July 2026 - 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

8 hours, 44 minutes

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Job advertisement: University Assistant postdoctoral, area of specialization: Metaphysics (5955)

by philosophie＠univie.ac.at

Dear all, We would like to inform you about the following current job opening at the Department of Philosophy at the University of Vienna: University Assistant postdoctoral, Area of specialization: Metaphysics (5955) Link to the job posting: https://jobs.univie.ac.at/job-invite/5955/ 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, Andreas Wintersperger -- 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/

3 months, 1 week

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Ausschreibung: Universitätsassistent*in Praedoc, im Forschungsbereich Politische Philosophie und Sozialphilosophie (5916) -I- Job advertisement: University Assistant Praedoc, in the research area of Political and Social Philosophy (5916)

by philosophie＠univie.ac.at

Guten Tag! wir möchten Sie über folgende aktuelle Jobausschreibung am Institut für Philosophie der Universität Wien informieren: Universitätsassistent*in Praedoc, im Forschungsbereich Politische Philosophie und Sozialphilosophie (5916) Link zur Ausschreibung: <https://jobs.univie.ac.at/job-invite/5916/> https://jobs.univie.ac.at/job-invite/5916/ Wir laden alle Interessierten herzlich dazu ein, sich für diese Position zu bewerben. Bitte leiten Sie diese Information auch an potenziell interessierte Personen in Ihrem Umfeld weiter. Vielen Dank im Voraus für Ihre Unterstützung! Mit freundlichen Grüßen Katherina Krobath -- Dear Sir or Madam, We would like to inform you about the following current job opening at the Department of Philosophy at the University of Vienna: University Assistant Praedoc, in the research area of Political and Social Philosophy (5916) Link to the job posting: https://jobs.univie.ac.at/job-invite/5916/ 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/

3 months, 3 weeks

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REMINDER Call for Papers (17th July) - Myth and the More-than-Human Community in the Twenty-First Century – Vienna, 8–9 October 2026

by Lukas Geiszler

Dear colleagues, with the deadline drawing closer, I would like to remind you of a Call for Papers that may be of interest to those working at the intersection of philosophy, religious studies, political theory, and more-than-human ecology. The workshop /Myth and the More-than-Human Community in the Twenty-First Century/ will take place on 8–9 October 2026 at the University of Vienna, with keynote lectures by Prof. Vanessa Lemm and Prof. Laurens ten Kate. The workshop asks whether community — and more-than-human community in particular — can be conceived as anything other than a myth. It places the constitutive ambivalence of myth at the centre of its inquiry: myth as ideological fiction on the one hand, and as a primordial, potentially non-hierarchical form of world-disclosure on the other. Topics include inter-species relations, ecological entanglements, becoming-animal, sovereignty and immunisation, and relational and Indigenous ontologies. Theoretical reference points include Derrida, Nancy, Latour, Haraway, and Nietzschean and post-Nietzschean critiques of humanism. Find the full CfP attached. Contributions may take the form of individual papers (20 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of discussion). Proposals should include the presenter’s name, paper title, full contact details, an abstract of 500 words, and a brief biographical note — submitted as a single PDF file. Deadline: 17 July 2026 Contact: myth.community(a)lists.univie.ac.at Website: https://phaenomenologie.univie.ac.at/forschung/myth-community/ Please feel free to share this call in your networks. Best wishes, Lukas Geiszler

4 months

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In memoriam Univ.-Prof. i.R. Dr. Peter Kampits

by philosophie＠univie.ac.at

Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, Mit großer Trauer geben wir bekannt, dass Univ.-Prof. i.R. Peter Kampits, der das Institut für Philosophie und die Fakultät für Philosophie und Bildungswissenschaft der Universität Wien über viele Jahre hinweg wesentlich geprägt hat, am 16. Juni 2026 verstorben ist. Die Trauerparte wurde uns gestern übermittelt und ist im Anhang zu finden. Einen Nachruf von Anja Weiberg und Helma Riefenthaler finden Sie auf unserer Website: <https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/news-events/nachrichten-news-events/detail ansicht-news-events/news/in-memoriam-univ-prof-ir-dr-peter-kampits/> https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/news-events/nachrichten-news-events/detaila nsicht-news-events/news/in-memoriam-univ-prof-ir-dr-peter-kampits/ Mit freundlichen Grüßen Katherina Krobath -- Dear Sir or Madam, It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Professor Emeritus Peter Kampits on June 16, 2026. He played a significant role in the Department of Philosophy and the Faculty of Philosophy and Education at the University of Vienna for many years. The death announcement, which contains information about the memorial service, was sent to us yesterday and can be found in the attachment. An obituary by Anja Weiberg und Helma Riefenthaler is available on our website: https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/news-events/nachrichten-news-events/detaila nsicht-news-events/news/in-memoriam-univ-prof-ir-dr-peter-kampits/ 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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