- News - Philosophy bulletin board

by Martin Kusch

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

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Liz Camp: "Framing for Perspective: Tools for Making Meaning", Friday 26 June at 11h

by Max Kölbel

REMINDER You are cordially invited to the following visiting speaker talk: Fr, 26 June 2026, 11–12:30 Venue: Lecture Hall 'HS 42', Main Building, Second Floor (Stiege 7) Liz Camp (Rutgers): Framing for Perspective: Tools for Making Meaning Abstract: The world bombards us with information; in order to act, we must make sense of it. Philosophers typically construe such engagement as one of forming and assessing hypotheses or plans. But much of our epistemic and practical engagement with the world is more intuitive: we explore hunches and inclinations without being able to articulate exactly what these consist in. Getting to the point of even forming a hypothesis or disagreeing with an interlocutor requires deploying and refining a perspective: a complex disposition to selectively attend to, integrate, and respond to information, in virtue of a background of values and statistical assumptions. In order to explore and share perspectives, we often turn to frames: expressive devices like mantras, metaphors, and stories that encapsulate regulative principles for intuitive interpretation. Drawing on an analogy to perception, I identify three ways that the structure of perspectives differs from that of canonical propositional thought and talk, and illustrate the power of frames to guide rational inquiry and communication. ––––––––––––––––––––– Max Kölbel

4 months

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[Logik Café]: Marco Panza (Chapman University): "The Epistemic Economy of Mathematical Formal Definitions", Monday, 22.06.2026, 16:45-18:15

by Georg Schiemer

Dear all, This is a reminder for our next talk in the Logik Café colloquium: Monday, 22.06.2026, 16:45-18:15, Marco Panza (Chapman University) <https://www.chapman.edu/our-faculty/marco-panza.aspx>: "The Epistemic Economy of Mathematical Formal Definitions". Room 2H (C0224), 2. Stock am Institut für Philosophie <https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/i_philosophie/Orient…> The meeting will be held from 16:45-18:15 in seminar room 2H (C0224) <https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/i_philosophie/Orient…>; 2rd floor at the Department of Philosophy, Universitätsstrasse 7. Best wishes, Esther Heinrich Georg Schiemer

4 months

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Postponement of Today's FÖP Session

by VD Philosophy

Dear all, Unfortunately, we must postpone today's FÖP session. Our DSPL is currently on sick leave, and our vice-DSPL has prior professional commitments that prevent him from stepping in at short notice. We will contact the candidates and arrange an alternative date soon. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused. Best regards, Raphael Aybar -- Dr. Raphael Aybar, MA MSc. Scientific Coordinator Vienna Doctoral School of Philosophy University of Vienna Universitätsstraße 7, B0301 1010 Wien +43-1-4277-46020 https://vd-philosophy.univie.ac.at/ vd.philosophy(a)univie.ac.at

4 months

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Invitation to 15th WFAP Conference: "The Armchair on Trial: A Graduate Conference on Philosophical Methodology"

by Veronika Lassl

Dear all, the Vienna Forum for Analytic Philosophy (WFAP) is delighted to invite you to attend _The Armchair on Trial: A Graduate Conference on Philosophical Methodology_, taking place from July 9-11, 2026 at the Department of Philosophy, University of Vienna. This year's annual WFAP graduate conference brings together early-career and established researchers to explore the question: _How should philosophy be done?_ A central theme of the conference is the debate between traditional "armchair" approaches and empirically informed methodologies. The conference will feature discussions on naturalistic and experimental methods alongside more traditional philosophical approaches, including thought experiments, conceptual analysis, conceptual engineering, and formal methods. Together, these contributions will examine both the promises and the challenges of different ways of doing philosophy. Keynote Speakers We are especially pleased to welcome our keynote speakers: * HILARY KORNBLITH (University of Massachusetts Amherst) * JENNIFER NAGEL (University of Toronto) * CHRISTIAN NIMTZ (University of Bielefeld) Venue Department of Philosophy, University of Vienna Neues Institutsgebäude (NIG), 2nd Floor Rooms 2i & 2H Universitätsstraße 7 1010 Vienna, Austria Dates July 9-11, 2026 Format The conference will take place in person and is open to everyone. Registration is only required to participate in the social events (e.g. dinners). For more information on the program and the conference, visit: https://wfap.philo.at/conferences/armchair-on-trial/ For further questions, please contact: Veronika Lassl (veronika.lassl(a)univie.ac.at) We warmly invite students, graduate researchers, faculty members, and anyone interested in philosophical methodology to join us for three days of stimulating discussion and exchange. Kind regards on behalf of the Organizing Comittee, Veronika Lassl (Chairperson, WFAP) www.wfap.philo.at [1] Links: ------ [1] http://www.wfap.philo.at

