Workshop Naturalism in the Philosophy of Historiography
\n\n23.06.2026\, 9.00-14.30
\nE-207 (E-Building)
\nUniversity of Ostrava
\ntř. Čs. legií\; 150/9
\n\nNaturalism 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 Hubá\;lek. As such\, it raises important questions about the object\, methods\, and aims of the philosophy of historiography\, as well as the field&rsquo\;s relationship to historiography. In this workshop\, we will discuss these and related questions on the occasion of the recent publication of Michal Hubá\;lek&rsquo\;s book \;Dissolving Naturalism and Historicism Into Each Other.
\n\nThe workshop is open to everybody. If you would like to join in person or via Zoom\, please register with \;georg.gangl@osu.cz \;by June 15. The registration is required solely for catering purposes and for the distribution of the workshop readings.
\n\nTimetable
\n9.30-10.00: In Defense of Naturalism Without Adjectives (Michal Hubá\;lek\, University of Hradec Krá\;lové\;\, Czechia)
\n\n10.00-10.30: Naturalism and the Fate of the Historical Narrative (Jack Morgan Jones\, University of Manchester\, UK)
\n\n10.30-11.00: Coffee Break
\n\n11.00-11.30: Naturalism and Evidentialism: (Meta-)Philosophical Research Programmes for the Philosophy of Historiography (Georg Gangl\, University of Ostrava\, Czechia)
\n\n11.30-12.00: "All Natural Lemon and Lime Flavours": Thoughts on the 'Naturalist' turn in Historical Theory (Adam Timmins\, University of Ostrava\, Czechia) (online)
\n\n12.00-12.30: \;What\, If Anything\, Makes History a Distinctive Discipline? (Eugen Zeleňá\;k\, University of Ružomberok\, Slovakia)
\n\n12.30-13.30: Lunch break
\n\n13.30-14.00: What Exactly is Naturalism in Historiography and What Is It For? (Piotr Kowalewski Jahromi\, University of Silesia\, Katowice\, Poland)
\n\n14.00-14.30: Naturalism and Historical Inquiry: How Broad Is the Scope? (David Černí\;n\, University of Ostrava\, Czechia)
\n\n14.30-15.00: Indissoluble Historicity? (Luke O'Sullivan\, University of Singapore\, Singapore) (online)
\n\n15.00-15.30: Closing discussion
ORGANIZER;CN=Georg Gangl;CN="David Černín": METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260530T205101Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Prague:20261127T100000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Prague:20261129T170000 SUMMARY:Learning from History: The Philosophies of Historiography and the Historical Sciences UID:20260618T071429Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-6b96c54f56-bljdq TZID:Europe/Prague LOCATION:Čs. legií 150/9 \, Ostrava\, Czech Republic DESCRIPTION:Call for Papers:
\n\nLearning from History: The Philosophies of Historiography and the Historical Sciences
\nThe University of Ostrava\, Czech Republic\, 27-29 November 2026
\nConfirmed keynote speakers (alphabetically):
\nCarol Cleland
\nAdrian Currie
\nMichal Hubá\;lek
\nJouni-Matti Kuukkanen
\nJames McAllister
\nGregory Radick
\nAdam Timmins
\nAviezer Tucker
\nDerek Turner
\nThe philosophy of history\, the ontology of the past\, and the philosophy of historiography\, the epistemology of knowledge of history\, are rapidly expanding philosophical fields. \; This expansion is partly driven by the progress of the historical sciences in broadening the scope of our knowledge of history by discovering new evidence and new information theories that allow decoding it and inferring knowledge of the past. \; These developments call for new philosophies of the historical sciences and historiography that encompass the new ontologies and epistemologies of all the historical sciences that can make warranted inferences about history.
\nThe philosophy of the historical sciences is distinct of other sub-fields of epistemology and the philosophy of science in studying the generation of knowledge of the past\, of history\, which depends on signals that cross the entropic barrier of time. \; This conference will consider the philosophical\, ontological and epistemic implications of the new historical sciences and historiography that form the foundation for learning from the past. This conference will attempt to found a new sub-field of the philosophy of science\, devoted to the philosophy of the historical sciences. \;
\nThe conference will take place at the Foundation for the Philosophy of Historical Sciences and Historiography at the University of Ostrava in the Czech Republic\, with support from the Visegrad Fund and the University of Ostrava\, and in cooperation with the University of Silesia in Katowice in Poland\, and the Catholic University in Ružomberok in Slovakia. \;
\nWe call for abstracts of 250-500 words in the philosophy of historiography and the historical sciences to be submitted by the 31st of August 2026. \; There will not be a conference fee\, but registration is required. \; Please send abstracts\, queries\, and correspondence to:
\nAviezer Tucker at avitucker@yahoo.com and David Černí\;n at david.cernin@osu.cz
\nThe Foundation for the Philosophy of Historical Sciences and Historiography is comprised of five researchers and has existed for three years with generous support from the European Union\, the Czech Grant Agency\, and the Visegrad Fund. It holds regular in person and remote seminars. \; Next year\, in August 2027\, it will co-convene a summer school in the philosophy of historiography and the historical sciences with emphasis on the philosophical foundations of applied history at the Catholic University of Ružomberok in Slovakia.
\nOstrava\, in the North-East corner of the Czech Republic\, is the second largest urban conglomeration in the country after Prague. It has an airport with regular flights from Warsaw\, Malaga\, and London-Stansted. \; It can also be reached by bus from the airports of Katowice and Krakow in Poland\, and by train from Vienna and Prague. By train\, Ostrava is about 2.5 hours from Krakow\, 3 hours from Vienna\, and 3.5 hours from Prague.
\nThe conference is part of the project &ldquo\;What Can be Learned from History: Philosophical Reflections from Central Europe&rdquo\; co-financed by the governments of Czechia\, Hungary\, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from \;the International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.
ORGANIZER;CN=Georg Gangl;CN="David Černín";CN=Aviezer Tucker: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR