Conference dates: August 8, 2027 - August 14, 2027
Scientific Organisers: Tim Crane (CEU), Lisa Doerksen (CEU), Elek Lane (Vienna)
The International Wittgenstein Symposium is organized annually by the Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society (ALWS). It is one of the largest annual conferences in philosophy in Central Europe. On average, 200 participants attend this event, and more than 100 talks are given. The conference is held in the scenic village of Kirchberg am Wechsel (approx. 100 km from Vienna), near where Wittgenstein taught. There will also be a cultural program at the conference.
Each year, the Symposium is dedicated to a different subject. In 2027, the ALWS will partner with the Knowledge in Crisis project, a five-year project supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). In accordance with this partnership, the general topic of the 2027 Symposium will be knowledge in crisis. The theme is intended to cover contemporary challenges to knowledge, truth and expertise, which are linked to social, political and technological developments worldwide. The Symposium will aim to make progress in understanding the current crisis by addressing theoretical questions about truth, ethics, language, science, technology, and politics and their relationship to knowledge.
The conference will comprise six sections.
1. Wittgenstein
2. Knowledge and truth
3. Knowledge and ethics
4. Knowledge and language
5. Knowledge and science/technology
6. Knowledge and politics
Conference languages: English and German
Plenary speakers:
Cailin O’Connor (Irvine), Kevin Dorst (MIT), Branden Fitelsen (Northeastern), James Ladyman (Bristol), Marie McGinn (York), Oskari Kuusela (East Anglia), Michela Massimi (Edinburgh), Carlotta Pavese (Oxford), Miriam Schoenfield (Texas), Mark Textor (King’s College)
Iris Murdoch writes that “[f]or both the collective and the individual salvation of the human race, art is doubtless more important than philosophy, and literature most important of all.” (E&M, 362). She takes literature to be a deep source of moral and philosophical insight, and to be particularly valuable in its ability to draw our attention to aspects of reality we would rather ignore or distort.
This workshop will feature talks that explore Murdoch's philosophy in conversation with works of classic literature. The talks will aim to shed light on the literature through philosophical analysis, and also to explore and deepen our grasp of Murdoch's own ideas.
Registration is required for the two-day workshop
We are facing not only a severe climate crisis but also a crisis of knowledge about a warming planet. Despite decades of scientific research and regular assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), scientific knowledge alone has proved insufficient to generate effective climate policies and the individual and collective action needed to achieve global climate goals. This workshop brings together scientists and philosophers to explore how climate knowledge can be made more accessible, action-guiding, and motivationally effective. It focuses on translating scientific data into accessible models and languages, and on reframing abstract knowledge to overcome barriers to climate action. The aim is to build bridges between the natural sciences and forms of knowledge that can inspire and guide meaningful responses to the climate crisis.
Schedule:
09:00 – 09:15 Welcome and Introduction
09:15 – 09:45 "Climate Ethics and Problems of Collective Action"
Angela Kallhoff, Professor at the Department of Philosophy, University of Vienna; Principal Investigator, Cluster of Excellence “Knowledge in Crisis”
09:45 – 10:15 "Cognitive and Motivational Basis of Pro-Environmental Behavior"
Arianna Curioni, Senior Scientist and Lecturer, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna
10:15 – 10:45 Coffee break
10:45 – 11:15 "Reporting on Climate Change: A Journalistic Tightrope Walk"
Sven Titz, Science Journalist, Neue Zürcher Zeitung
11:15 – 11:45 "Uncertainty and Lack of Knowledge in the Ethics of Nature"
Andreas Hetzel, Professor at the Department of Philosophy, Universität Hildesheim
11:45 – 12:30 Roundtable Discussion
12:45 – 14:30 Lunch
14:30 – 15:00 "Initial Conditions Dependence and Initial Conditions Uncertainty in Climate Science"
