Speakers: Catarina Dutilh Novaes (VU Amsterdam), Rachel Fraser (MIT) (online), Hannah Ginsborg (UC Berkeley), David Plunkett (Dartmouth), Julian Ratcliffe (Oxford), and Tuomo Tiisala (University of Vienna)
Dogmatism is typically understood by reference to justification, namely as a refusal to rationally evaluate and update one’s beliefs and other commitments. In addition, however, research on concepts, narratives, and social perspectives has identified other sources of constraint that limit epistemic agency in a problematic fashion. The aim of this workshop is to reframe and explore the problem of dogmatism in terms of these various constraints that do not primarily operate on the level of belief.
In particular, the workshop brings together two lines of inquiry that investigate concepts but have not been systematically explored together. On the one hand, conceptual ethics and conceptual engineering (CE) study the normative questions “What concepts should we use and why?”. On the other, a particular strand in the scholarship on genealogy emphasizes that people often, perhaps typically, do not fully understand the concepts they use, for instance, the underlying values and inferential commitments a given concept incorporates. If this is correct, then the rational control over concepts, which CE tends to take for granted, is not automatically available to concept-users but rather needs to be acquired. And consequently there is a task of consciousness raising whose primary focus is not beliefs but concepts, including the narratives and social perspectives that congeal and motivate a given conceptual repertoire.
The workshop investigates how we should understand the nature, goal, and motivation of this task of consciousness raising, as well as its relationship to the justification of beliefs.
Organized by Tuomo Tiisala.
This is a two-day workshop (25-26 June) taking place at the University of Vienna.
To register, please ↗ contact the organizer directly.
We are happy to invite you to a workshop with Zoe A. Johnson King (Harvard University) on “Praiseworthiness” taking place on June 11th, from 9:45 to 16:00 at Sensengasse 8/10.
Zoe Johnson King is a leading figure in the philosophical debate on (moral) praise and praiseworthiness. The existing literature in moral responsibility and attached fields is primarily concerned with (moral) blame and blameworthiness which is why Zoe Johnson King has dedicated her upcoming book to the topic of praiseworthiness.
Speakers include Zoe Johnson King (Harvard), Sebastian Aster (Vienna), Leonie Eichhorn (Salzburg), Lea Spiegl & Caterina Anselmi (Vienna), Vittorio Catalano (Vienna), and Caterina Anselmi Kaiser (Vienna), Joachim Raich (Vienna) and Caterina Mazziotti.
The full book manuscript can be downloaded on her ↗ personal website.
We are going to discuss the book together with Zoe Johnson King in three separate sessions:
09:45 – 11:15 Chapter 1 & 2
11:30 – 13:00 Chapter 3 & 4
14:30 – 16:00 Chapter 5 & 6
The workshop is organized by the Knowledge in Crisis and ↗ PACE.
What is the truth, really? Can we define it? What is the best way to approach it? And is knowledge really in crisis? These questions and more will be discussed this evening.
Truth and Falsehood
Marian David (University of Graz)
Question: “What is truth?” Typical reactions: “There is no truth. Truth is relative. Truth is subjective. No one can know it.” These popular slogans should actually seem quite over the top, if we weren't used to them by now. How is it that such apparently radical views are so popular with the public? Do those who spout such slogans really mean what they are saying? Do they really?
The Ethics of Doubt or: Don’t Let Your Mind Be So Open That Your Brain Falls Out
Emannuela Carta (University of Graz) and Francesco Praolini (KU Leuven)
“Keep an open mind!” “Avoid jumping to conclusions!” Sure—but can those ever be mistakes? Philosophers have largely ignored this question, focusing instead on mistaken belief. Drawing on cases from vaccine hesitancy to mistrust of sexual assault survivors, we argue that suspending judgment can be just as wrong.
This event has been jointly organized by Knowledge in Crisis and Pint of Science Austria.
Get your free tickets ↗ here.
