Rudolph Hermann Lotze: A Reassessment

We invite registrations for the conference Rudolph Hermann Lotze: A Reassessment.

The conference will take place at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Paderborn, Germany, from September 4 to 6, 2023.

Overview

The conference aims to examine the various aspects of the work of the philosopher Rudolph Hermann Lotze (1817–1881). Renewed interest in Lotze is evidenced by new editions of two of his most important works, Mikrokosmos and Medicinische Psychologie, and by several scholarly publications devoted to him, among them Late German Idealism: Trendelenburg and Lotze by Frederick C. Beiser (2013); Hermann Lotze: An Intellectual Biography by William R. Woodward (2015); Hermann Lotze’s Influence on Twentieth Century Philosophy by Nikolay Milkov (2023). This interest has been primarily stimulated by intensive study of the history of the 19th and 20th century philosophy in recent decades. It revealed that in the fin de siècle Lotze was commonly considered a leading philosopher not only in Germany but also in the United Kingdom and in the United States. He provenly influenced early analytic philosophy (Frege and partly also Russell), phenomenology, the neo-Kantians, Dilthey’s philosophy of life, the British Idealists, and also the American pragmatists James, Royce, Santayana.

Organizers are Prof. Dr. Nikolay Milkov (University of Paderborn) and Dr. Michele Vagnetti (University of Florence/University of Paderborn).

Format

A total of twenty talks of 35 minutes, plus 10 minutes discussion are planned. The conference will be in presence.

Here is the complete program of the conference (all times are CEST):

Monday, September 4th
JENNY ALONI HAUS UNIVERSITY OF PADERBORN

14:00-14:30 Introduction
with an Address from the Rector of the Paderborn University Prof. Dr. Birgitt Riegraf

Chair: Sebastian Luft
14:30-15:15 Matthias Neugebauer (University of Zurich): „Der Anfang der Metaphysik ist nicht in ihr selbst, sondern in der Ethik.“ — Zur Ethik-Konzeption Hermann Lotzes.
15:15-16:00 Charlotte Morel (École normale supérieure de Paris): Durchdringung der Metaphysik und Erkenntnistheorie der Naturwissenschaften beim jungen Lotze: von der medizinischen Dissertation zur ersten Metaphysik
Coffee break

Chair: Mark Textor
16:30-17:15 Nikolay Milkov (University of Paderborn): Why Lotze?
17:15-18:00 David Sullivan (Metropolitan State University of Denver): Lotze’s Legacy: A Revisionary Reading of “The Ideenwelt”

Tuesday, September 5th
UNIVERSITY OF PADERBORN L-BUILDING, Room L 3.204

Chair: Florian Baab
09:00-09:45 Michele Vagnetti (University of Paderborn/University of Florence): Lotze und Leibniz
09:45-10:30 Christian Krijnen (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam): Zur Neubewertung der Logik Hermann Lotzes: eine anfängliche Problemanzeige
Coffee Break

Chair: Mirja Hartimo
11:00-11:45 Sebastian Luft (University of Paderborn): Lotze and James: a (Somewhat) Neglected Line of Influence on Pragmatism
11:45-12:30 Arnaud Dewalque (University of Liège): James Ward Debt to Lotze
Lunch

Chair: Christian Krijnen
14:30-15:15 Karen Green (University of Melbourne): E. E. Constance Jones and Hermann Lotze
15:15-16:00 Mark Textor (King’s College London): Self-Consciousness and Interest
Coffee Break

Chair: Arnaud Dewalque
16:30-17:15 Denis Seron (University of Liège): Lotze and Brentano on Psychology
17:15-18:00 Florian Baab (University of Hamburg): Idealismus und Industrialisierung. Zur Verortung von Lotzes Anthropologie im Kontext seiner Zeit.
19:00 Official Conference Dinner

Wednesday, September 6th
UNIVERSITY OF PADERBORN L-BUILDING, L 3.204

Chair: Denis Seron
09:00-09:45 Mirja Hartimo (University of Helsinki): Lotze, Platonism, and Husserl’s Antipsychologism
09:45-10:30 Paola Cantù Testa (Aix-Marseille University): Lotze’s Logical Theory of Definitions
Coffee Break

Chair: Nikolay Milkov
11:00-11:45 Dolf Rami (Ruhr University Bochum): Lotze on Existence and Existence Entailing Concepts
11:45-12:30 Kai Hauser (Technical University of Berlin): Lotze’s Logik in the Light of Modern Developments in the Foundations of Mathematics
Lunch

Chair: Michele Vagnetti
14:30-15:15 Robin Rollinger (Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic): Lotze’s Philosophical System as a Prelude to Phenomenological Metaphysics (online)
15:15-16:00 Jacinto Paez Bonifaci (Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago - Chile):  Lotze’s Doctrine of Knowledge between Logic and Metaphysics
Coffee Break

Chair: Charlotte Morel
16:30-17:15 Giulio M. Cavalli (University of Parma): From the Many to the One. Lotze’s Influence on Green and Bradley
17:15-18:00 Maik Niemeck (University of Marburg): Is Concern for Oneself Unconditional?
18:00-18:15 Closing Remarks of the Conference

If you are interested, you can register (free of charge) by emailing Dr. Michele Vagnetti at: [email protected]. It is possible to attend the conference either in person or online. Online participation will only be available on Tuesday, September 5 and Wednesday, September 6. You will be asked to indicate in the registration email how you would like to participate. In case of online participation, I will take care of sending the Zoom link to the applicant.

Registration Deadline: Sunday, September 3, 24:00 CEST.