Charlotte Werndl, Professor at the Department of Philosophy, University of Salzburg; Principal Investigator, Cluster of Excellence “Knowledge in Crisis”
15:00 – 15:30 "Climate Change Litigation and Legal Frameworks"
Miriam Hofer, University Assistant at the Department of Public Law and Political Science, University of Graz
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee break
16:00 – 16:30 "Reparative Obligations to Climate Refugees"
Ali Emre Benli, University Assistant at the Department of Philosophy, University of Vienna
16:30 – 17:00 "May the Oligarchs Tremble in the Face of Eco-Revolution! Turning Climate Understanding into Action"
Graham Parkes, Professor em. of Philosophy, Guest Professor at the University of Vienna
17:00 – 17:30 "AI, New Technologies and Climate Change"
Paul Feigelfeld, Professor of Digitality and Cultural Pedagogy, mozarteum university
17:30 – 18:30 Roundtable Discussion
Registration deadline: November 15, 2026, 9:00 am CET
Register by emailing: carina.wurzinger@univie.ac.at
Speakers:
Ali Emre Benli (University of Vienna)
Arianna Curioni (University of Vienna)
Paul Feigelfeld (Mozarteum University)
Andreas Hetzel (University of Hildesheim)
Miriam Hofer (University of Graz)
Angela Kallhof (University of Vienna)
Graham Parkes (University of Vienna)
Sven Titz (Neue Zürcher Zeitung)
Charlotte Wernld (University of Salzburg)
Am 19.11. findet der Welttag der Philosophie statt! Zu diesem Anlass gibt es am Philosophie-Department der Universität Salzburg eine Feier mit Musik, Getränken und Snacks. Gestartet wird um 16:00 im Innenhof der Franziskanergasse 1 (5020 Salzburg), und die Feier geht bis 22:00.
Zwischendurch werden ganz in der Nähe von 17:00 bis 18:30 im HS 101 am Universitätsplatz 1 Kurzvorträge mit Diskussion von Assoz. Prof. Dr. Bettina Bussmann, Dr. Raimund Pils und Univ.-Prof. Dr. Philip Ebert zum Thema "Risiko: Philosophieren in unsicheren Zeiten" gehalten. Außerdem wird die Preisverleihung des Best Essay Awards für Studierende stattfinden.
Alle mit Interesse an der Philosophie sind herzlich eingeladen, dabei zu sein und den Welttag 2026 mitzufeiern!
Join us for this year’s World Philosophy Day!
We’re hosting a free screening at Filmcasino, followed by a discussion with Swiss filmmaker and film producer Christian Frei and philosopher Keith Raymond Harris (University of Vienna).
Synopsis:
After years exploring remote bat caves, three scientists are catapulted into the harsh spotlight of politics and serious accusations. Once ignored, these early warners must now defend themselves. A visually striking film journey about the role of science in increasingly dark times. With calm, factual clarity, the film reveals how the deliberate fueling and amplification of fears and feverish myths are driving our world out of balance.
At once a dense, far-reaching investigation and a snapshot of our present moment, the film juxtaposes the slow, patient, and meticulous rhythm of scientific inquiry with the urgent, reactive, and often toxic pace of political and media discourse. It offers a compelling demonstration of how, in times of crisis, we tend to seek out loud, simplistic narratives — and scapegoats. A strikingly contemporary tale, emblematic of an era marked by fake news, frozen subsidies, budget cuts, and a pervasive atmosphere of censorship. (Anne Delseth for Visions du Réel)
The film will be in English with English subtitles.
Free tickets are available ↗ here.
Abstract: Lewis Carroll's regress in "What the Tortoise Said to Achilles" (1895) bears a strong resemblance to F.H. Bradley's argument for the unreality of relations in Appearance and Reality (1893). Just as in the former case the Tortoise demands further and further justificatory grounds for a given conclusion, the Bradleyan monist demands further and further explanatory grounds for the obtaining of agiven relational fact. Following Simchen (2023) and (2026), I argue that the resemblance is no accident and that these regresses can be addressed in analogous ways. I also consider some of the costs associated with such responses. Bradley's regress has been utilized lately by Della Rocca (2020) at the service of an extreme monistic view that shuns all relations and therefore all distinctions. But if I am right, the regress can be disarmed from an anti-foundationalist standpoint that even a Bradleyan could accept.
