Autorität stammt, die Benannten
normalerweise nicht zugestanden wird, als auch in einer
Neuinterpretation der Einschränkungen, die von cis-normativen
Namensgebungspraktiken vorgeschrieben werden.
Bio: Dr. Klieber forscht in den Bereichen feministische, soziale und
politische Sprachphilosophie, trans Philosophie, und
Sozialepistemologie, sowie den Überschneidungen dieser Bereiche. Vor der
Dozentur in Cardiff studierte Dr. Klieber an der Karl-Franzens
Universität Graz (BA und MA) und der University of Sheffield (Doktorat).
Nach dem Vortrag wird es ein Q & A sowie Snacks und Getränke geben!
Wir freuen auch sehr auf die drei weiteren Veranstaltungen der
Trans*Formations Reihe im SS 2026:
Den Cognitive-Science Vortrag von Luana Pesarini (Universität Frankfurt)
am 30.4.2026, eine Veranstaltung mit Fokus auf Law & Gender Mitte Mai,
und im Juni einen feierlichen Semesterabschluss zum Thema Gender
Euphoria, für den wir bereits Quill Kukla (Georgetown University), Eric
A. Stanley (University of California, Berkeley), Luce deLire (Humboldt
Universität zu Berlin) und Tris Hedges (University of Copenhagen) als
Vortragende gewinnen konnten. Bei unseren früheren Veranstaltungen
durften wir Luce deLire [1], Alyosxa Tudor [2], Eric Llaveria Caselles
[3], Emelia Stanley, [4] Emma Heaney [5], Juliana Gleeson, [6] Gen
Eickers & Sigmond Richli [7] und Jonah I. Garde [8] am Institut für
Philosophie begrüßen.
Wir freuen uns über die Weiterleitung dieser Einladung an Interessierte
und danken Noah [9] für die Illustration am Poster!
Mit lieben Grüßen,
das Trans*Formations Orga Team
Links:
------
[1]
https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/en/news-events/nachrichten-news-events/det…
[2]
https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/news-events/nachrichten-news-events/detail…
[3]
https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/news-events/nachrichten-news-events/detail…
[4]
https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/news-events/nachrichten-news-events/detail…
[5]
https://lists.philo.at/hyperkitty/list/news@lists.philo.at/thread/GIUSVC6TO…
[6]
https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/news-events/nachrichten-news-events/detail…
[7]
https://urise.univie.ac.at/mod/booking/optionview.php?cmid=293&optionid…
[8]
https://lists.philo.at/hyperkitty/list/news@lists.philo.at/thread/ZUJBVRNM7…
[9] https://www.instagram.com/p/DTP4qCJjFcG/
Dear all,
There will be a one-day workshop on Semantic Indecision next week on Thursday. Anyone interested is cordially invited to attend. The schedule, including titles and abstracts, is below.
Best,
Max.
KiC Workshop on Semantic Indecision
5 March 2026
Room 3A, NIG, Universitätsstr 7, 3rd floor
10–11.15 Bryan Pickel, Glasgow: "Immanent Interpretation”
11.30–12.45 Emelia Stanley, Vienna: "Formalising Open Texture"
lunch
14.15–15.30 Richard Lawrence, Vienna: "Sharp definitions of concepts and the chaos of experience"
15.45–17.00 Max Kölbel, Vienna: “A Conservative Approach to Semantic Indeterminacy”
17.15–18.30 John MacFarlane, Berkeley: TBA
Bryan Pickel, University of Glasgow (joint work with Derek Ball, University of St Andrews):
"Immanent Interpretation”
Abstract: Famous arguments purport to show that all, or a substantial fragment, of language is indeterminate in meaning. According to these arguments, if a speaker uses a sentence to express a proposition in a context, then an interpreter must (in principle at least) have more evidence favouring this proposition as the correct interpretation rather than rival interpretations. These arguments appeal to the claim that the interpreter or audience does not have sufficient evidence favouring one interpretation over its rivals. We show that these arguments fail because they ignore evidence that is available to interpreters – evidence that arises from the interpreters themselves as language users. But, our aim is not merely to rebut indeterminacy arguments. We construct a research strategy—immanent interpretation—for interpreters to meet the concerns of the proponents of indeterminacy arguments. We conclude by discussing important limitations on immanent interpretation.
