The Aporias of Freedom

CONFERENCE DESCRIPTION: 

Is man free by nature? Does freedom mean the absence of coercion, or rather the ability to act in accordance with reason? Are freedom and determinism mutually exclusive? Can one be free and simultaneously obligated to others, to the dictates of reason, to one's accepted values? These are just some of many "classic" philosophical questions and doubts concerning freedom.

Freedom is one of the most important issues in philosophy. In the philosophy of humanity, it is often viewed as a constitutive human characteristic. In ethics, in turn, it is treated as a condition for moral action and, moreover, as a condition for responsibility for one's own actions and attitudes. Political philosophy prompts questions about individual freedom in connection with the social order, and in more recent times, also with human rights. Ontology strives to establish the fundamental conditions of freedom itself, while the theory of knowledge, among other things, emphasizes human cognitive autonomy. In the philosophy of religion, we find the problem of the relationship between human freedom and the freedom and omnipotence of God, sometimes additionally linked to the (assumed or criticized) concept of predestination. In social philosophy and the philosophy of law, freedom is linked to the principle of justice…

The importance of freedom as a philosophical problem is highlighted by the history of philosophy, particularly in relation to modern philosophy. It was in the modern era that the problem of freedom – in both metaphysical, moral, social, and religious terms – became one of the central problems of European philosophy. Descartes treated freedom as reason's capacity for choice, emphasizing the autonomy of thought. Spinoza identified it with the recognition and understanding of the necessity prevailing in the world; according to him, man is free only when he acts in accordance with reason. Locke, the founder of political liberalism, viewed freedom as the natural right of the individual, simultaneously recognizing that freedom is consent to law (the theory of the social contract), not its rejection. Rousseau spoke of the danger of human enslavement by society "under conditions of civilization," while Kant considered it the condition of the possibility of morality. For Hegel, freedom realized in the state and institutions signifies the development of the spirit, framed by certain historical rules. This does not mean, however, that the concept of freedom is not also encountered in earlier periods of the history of philosophy. The concept of freedom—known from classical philosophy—as the liberation of the soul (from ignorance and matter), as internal independence, as radical self-sufficiency, and also as harmony with nature and the Logos manifested in the macrocosmic order, deserves careful consideration .

Conference Languages: English, Polish.

Conference Fee: PLN 500 (the fee covers two lunches, a gala dinner, coffee breaks, and conference materials)

Information regarding post-conference publications: Articles based on the presentations will be published, after positive reviews, in a thematic issue of the journal "Culture and Values" (languages: Polish, English, German)

To submit, please send an abstract including the title (up to 300 words), along with information regarding your affiliation, to the following email address: [email protected]. We invite researchers interested in the topics covered in the title, including those from disciplines other than philosophy, to participate in the conference. We are particularly looking for papers that address the conference's themes systematically. We also welcome papers from the history of philosophy.

The deadline for abstract submission is November 16, 2025. Paper acceptance decisions will be communicated no later than November 24, 2025.

Contact email for submissions: [email protected]