Naturalism in the Philosophy of Historiography

Workshop Naturalism in the Philosophy of Historiography

23.06.2026, 9.00-14.30

E-207 (E-Building)

University of Ostrava

tř. Čs. legií 150/9

Naturalism has become an increasingly popular position in the philosophy of history over the past decade, mainly through the works of Paul Roth, Jouni-Matti Kuukkanen, and most recently also Michal Hubálek. As such, it raises important questions about the object, methods, and aims of the philosophy of historiography, as well as the field’s relationship to historiography. In this workshop, we will discuss these and related questions on the occasion of the recent publication of Michal Hubálek’s book Dissolving Naturalism and Historicism Into Each Other.

The workshop is open to everybody. If you would like to join in person or via Zoom, please register with [email protected] by June 15. The registration is required solely for catering purposes and for the distribution of the workshop readings.

Timetable

9.00-9.30: In Defense of Naturalism Without Adjectives (Michal Hubálek, University of Hradec Králové, Czechia)

9.30-10.00: Naturalism and the Fate of the Historical Narrative (Jack Morgan Jones, University of Manchester, UK)

10.00-10.30: Coffee Break

10.30-11.00: Naturalism and Evidentialism: (Meta-)Philosophical Research Programmes for the Philosophy of Historiography (Georg Gangl, University of Ostrava, Czechia)

11.00-11.30: "All Natural Lemon and Lime Flavours": Thoughts on the 'Naturalist' turn in Historical Theory (Adam Timmins, University of Ostrava, Czechia) (online)

11.30-12.00:  What, If Anything, Makes History a Distinctive Discipline? (Eugen Zeleňák, University of Ružomberok, Slovakia)

12.00-13.00: Lunch break

13.00-13.30: Session V (Piotr Kowaleswski, University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland)

13.30-14.00: Naturalism and Historical Inquiry: How Broad Is the Scope? (David Černín, University of Ostrava, Czechia)

14.00-14.30: Closing discussion