Emelia Stanley, University of Vienna:
"Formalising Open Texture"
Abstract: Waismann’s (1947) notion of open texture captures a species of (non‐sorietal) semantic‐ and truth‐vagueness: that a concept can both apply and disapply to some given case, within a context of application. Noting that open texture resists characterisation in a classical framework, I present an original formalisation the notion. Using this model I then conjecture, contra Waismann, that open‐texture does not only occur in mathematics, but that it plays an indispensable role in characterising its epistemology, and particularly its resolution strategies for crises of non‐trivial disagreement.
Richard Lawrence, University of Vienna:
"Sharp definitions of concepts and the chaos of experience"
Abstract: Frege insists that, for logical purposes, concepts must be
sharply defined, and this assumption is now deeply embedded in our
contemporary approaches to semantics. Yet we have lost track of one of
the background assumptions of classical German philosophy which was part
of Frege's reason for that insistence: the idea that experience is
initially an unstructured chaos, on which we must impose structure by
actively seeking to grasp concepts in thought. I will argue that this
background played an important role in some of Frege's semantic ideas,
and that it is worth revisiting as we try to characterize phenomena like
vagueness.
Max Kölbel, University of Vienna:
“A Conservative Approach to Semantic Indeterminacy”
Abstract: So-called "felicitous underspecification" seems to be ubiquitous. Nevertheless communication succeeds effortlessly. A number of theorists (e.g. Viebahn, MacFarlane, King and others) have made proposals as to how semanticists should model this phenomenon. Some have proposed new-fangled semantic contents to do justice to the phenomenon. Others have offered pragmatic explanations of communicative success. In this talk, I want to draw attention to a third, more conservative approach that can at least in some cases be employed to explain what is going on.
John MacFarlane, University of California at Berkeley:
TBA
Guten Tag!
Wir möchten Sie über die folgende von Univ.-Doz. Mag. Mag. Dr.
<https://ufind.univie.ac.at/de/person.html?id=13985> Hisaki Hashi
organisierte Veranstaltung informieren:
***
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
Im Folgenden eine Information über die bevorstehende
Veranstaltung, organisiert durch den Verein für Komparative Philosophie und
Interdisziplinäre Billdung KoPhil.
Online Session zum Thema
Human Society and AI
How is our Co-Existence possible based on Irrefutable Truth and General
Good?
Friday, Febr. 27th, 2026, 10:15 AM 12.00 AM
Online by ZOOM univienna
Organized by KoPhil Vienna with The Japan Society for Global System and
Ethics
for a cooperative forum between Japan and EU countries
Information details please see the attached file (PDF)
https:// <http://www.kophil-interdis.at> www.kophil-interdis.at
Kooperation, Aktuelle Termine
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
KoPhil-Präsidium
<http://www.kophil.at> www.kophil.at
Dear all,
As the first spring blossoms begin to appear outside, we hope our philosophical projects can grow and flourish alongside them. To help you cultivate steady writing habits and enjoy a supportive academic community, we warmly invite you to our weekly Writing Evenings.
What: VDP Writing Evenings — dedicated time for focused writing and reading
Who: Open to Philosophy MA, PhD, Postdocs, and anyone in between
When: Every Monday, 14:00–18:00, starting 2 March 2026
Where: Room 3A, NIG, Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Vienna
Registration: Not required — just come by. If you can’t make it exactly at 14:00, that’s no problem; we only ask that you join at a full hour to avoid interrupting the focused writing phases.
How it works:
• Focused 50‑minute writing sprints with short breaks
• A regular weekly date to help you develop sustainable writing habits and a chance to meet your colleagues and develop a community
• Snacks provided by the VDP
Come for the structure, stay for the snacks. We look forward to writing with you throughout the summer semester.
Warmly,
Lukas, Raphael, Isis, Leah and Sebastian
Dear all,
we are pleased to announce the first talk in our online seminar series titled “Abstraction, Structures and Proofs”.
Our first meeting is scheduled for 24 February at 18:00 CET, and we are honoured to begin with a talk by Stewart Shapiro (Ohio State University).
If you are interested in attending, please write to ludovica.conti(a)univie.ac.at <mailto:ludovica.conti@univie.ac.at> or antpiccdarag(a)gmail.com <mailto:antpiccdarag@gmail.com> .
