Virtues, Education and Wellbeing

The aim of the conference is to bring together scholars working in ethics, moral psychology, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of art, philosophy of education, philosophy of wellbeing, Aristotle’s philosophy, educational science and other domains of the humanities, with the aims of exploring our current educational practices and the way they advance development of our virtues, our moral and epistemic characters, and provide the necessary foundation for our individual and social wellbeing.  

In particular, the conference places special emphasis on the role of virtues, emotions, and character formation in education, as well as on their contribution to human flourishing. We are interested in philosophical accounts that explore how educational practices shape not only cognitive capacities but also moral and emotional dispositions, and how these, in turn, support individual and collective wellbeing. This includes questions about the cultivation of intellectual and moral virtues, the role of art in learning and moral development, and the extent to which education can and should aim at fostering flourishing lives. We are also interested in exploring the role of arts within education, and their capacity to contribute to the refinement of our moral characters, development of moral virtues (or vices) and overall capacity to achieve and maintain wellbeing and social stability.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

·         Virtue and character education: aims, methods, and limits

·         Moral and intellectual virtues in educational contexts

·         The role of emotions in moral development and learning

·         Education and human flourishing: philosophical perspectives

·         Habituation, practical wisdom, and the formation of character

·         The place of Aristotle’s ethics in contemporary philosophy of education

·         Epistemic virtues and intellectual character formation

·         The role of exemplars, role models, and narratives in education

·         Emotional education: empathy, compassion, and emotional regulation

·         The risks of moral education: indoctrination, paternalism, and autonomy

·         Virtues and civic education: friendship, trust, and social cohesion

·         The role of art in education

·         Questions of art censorship in schools: dangerous and harmful art, cancel culture

·         Virtue aesthetics

·         Aesthetics as moral propaedeutic

The conference will take place at the University of Rijeka, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, September 17th and 18th 2026.

We invite submissions for 30 minute presentations, followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. If you are interested in presenting your work, please send the title and the abstract of max. 300 words by June 20th 2026 to [email protected].  Notification of acceptance will be sent out by July 1stth. There is no conference fee.