4 months

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WORK IN PROGRESS: German Philosophy Workshop on June 26, 2026

by Sophia Danter

Liebe Kolleg*innen & Interessent*innen, wir möchten Sie herzlich zum folgenden Event am*26. Juni 2026*einladen: WORK IN PROGRESS: German Philosophy Workshop *Datum:*26. Juni 2026 von 10:00 Uhr bis 16:30 Uhr *Ort:*Department of Philosophy – University of Vienna Hörlgasse 6/8, 1090 Wien _*Mit Beiträgen von:*_ * Elisabeth Widmer * Leonard Weiß * Austin Wang * Katharina Kraus Der Workshop widmet sich Forschungsarbeiten mit besonderem Schwerpunkt auf Kant und der kantischen Tradition. Ziel der Veranstaltung ist es, laufende Projekte in einem offenen und konstruktiven Rahmen zu diskutieren und den wissenschaftlichen Austausch zu fördern. _Programm:_ *10:00–11:00 Uhr* *Leonard Weiß* /"You’ll Never Be Alone! Lotze on Being and Relations"/ (pre-read version available) *11:30–12:30 Uhr* *Elisabeth Widmer* /"Kant's Republic"/ (pre-read version available) *14:00–15:00 Uhr* *Austin Wang* /"The Place of Inner Sense in Kant’s Transcendental Philosophy"/ *15:30–16:30 Uhr* *Katharina Kraus* /"Kant on Empirical Truth, Fallibility, and the Progress of Inquiry"/ *18:00 Uhr - open end* Workshop Dinner *Organisiert von:*Univ.-Prof. Katharina Kraus, Ph.D. (Department of Philosophy – University of Vienna) *Anmeldung:*Bitte senden Sie Ihre Anmeldung an:sophia.danter@univie.ac.at Wir freuen uns auf Ihre Teilnahme und anregende Diskussionen! Mit besten Grüßen, /Univ.-Prof. Katharina Kraus, Ph.D. & Sophia Danter, B.Ed., M.A. Department of Philosophy University of Vienna/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dear Colleagues, we would like to cordially invite you to the following event on*June 26, 2026*: WORK IN PROGRESS: German Philosophy Workshop *Date:*June 26, 2026 - 10:00 AM to 04:30 PM *Location:*Department of Philosophy, University of Vienna Hörlgasse 6/8, 1090 Vienna _*With contributions from:*_ * Elisabeth Widmer * Leonard Weiß * Austin Wang * Katharina Kraus The workshop is dedicated to Kantian research and aims to promote scholarly exchange by providing an open and constructive setting for discussing ongoing projects. _Program:_ *10:00–11:00 am* *Leonard Weiß* /"You’ll Never Be Alone! Lotze on Being and Relations"/ (pre-read version available) *11:30 am–12:30 pm* *Elisabeth Widmer* /"Kant's Republic"/ (pre-read version available) *2:00–3:00 pm* *Austin Wang* /"The Place of Inner Sense in Kant’s Transcendental Philosophy"/ *3:30–4:30 pm* *Katharina Kraus* /"Kant on Empirical Truth, Fallibility, and the Progress of Inquiry"/ *6:00 pm - open end* Workshop Dinner *Organized by:*Prof. Katharina Kraus, Ph.D. (Department of Philosophy, University of Vienna) *Registration:*Please send your registration to:sophia.danter@univie.ac.at We look forward to your participation and stimulating discussions! With best regards, /Prof. Katharina Kraus, Ph.D. & Sophia Danter, B.Ed., M.A. Department of Philosophy University of Vienna/ / / Sophia Danter, BEd, MA Organisationsassistentin - Professur für die Philosophie der Aufklärung und der Moderne Institut für Philosophie Universität Wien Universitätsstraße 7 (NIG), 1010 Wien, Austria Raum: D0305

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Einladung zur Antrittsvorlesung von Univ.-Prof. Katharina Kraus am 18.06.

by Sophia Danter

Sehr geehrte* Interessent*innen, liebe Kolleg*innen, im Namen von Frau Univ.-Prof. Katharina Kraus, PhD möchte ich Sie herzlich zur Antrittsvorlesung an der Universität Wien einladen. Die Veranstaltung wird am 18. Juni 2026 um 16:00 Uhr im Großen Festsaal der Universität Wien stattfinden. Die genauen Details sowie das detaillierte Programm können der angehängten Einladung entnommen werden. Darüber hinaus wird die Veranstaltung von einer musikalischen Begleitung im Stil der Wiener Klassik und Moderne umrahmt. Mit freundlichen Grüßen, *Sophia Danter, BEd, MA * Organisationsassistentin - Professur für die Philosophie der Aufklärung und der Moderne Institut für Philosophie Universität Wien Universitätsstraße 7 (NIG), 1010 Wien, Austria Raum: D0305 *i. A. von Katharina Kraus* Univ.-Prof. Katharina Kraus, PhD Institut für Philosophie Universität Wien Universitätsstraße 7 (NIG), 1010 Wien, Austria Raum: A0328 Telefon: +43-1-4277-46460 Website: https://www.katharinatkraus.com

