[Vdp] Seeking collaborators for organizing a VDP Summer School on "Science, Academic Freedom & Democracy"

Dear colleagues, when Raphael recently sent out the Call for Organizers for the VDP Summer School 2026 again (see below), the idea crossed my mind that it would be nice to organize something on the topic of "Science, Academic Freedom & Democracy". I am currently looking for colleagues from the VDP who would like to join and work as a team towards such a proposal. In case you are interested to take part in such an endeavour, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me. In my mind, there are at least three good reasons why "Science, Academic Freedom & Democracy" could be an interesting topic for a summer school: (1) It seems particularly timely considering the ongoing authoritarian assault on science and the academy in the United States and other countries. (2) It allows to bring together instructors and participants from different areas of philosophy (philosophy of science, political philosophy, epistemology, environmental ethics, ...) as well as different disciplines (philosophy, political science, STS, history of science, ...). (3) Internationally renowned guests could be brought together with people from Vienna, for there is already a lot of expertise on the topic present at our university (including the departments of philosophy, STS, political science, and history of science) as well as other academic institutions within the city (Austrian Academy of Sciences, Central European University, ...). There is no lack of possible ways in which the topic could be broken down, such that it allows people from different areas of philosophy to work together. To name just a few examples off the top of my head: -- Authoritarian assaults on science, past and present -- The nature and value of academic freedom within democracy -- Science denialism and contestation of expertise -- Academic activism and civil disobedience -- Democracy and climate change -- Science and Politics in the Vienna Circle -- ... Again, please do not hesitate to get in touch in case you would like to work on these or other related topics! In case there should in fact be a couple of people wanting to organize such a summer school I will try to set up a meeting as a group soon. About me: I am a PhD candidate supervised by Martin Kusch, working on a thesis in the area of History of Philosophy of Science, and I publish as a freelance journalist in media such as DerStandard, the FAZ or Ö1. With best wishes Miguel -- +43 670 186 89 60 https://bsky.app/profile/m-de-la-riva.bsky.social ---------- Weitergeleitete Nachricht ---------- Betreff: [Vdp] 2nd Call for Organizers: VDP Summer School 2026 - Deadline for applications: November 5th Datum: Freitag, 26. September 2025, 07:00:11 CEST Von: VD Philosophy via VDP <vdp(a)lists.philo.at> An: VDP Mailing List <vdp(a)lists.philo.at>at>, news(a)lists.philo.at, vdp- supervisors(a)lists.philo.at Dear all, The Vienna Doctoral School of Philosophy is seeking proposals for the sixth edition of its summer school, to take place in 2026. We're currently accepting proposals for organizing and leading our next year's Summer School. Deadline: 5 November 2025 23:59 (CET) Funding: The VDP will cover organizational costs for the conferences, as well as travel expenses for international and local instructors. How to apply? Interested parties should submit a proposal for the upcoming Summer School, which should not exceed 2-3 pages. The proposal should include: 1. Suggested title(s) 2. A description of the summer school 3. Target audience(s) (e.g., late master's students, PhD students, postdocs) 4. Dates 5. Organizing team, including VDP members, postdocs and faculty (ideally up to 4 to 5 members) 6. List of possible instructors 7. Description of the teaching formats (lectures, workshops, group discussions) and daily activities 8. A detailed budget plan (summer schools may charge a fee). VDP doctoral researchers must consult the Funding Request and Reimbursement Guidelines document when preparing this plan. Additionally, organizers are encouraged to seek additional funding. Who can apply? A team of VDP members (VDP doctoral researchers, and VDP supervisory and non-supervisory faculty). Submission Details Please ask questions or submit proposals in PDF format by email to vd.philosophy(a)univie.ac.at (Subject: "Summer School Proposal") Information on VDP summer schools is found at https://vd-philosophy.univie.ac.at/phd-program/doctoral-training/summer-sch… We look forward to receiving your proposals. Best regards, Raphael Aybar _______________________________________________ VDP mailing list -- vdp(a)lists.philo.at To unsubscribe send an email to vdp-leave(a)lists.philo.at -------------------------------------------------------------