Human-induced climate change raises new, foundational issues in science. It requires us to question what we know and how we know it. The subject is important for society of course, but much of the science is young and history tells us that scientists can get things wrong before they get them right. Indeed, while the existence and the scale of the threat has robust foundations, understanding the details of that threat raises fundamental challenges; challenges that are as deep and as fascinating as any in the realm of scientific enquiry. So how can we judge what information is reliable and what is open to question?
In this talk David Stainforth will discuss his book - “Predicting Our Climate Future: what we know, what we don’t know, and what we can’t know.” He will describe the essential characteristics of human-induced climate change that make it such a difficult and interesting issue to study, before addressing some of the key challenges that researchers across multiple disciplines need to address. His talk will touch on the maths of complexity, the physics of climate, philosophical questions regarding the origins and robustness of knowledge, and the use of natural science in the economics and policy of climate change. He will argue that to support society in building a future that is better than it would otherwise be, there is an urgent need to rethink how we approach the science - and the social science - of climate change.
If you have any questions, please contact Marta Nin Santander.
David Stainforth is a physicist by training and has many years of experience in climate modelling. He is currently a Professorial Research Fellow at Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economic and Political Science.
During his time as a researcher at Oxford University, Stainforth co-founded and was chief scientist of the climateprediction.net project, the world’s largest climate modelling experiment.
He has been both a NERC Research Fellow and a Tyndall Research Fellow at Oxford University.
Doubt is a weapon. Gaslighters warp reality, turning your own mind against you—Did that really happen? Meanwhile, the city tests you daily: Car, bike, or train? Every choice hides a story of control, freedom, or surrender. Who—or what—holds the map to your decisions?
Gaslighting and Epistemic Agency
Phyllis Pearson (Central European University)
Gaslit individuals are made to believe their epistemic faculties are defective. They are made to doubt their sense perception, reasoning, and memory. How exactly does this happen? I argue that gaslighting should be understood as involving a kind of weaponized skepticism. Gaslighting involves the unjust manipulation of another’s epistemic context, making it the case that one must take seriously difficult-to-rule-out possibilities, like the possibility that one’s memory is faulty. This is an important way in which a person’s epistemic agency can be undermined.
By public transport yesterday, by car today, by bike tomorrow. What about the day after?
Roxani Gkavra (BOKU University)
Have you ever thought why some people choose to travel by car, others by public transport and others by bike? There are numerous factors affecting mode choice behaviour and all other mobility-related decisions. How to capture, understand, model, and predict them? Why is this at all important? These as well as some more answers in this trip around urban mobility research.
This event has been jointly organized by Knowledge in Crisis and Pint of Science Austria.
Get your free tickets ↗ here.
For the second year in a row, a survey of experts conducted by the World Economic Forum (WEF) has identified misinformation and disinformation as presenting the single greatest global risk in the short term. This assessment is driven by the belief that misinformation and disinformation generate and exacerbate societal polarization and instability, and that novel artificial intelligence technologies amplify these challenges. But what exactly are misinformation and disinformation? What harms do misinformation and disinformation cause? How might artificial intelligence contribute to these harms? And are these harms as severe as the results of the WEF survey suggest? This conference brings together experts with diverging perspectives to address these issues.
The conference features talks by:
Sacha Altay
Quassim Cassam
Keith Raymond Harris
Justin McBrayer
Anne Meylan
Jessica Pepp
Verena Wagner
Dan Williams
This is a two-day conference (19 and 20 May).
We're pleased to host Professor Laura Valentini (LMU Munich) for a one-day workshop on her latest book "Morality and Socially Constructed Norms" (OUP, 2023). Prof. Valentini will give a talk in the morning (with plenty of time for Q&A), followed by a structured discussion of her book in the afternoon (led by Camilo Martinez and Cosmin Vraciu.
To register, ↗ please contact the organizers.
Propaganda has long been a powerful tool for shaping public opinion, influencing international discourse, and justifying military actions. It has played a key role in spreading extremist ideas, especially in past totalitarian regimes like Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
In Russia’s war against Ukraine, propaganda has been a central instrument for creating narratives that legitimize aggression, undermine democracy, and manipulate perceptions both domestically and internationally.
