Frankfurt Ethics Summer School: Contractualism and Claims of Recognition

We are happy to announce the first edition of the Frankfurt Ethics Summer School (FESS), which will be held from 20–24 July 2026 at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main.

Our guest in 2026 is Rahul Kumar (Queen’s University, Canada), who will present his book manuscript Contractualism and Claims of Recognition.

Contractualism’s animating idea is that moral reasoning is aptly characterized as reasoning about the justifiability of our conduct to others. It is one that many find resonates with their moral sensibilities. Why this is so is standardly thought to have to do with the appeal of the distinctive way contractualism develops the idea of justifiability to others, inviting us to view the core of common-sense morality as a system of directed duties, the flouting of any of which wrongs the person to whom the duty is owed and justifies the wronged holding the wrongdoer to account.  But this interpretation does not do justice to the sources of contractualism’s resonance.  The theme of the book is that a more compelling interpretation of the theory takes as central to it an ideal of living with moral community with others, one in which persons are bound to one another by valuable relationships of mutual recognition. This reorientation both sheds light on various structural aspects of the contractualist account, prompts a reconsideration of what reasoning on its terms involves, and casts doubt on the interpretation of it as being an account of interpersonal wronging. 

The course is intended for MA and Ph.D. students, but in addition, it is open for interested advanced BA-students, and postdocs. 

Unfortunately, the number of spaces is limited. If you would like to participate, please send a registration email including a brief CV, and a short letter indicating how the course would benefit your work, to [email protected]

Please note: We can grant up to 6 travel bursaries of max. 500€, please mention in your application if you like to be considered.

Registration is open until Mai 20th; we will notify applicants by May 30th.