Summer School: Ways of Doing Philosophy: East and West

Dates: 25-30 July 2024

Location: Neues Institutsgebäude, Universitätsring 1, 1010 Wien

Overview of the Topic

Nowadays, the term philosophy is a common currency across cultures, university curricula, and public discourses around the world. But what happens when φιλοσοφία (philosophia) meets contemporary philosophy and its non-Western counterparts such as Chinese zhexue 哲學? The term encompasses a plethora of conceptions of philosophical practices that vary between East and West cultures. 

This edition of the Summer School will provide a platform for participants to explore and learn from the plurality of philosophical subjects, methods, and purposes. In addition, the Summer School will focus on the past and present bridges between ancient and modern/contemporary philosophy, as well as between Western and non-Western philosophical traditions, and on the global lessons about philosophy that can be drawn from these interactions.

The summer school will, in addition, host keynote lectures on Western Philosophy (with a focus on Ancient Greek Philosophy) and Eastern Philosophy (Daoism, Confucianism and Indian Philosophy).

Application & Fees

Applications from PhD students, postdocs, and Masters students in philosophy and related disciplines are welcome.

To apply, please send a short academic CV (max. 2 pages) and a letter of motivation (max. 500 words) as a single PDF file to [email protected] by March 15 until 23:59 CET.

The Summer School is free of charge. However, according to Austrian law, students have to pay a fee to the student union in order to be registered at the University of Vienna and to receive a certificate. The current fee is 22.70 Euro. 

All travel, accommodation and visa costs are the responsibility of the participant.

The Summer School will be an on-site course.

Participants who complete all course requirements will receive 4 ECTS credits, which will be accredited by our PhD program in Philosophy at the University of Vienna. Participants will be required to give a 10-minute presentation. More information about this requirement will be provided after the application process is completed. Students are expected to complete all assigned preparatory reading, actively participate in lectures and workshops, and complete all course assessments.

Diversity Statement

We actively welcome applications from members of disadvantaged or underrepresented groups in philosophy.

Please note that due to Austrian law, the University is required to use people's legal names and the pronouns of their legal sex in registration and associated official correspondence. The organizing committee is strongly committed to an inclusive practice in our informal correspondence and for the event itself. We will refer to all participants by the names and pronouns you provide.