At this event, we’ll explore what propaganda is and how it works—particularly in the digital age—using Russian propaganda as a key example. Join us to deepen your understanding of the challenges posed by propaganda in contemporary conflicts, and to critically engage with competing narratives in times of war.
Here's the lineup:
Volodymyr Yermolenko, Philosopher, Journalist, and Editor-in-Chief at Ukraine World
Teresa Marques, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Barcelona
Juliane Fürst, Professor of Contemporary History at Central European University and ZZF Potsdam
With moderation by Fabio Lampert, Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Vienna
This event was recorded. You can find the full video ↗ here.
How do we create meaningful change? Should we focus on transforming the systems and institutions around us? Or is it better to inspire individuals to change their habits? Maybe it’s both?
Join us for the launch of Somebody Should Do Something: How Anyone Can Help Create Social Change (MIT Press). Co-author and philosopher Daniel Kelly and a panel of changemakers will dive into the book's ideas and share their own. They’ll also explore the challenges and backlash that often follow social movements, and offer insights on how we might overcome these hurdles.
If you’re passionate about climate action, social justice, or any movement for progress, this event is for you. Expect thought-provoking discussions, fresh perspectives, and plenty of opportunities to engage and share your own ideas for creating a better future.
Afterwards, we’ll host a wine reception where you can continue the conversation.
Don’t miss out—come be part of the conversation and help us shape the future of social change!
Here’s the lineup:
Daniel Kelly, Purdue University (USA)
Asya Passinsky, Central European University (Austria)
Cesy Leonard, Radikale Töchter (Germany)
Henriette Spyra, Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (Austria)
With moderation by Eric Frey, Der Standard (Austria)
About Somebody Should Do Something:
Michael Brownstein, Alex Madva and Daniel Kelly introduce a new set of tools for thinking about social change. Challenging the common idea that we must focus either on changing individuals or transforming institutions, the book offers a new, holistic perspective that emphasizes their interdependence. Drawing on the experiences of union organizers, reproductive rights activists, city planners, and citizens, the authors demonstrate that fighting problems like climate change and racism requires connecting personal actions with systemic change. As they argue, we must see ourselves as people who change systems who change people.
In this book, you’ll find:
• A diagnosis of unhelpful “either/or” approaches to social change.
• A new holistic framework for understanding social change, grounded in a scientifically accurate picture of human nature.
• Practical insights into applying this new perspective to real-world challenges.
This workshop is on Amie Thomasson’s forthcoming book, Rethinking Metaphysics, which challenges the traditional conception of metaphysics as a discipline that seeks to uncover general and fundamental truths about the world and proposes in its place a conception according to which metaphysics does important descriptive and normative conceptual work. Speakers include Viktoria Knoll, Emilie Pagano, Matthew Simpson, Amie Thomasson, and Alice van't Hoff.
If you have any questions, please contact the organizers directly: Asya Passinsky and Denis Kazanov.
The Rethinking Metaphysics Workshop will consist of four 75-minute sessions, with each session devoted to a part of Thomasson’s book. Each of the sessions will begin with a brief synopsis of the relevant chapters and critical remarks from one of the commentators, followed by a response from Thomasson. The remaining time will then be devoted to discussion. At the beginning of the workshop, Thomasson will also deliver a brief précis of her book. Participants are encouraged but not required to read the book manuscript in advance of the workshop. The tentative schedule is as follows:
10:00–10:15 AM: Précis by Amie Thomasson
10:15–11:30 AM: Session 1 on chs. 1–3, led by Alice van’t Hoff
11:30–11:45 AM: Coffee break
11:45 AM–1:00 PM: Session 2 on chs. 4–5, led by Emilie Pagano
1:00–2:00 PM: Lunch break
2:00–3:15 PM: Session 3 on chs. 6–7, led by Matthew Simpson
3:15–3:30 PM: Coffee break
3:30–4:45 PM: Session 4 on chs. 8–10, led by Viktoria Knoll
4:45 PM: Reception