This seminar is part of a series of events jointly organised by the University of Wien (Ludovica Conti, Georg Schiemer) and the University of Tübingen (Antonio Piccolomini d'Aragona). Further details can be found on the project website, accessible via this link: https://sites.google.com/view/wientuebingen/wien .
Hope to see you online soon!
Best regards,
Georg and Ludovica
*Trust & Cooperation – Vienna Summer School 2026*
Accepting applications until March 31!
**
*Confirmed instructors:*
Leah Henderson <https://lhenderson.org/> (University of Groningen),
Benjamin McMyler
<https://philpeople.org/profiles/benjamin-mcmyler> (University of
Minnesota),
Kieran Oberman <https://www.lse.ac.uk/people/kieran-oberman> (The London
School of Economics and Political Science),
*
*
*Guest speakers:*
Keith Harris
<https://www.knowledgeincrisis.com/people/keith-harris>(University of
Vienna)
more to be confirmed!
*dates: *July 13–July 17, 2026**
*deadline*: March 31, 2026 (see below for further details)
*location*: Neues Institutsgebäude (NIG), Universitätstrasse 7, 1010
Wien, Department of Philosophy, University of Vienna
<https://www.univie.ac.at/en>, Austria
*Call for Participation*
Over the course of five days participants will have the opportunity to
engage with renowned experts in discussions on the topic of *trust and
cooperation* on the interpersonal and institutional level, as well as
within the contexts of *climate change* and *immigration*.
Trustandcooperationhavebecomefrontandcenterissuesintoday’sworld.Thenatureofglobal
challenges -fromrefugeesseekingasylumtotheecological
crisesofclimatechangeandbiodiversityloss-renderscooperationevermorecrucialtoovercoming
them. Key questions revolve around the nature of trust and the nature of
cooperation respectively, as well as around the relationship between
trust and cooperation, intersecting the fields of social and political
philosophy, as well as applied ethics and political epistemology.
We welcome applications from PhD students (prioritized), advanced MA
students and postdoctoral researchers in philosophy and related
disciplines.
Participants will explore current research in these fields, attend
keynote lectures, thematic discussions and interactive workshops, as
well as present their own work, and receive valuable feedback from
invited scholars. The goal of this Summer School is to provide doctoral
students with direct access to leading researchers whose work—whether
directly or indirectly—relates to these themes.
*Application & Fees*
We welcome applications from PhD students (prioritized), advanced MA
students and postdoctoral researchers in philosophy and related
disciplines. Two modes of participation are possible: 1) attendance, 2)
presentation – if they would also like to give a presentation.
To apply for participation, please send the following documents to
Joachim Raich (joachim.raich(a)univie.ac.at):
1. Curriculum Vitae (max. 2 pages)
2. Statement of Purpose (no longer than 1 page), explaining the
relevance of the summer school to your study, research, teaching
and/or other professional work.
3. Statement of Financial Aid (optional). We can offer limited partial
financial support (including the coverage of the school fees) to the
participants whose home institutions cannot cover their expenses. We
therefore ask the applicants who wish to be considered for funding
to briefly describe their situation in the statement.
4. Abstract (optional; max. 250 words). If you would like to present
your work at the summer school, please send us a short abstract of
your presentation. The presentations should be related in a
significant manner to the themes of trust and/or cooperation (from
any philosophical perspective) and should be about 20 minutes long
to leave enough time for discussions. Since the number of slots for
student presentations is limited, this will help us decide on how to
allocate them.
The maximum number of participants at the summer school will be 25.
The *summer school fee is 75 Euros*. The fee includes the student union
fee of 25 Euros, which is required by Austrian law to register at the
University of Vienna and to receive a certificate of completion of the
summer school.
Please, *submit your application by March 31, 23.59 CET*.
*Contact Email: **joachim.raich(a)univie.ac.at*
We will notify you of the decision by April 16.
Diversity Statement
*We strongly encourage applications from members of disadvantaged and
underrepresented groups. *
Organizing Committee
*Chiara Dankl
Ali Emre Benli
Eva Hijlkema
Joachim Raich*
The VDP Summer School 2025 is funded by the Vienna Doctoral School of
Philosophy (University of Vienna).