4 months

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Job advertisement: PhD candidate - research within the FWF-funded project "Mediation in Late Antique Neoplatonism and Christianity" (PI: Dr. Benedetto Neola)

by philosophie＠univie.ac.at

Dear Sir or Madam, We would like to inform you of the following job opening in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Vienna: PhD candidate - research within the FWF-funded project Mediation in Late Antique Neoplatonism and Christianity (PI: Dr. Benedetto Neola) Start date: September 1, 2026. Please see the attached file for more information. We warmly invite all interested individuals to apply for this position. We would also greatly appreciate it if you could share this information with potentially interested individuals in your network. Thank you in advance for your support! Kind regards, Katherina Krobath -- Institutskoordination Dipl.-Ing. Katherina Geneviève Krobath, BEd Andreas Wintersperger, MA <mailto:philosophie@univie.ac.at> philosophie(a)univie.ac.at +43(1)4277 46401 Institut für Philosophie Universitätsstraße 7, Raum A316 1010 Wien <https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/> https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/

4 months

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Einladung zur FöP am 17. Juni 2026 / Invitation to the FöP on 17 June 2026

by Isabel Maria Seelmann

Liebe alle, gerne laden wir zur nächsten Fakultätsöffentlichen Präsentation von Dissertationsprojekten (FöP) ein. Die Veranstaltung findet am Mittwoch, den 17. Juni 2026, um 13:15 Uhr im Sitzungszimmer Dekanat (B 0305 | NIG, 3. Stock) statt. PROGRAMM: 13:15 Uhr Aleksandra Kornienko, PhD MA Existential and Policy Challenges Posed by Novel Technologies: Genome Editing and Conversational AI Betreuung: Univ.-Prof. Tarja Knuuttila, MSc M.Soc.Sc PhD 13:45 Uhr Pedro Almeida Brandão, BA MA Transdomain Occurrence of the Same Formal Representations in Science Betreuung: Univ.-Prof. Tarja Knuuttila, MSc M.Soc.Sc PhD 14:15 Uhr Emils Zavelis, BA MA Non-Classical Metatheories for Non-Classical Logics Betreuung: Univ.-Prof. Mag. Mag. Dr. Georg Schiemer Im Anschluss an die Präsentationen wird es ein Catering geben, das von der Vienna Doctoral School of Philosophy (VDP) organisiert wird. Die FöP ist eine öffentliche Veranstaltung. Die Einladung kann gerne geteilt werden. Die Anzahl der Plätze im Sitzungszimmer Dekanat ist begrenzt. Wir freuen uns auf Ihre Teilnahme! Mit besten Grüßen Univ.-Prof. Dr. Benjamin Schnieder Studienprogrammleitung Doktoratsstudium Philosophie **** Dear all, We warmly invite you to the upcoming Faculty Public Presentation of Dissertation Projects (FöP). The event will take place on Wednesday, 17 June 2026, at 13:15 in the Sitzungszimmer Dekanat (B 0305 | NIG, 3rd floor). PROGRAMME: 13:15 Aleksandra Kornienko, PhD MA Existential and Policy Challenges Posed by Novel Technologies: Genome Editing and Conversational AI Supervisor: Univ.-Prof. Tarja Knuuttila, MSc M.Soc.Sc PhD 13:45 Pedro Almeida Brandão, BA MA Transdomain Occurrence of the Same Formal Representations in Science Supervisor: Univ.-Prof. Tarja Knuuttila, MSc M.Soc.Sc PhD 14:15 Emils Zavelis, BA MA Non-Classical Metatheories for Non-Classical Logics Supervisor: Univ.-Prof. Mag. Mag. Dr. Georg Schiemer A buffet reception will follow the presentations, kindly organized by the Vienna Doctoral School of Philosophy (VDP). The FöP is a public event. Please feel free to share this invitation with anyone who may be interested. Please note, however, that space in the Sitzungszimmer Dekanat is very limited. We look forward to your participation! Best wishes, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Benjamin Schnieder Director of the Doctoral Program in Philosophy

4 months, 1 week

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Kickoff-Workshop "Politics of Truth" (POLTRUTH), Fr 12.6.2026, 15:00-17:45 Uhr, NIG, 2. St., Multifunktionsraum

by Gerald Posselt

You are cordially invited to the Kickoff Workshop Politics of Truth (POLTRUTH): Rethinking Truth in a 'Post-Truth' World Fr 12.06.2026, 15:00-17:45 Multifunktionsraum, NIG, 2. Stock, Institut für Politikwissenschaft 15:00-15:15 Gerald Posselt (Uni Wien & ÖAW): Einführung 15:15-15:45 Monika Mokre (ÖAW): Input 15:45-16:15 Anna Wieder (Uni Wien): Input 16:15-16:45 Coffee Break 16:45-17:15 Richard Weißkopf (Uni Innsbruck) 17:15-17:45 Sergej Seitz (Uni Wien) Keine Anmeldung erforderlich. Organisation: Gerald Posselt - in collaboration with the Dep. of Philosophie, Dep. of Political Science, the Institute for Culture Studies (ÖAW), and the Critical Theories Network Funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) Project PAT2777025 Politics of Truth (POLTRUTH) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PD Dr. Gerald Posselt Department of Philosophy | University of Vienna Institute for Culture Studies | Austrian Academy of Sciences Austrian Science Fund (FWF) Project "Politics of Truth"<https://language.univie.ac.at/projects/>

4 months, 1 week

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