CFP: The Prognostic Possibilities of a Philosophical Approach to History: Currents of the Contemporary World

The Prognostic Possibilities of a Philosophical Approach to History: Currents of the Contemporary World

International School of Philosophy Felix Romuliana, Zaječar, RS

Faculty of Philosophy - University of Belgrade, RS

Zaječar (RS) – 4-6 September 2026

The contemporary world appears more complex than ever. The paths of understanding, and especially of explaining how history itself can be defined, seem almost inaccessible. If we understand history, at its core, as a sequence of events in which human beings either act or participate, we may ask whether reflecting on these processes is at the same time a way of giving meaning to the human world. If, however, we assume that thinking about history cannot be equated with any form of meaning, an additional philosophical question arises concerning the very meaning of thinking history as such.

If we are, therefore, unable to influence in any way the events we call history, this is connected to an even deeper question concerning the meaning of human existence in general. On the other hand, what philosophy can do is to attempt to grasp the currents of these events and, on the basis of certain insights, possibly anticipate their outcomes. In this sense, we propose to reconsider classical philosophical and historical insights and to connect them with contemporary developments. Is the progressive endangerment of environment linked to progressive interpretations of the course of history, interpretations marked by the idea of human domination over nature? Does this also imply the erosion of human self-understanding as a natural being, given that many positions claim that the human being is, within this historical process, self-produced?

At the same time, we may ask whether there are reasons to interpret these processes as possessing a certain cyclicality, according to which the very human being who produces everything, including itself, brings these processes to extreme points that mark, through forms of self-destruction, the possibility of a new beginning.

From a cultural and political perspective, thinkers who point to contemporary global developments are also highly relevant, especially those who analyze the rivalry between powerful Eastern states and the well-known Atlantic powers of the West. Do these processes indicate a historical pattern familiar from earlier periods, most famously articulated in Oswald Spengler’s The Decline of the West? In other words, are the diagnoses formulated at the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth century once again becoming visible, diagnoses according to which there are regularities known since antiquity, such as the idea of akme, the attainment of a peak or culmination in the growth of civilizations, after which an inevitable decline follows, potentially leading to disappearance. Accordingly, the highly actual question arises whether the Euro Atlantic sphere, commonly referred to as Western civilization, is undergoing an internal process of self-destruction, and what this would mean for the trajectories of the contemporary world.

Will the economic competitiveness of Far Eastern countries be sufficient to compensate for the political level of articulation of human society? China, nominally a communist state and the most influential country of the East, officially presents itself as a supporter of the preservation of the global liberal system. From this tension emerge contemporary formulations concerning competition between an old globalism led by the United States and a new globalism led by China. This challenges theoretical conceptions of historical processes commonly referred to as the Westernization of the world. In other words, are historical dynamics shifting sufficiently to take forms different from those previously anticipated?

One of the well-known prognostic dilemmas concerning historical developments, and thus the contemporary paths of the world, concerns the initially emphasized connection between the meaning of human existence, human life, and the context of historical events. These questions are also addressed within the field commonly defined as futurism, in which predictive possibilities are linked to serious analyses of trends and dominant factors shaping processes. Philosophically, the most interesting aspect of this dilemma revolves around whether such predictions can be considered relevant not only for the moment in which they are made, but also for what is known as the formation of a worldview. Do our projections take the form of what can be called a utopia, or rather its opposite, a dystopia?

Utopian reflections on contemporary global developments are often connected with a standard trust in progress and with expectations of historical outcomes leading toward fully ordered societies. Yet this immediately raises the question of whether such total order corresponds to the interests of human beings or whether it becomes an end in itself. Furthermore, does such a utopian conception of society lead to ever new forms of totalitarian arrangements, such as digital totalitarianism or even more direct forms of governance mediated by artificial intelligence?

Alternatively, there are scenarios that predict the collapse of social orders and their transformation into arbitrary relations of power based on fractured relations between technology, democracy, and power. Such societies, or remnants of societies, are described in predominantly dark tones, dominated by immediate survival interests, without any perspective that could confer meaning on human existence or life as such. These visions of the world are therefore termed dystopian.

As has already become clear, interpretations of historical developments are always matters of both meaning making and prediction. A particular challenge, however, is posed by those forms of thinking about history that misuse these initial needs to reflect on history. In such cases, the need for prediction is subordinated to specific doctrinal projects, according to which supposedly predicted processes are then expected to unfold. This does not constitute a philosophical mode of reflecting either on the future or on the essence of the analyzed processes, but rather an activation of both the processes themselves and the forms in which they are allegedly predicted.

This is characteristic of contemporary forms of ideological thinking which, unlike classical ideologies, are far more concealed in nature and attempt to present themselves as parts of inevitable processes. Well known theoretical theses concerning hybrid or hybridized ideologies combine elements of classical ideological forms. Within the framework of our theme, we point to the possibility of examining new forms of hybridization through which old goals are achieved or are meant to be achieved. Within broader conceptions of the outcomes of historical processes and the transformation of human societies, increasing attention is devoted to posthumanist ideas that in themselves imply the necessity of a radically different understanding of the human world.

Classical ideologies advocated the thesis of the inevitable creation of a new human being, while posthumanist ideas speak of the obsolescence of the human being in structuring the world. These two theses can be reconciled in various ways through the idea of so called transhumanism, which supports the meaning of the dominance of artificial intelligence and technological governance of human life by envisaging a being reminiscent of the idea of a new human, yet stripped of the weaknesses of the human as a natural being. Within this conception, one can identify elements associated with classical ideological doctrines: liberalism, which emphasizes the enhancement of all forms of organized life in society; communism, understood as the establishment of entirely new social relations mediated by digital equality and egalitarianism; and Nazism, through the establishment of a form, however artificial, of a superior being that overcomes human weaknesses, a superiority that would enable a form of justice based on the distribution of power from the perfect, transhumanised being to posthuman beings understood merely as elements of a perfect system.

Thus, the theme “The Prognostic Possibilities of a Philosophical Approach to History: Currents of the Contemporary World” enables the articulation of both philosophical and interdisciplinary contributions to understanding the possibilities for human orientation in contemporary global events. At the same time, it leaves open space for all interested participants to contribute from many other perspectives not explicitly mentioned here, thereby enriching the discussion of this important topic.

Organiser: Prof. Milenko Bodin (University of Belgrade)

Submissions of a long abstract (of no more than 1000 words) and a CV are due by 30 June 2026.

All applicants must indicate the following details: Name, presentation title, institutional affiliation, and contact information.

Please, send your abstract and CV to [email protected]

Applicants will be notified by 15 July 2026.