Visit the website for more information!
<https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/news-events/nachrichten-news-events/detail…>
Dear all,
You are gladly invited to the following conference that I am organizing with
Madalina Guzun-Masoud (Tübingen) on behalf of the WiGiP and GiP. Further
details regarding the program, the abstracts, and the speakers' bios can be
found attached. Registration is not necessary, and the admission is free.
Best regards,
Madalina Diaconu
10th Vienna Forum for Intercultural Philosophy
Everyday Aesthetics and Everydayness from an Intercultural Perspective
27 February - 1 March 2026
Otto Mauer Zentrum, Währingerstraße 2-4, 1090 Vienna
Friday, 27 February 2026
9:15 - 9:30 Conference opening: Mădălina Diaconu and Mădălina Guzun Masoud
9:30 - 10:30 Keynote Yuriko Saito: Aesthetic Challenges to Consumerism:
Learning from Japanese Folk Beliefs and Practices
10:30 - 10:40 Break
10:40 - 11.20 Bianca Boteva-Richter: The Perfection of Imperfection, or
Another Idea of Beauty - Some Reflections on Japanese Everyday Aesthetics
11:20 - 12:00 Francesca Greco: From the Tea House to Your House. The
Circular Relationality of Aesthetic and Everydayness
12:00 - 12:15 Break
12:15 - 12:55 Paulus Kaufmann: Situational Japanese Aesthetics
14:30 - 15:10 Maddalena Borsato: What Aesthetics for the Shokunin's
Practice?
15:10 - 15:50 Anna Zschauer: The Janus-faced Japanese Everyday Aesthetic,
or: Does It Work When It's a Brand?
15:50 - 16:05 Break
16:05 - 16:45 Lorenzo Marinucci: Kawaii and Phenomenology
16:45 - 17:25 Dario Vuger: On Beauty of Infrastructures: Simondonean
Aesthetics and the Japanese Everyday
Saturday, 28 February 2026
9:30 - 10:30 Keynote Arto Haapala: Aesthetics of the Ordinary and the
Everyday
10:30 - 10:40 Break
10:40 - 11:20 Leo Marko: A Faint Frame: The Aesthetics of Swedish Fika and
the Question of Its Uniqueness
11:20 - 12:00 Lenka Lee: The Aesthetics of Attentiveness: Central European
Beekeeping and Interspecies Relations
12:00 - 12:15 Break
12:15 - 12:55 Rosa Fernández Gómez: Playfully Engaging the Everyday: The
Rasa of Life in Kashmir Shaivism
14:30 - 15:10 Elisabetta Di Stefano: Frugality and Humility: Categories of
Measure for an Intercultural Everyday Aesthetics
15:10 - 15:50 Nicola Ramazzotto: Beyond Pleasure: Pain and the
Transformation of Everyday Aesthetics
15:50 - 16:05 Break
16:05 - 16:45 Mao Matsuyama: Comparative Study of Aesthetic Care Theory and
Salutogenesis: The Entanglement of Aesthetic and Ethical Values in Everyday
Life
16:45 - 17:25 Washington Morales-Maciel, Marcos Rostan Davyt: Imagining Use:
Experiential Knowledge and Cultural Frameworks in Everyday Design Aesthetics
Sunday, 1 March 2026
9:30 - 10:10 Matti Tainio: From Specified Aesthetics of Everyday Life and
Art towards a General Aesthetics. An Inquiry at the Boundaries of Art and
Non-Art
10:10 - 10:50 Sara Borriello: Weather, Atmospheres, and Everyday Life:
Towards an Integrated Framework for Aesthetic Inquiry
10:50 - 11:05 Break
11:05 - 11:45 Marcos Rostan Davyt, Nahuel Roel Aspée: The Everyday and the
Exceptional: Two Environmental Controversies in Uruguay
11:45 - 12:00 Final discussion
Dr. Dr. Mădălina Diaconu, Privatdoz. MA
Universität Wien
Institut für Philosophie
Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Wien
Institut für Romanistik
UniCampus Hof 8, Spitalgasse 2, 1090 Wien
<http://homepage.univie.ac.at/madalina.diaconu>
http://homepage.univie.ac.at/madalina.diaconu