CFP: Philosophy of Freedom

“Freedom is the source from which all significations and all values spring. It is the original condition of all justification of existence.” (Simone de Beauvoir)

“Can it be we are not free? It might be worth looking into.” (Samuel Beckett) 

Despite the existence of long-established philosophical accounts of human freedom, the perennial questions that freedom poses persist. What do we mean when we talk about freedom? What are the conditions and limitations of freedom, and how are they relevant for how people live? Can heteronomy be the condition of autonomy? How is metaphysical freedom related to political freedom, if at all? Should negative freedom and positive freedom be separated? Do we want to be free? What is the origin of the desire to be free? How does it come about, if it does, that we are not free? How does freedom of thought relate to freedom of action?

These questions have elicited a variety of responses from different philosophical traditions and sub-disciplines, producing many senses of freedom, theoretical and practical. Villanova University’s Philosophy Graduate Student Union seeks submissions from current graduate students on the topic of freedom from any philosophical perspective. 

We welcome submissions on the topic of freedom in all its aspects, including:

Political freedom, resistance, agency and repression

Metaphysical freedom/freedom from mechanistic nature

Historical development of the concept of freedom

Non-western accounts of freedom

Academic freedom/freedom of inquiry

Freedom of speech/expression

Freedom and aesthetic production

Freedom in the tradition of German idealism

Existentialist freedom

Ethics/autonomy

Freedom in institutions/under governmental bodies

To apply, please submit abstracts of no more than 500 words using this form by December 15, 2026:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeidmtpyLCfSrzgu4xv6WUZhsT7qX1iUgJnmFo_qKaOEloV_A/viewform?usp=dialog

Decisions will be communicated by early January, 2027. Papers should be prepared for 30-minute talks with a 15-minute Q&A session. This is an in-person event and as such no submissions for online presentations will be accepted.

Any further questions may be directed to [email protected] or [email protected].