Organizer: Andrea Raimondi
We're bringing together senior decisionmakers who are already using — or will increasingly need to use — AI and automated systems as part of consequential organisational decisions.
Want to be in the room? See more details & registration info ↗ here.
This event has been organized in partnership with ODN Europe.
Jessica Tizzard meets her critics:
The event will focus on Jessica Tizzard’s recently published book, Kant’s Moral World: Ideas and the Real Use of Pure Practical Reason (Oxford, 2025), and will bring the author into conversation with leading scholars in Kant scholarship. The book provides a systematic interpretation of Immanuel Kant’s practical metaphysics, building up to his controversial claim that there are rational grounds to affirm the existence of the immortal soul and God because they represent metaphysical conditions for the realization of a moral world and culminating in a new interpretation of Kant's conception of the highest good.
A detailed programme will follow in due course.
Registration: Please send your registration to: katharina.kraus@univie.ac.at
Students are already using GenAI to study, write, code (and cheat, oops!), while universities struggle to redefine teaching, assessment, and academic integrity to adequately prepare students. What is the solution? An outright ban?
This Oxford-style debate presents two opposing views on one controversial motion: “This House Believes That AI should never be used within Higher Education.” We’re bringing a philosopher, computer scientists, a policy expert, and your fellow students together to go head-to-head! Join us to hear their views, share your own, and vote for which arguments you find the most compelling!
"Should We Ban AI in Higher Education?" has been co-organized by Young AI Leaders Linz and the FWF Cluster of Excellence Knowledge in Crisis, in partnership with Blue Danube Speakers (Toastmasters Linz) and the FWF Cluster of Excellence Bilateral AI.
Our Expert Speaker Lineup:
Dr. Tim Crane is Special Advisor to the Rector and Professor of Philosophy at CEU, Director of Research at the FWF Cluster of Excellence Knowledge in Crisis, and former Knightbridge Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge.
Anamaria-Roberta Hartl is a PhD candidate at the JKU's Institute for Machine Learning and a member of the Bilateral Artificial Intelligence (BilAI) project, an FWF Cluster of Excellence.
Dr. Erich Kobler is Assistant Professor for Machine/ Deep Learning in Medical Imaging at the JKU's Institute for Machine Learning and a member of the Bilateral Artificial Intelligence (BilAI) project, an FWF Cluster of Excellence.
Bram van Haver is the lead Project Officer for UNESCO's flagship global intercultural leadership programme, "Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme".
The European Moral Responsibility Consortium (EMRC) is a platform devoted to facilitating coordination and cooperation among philosophers based in Europe who are working in the area of moral responsibility and related fields and topics (free will, blame, collective responsibility, punishment, moral responsibility and AI, etc.). The platform is also open to people from outside Europe.
The 2026 conference runs over three days from 28th - 30th September
Keynote Speakers:
Monika Betzler
Gunnar Björnsson
Jules Holroyd
Kasper Lippert-Rasmussen
Speakers:
Hannah Altehenger (& Peter Schulte), Agnès Baehni & Patricia Sanches Oliva, Emily Baron, Olle Blomberg, Dominik Boll, Daphne Brandenburg, Daniele Bruno, Simon-Pierre Chevarie-Cossette, Niels de Haan, Anton Emilsson, Jonathan Fremout, Kyle G. Fritz & Daniel J. Miller, David Heering, Frank Hindriks, Anneli Jefferson, Felix Lambrecht, Elsa Magnell, Shervin Mirzaeighazi, Matthias Rolffs & Trenton Sewell, Jules Salomone-Sehr (& Eliana Luxemburg-Peck), Philipp Schwind, Kenneth Silver, Mark Spencer, Ninni Suni, András Szigeti, Kesavan Thanagopal, Marina Trakas, Alexander Velichkov, David Widerker, Pascale Willemsen (& Max Bauer & Pauline Kinzler), Nicola Zetti
More Info can be found ↗ here