Theory and Practice after the Practice Turn – Where Social Theory and Empirical Philosophy meet
2026-04-17 09:00 - 17:00 (Europe/London)
Sociology and philosophy have always shared a close relationship. Critical Theory famously tied the two disciplines together to unravel societal phenomena, and feminist philosophers regularly borrow
sociological concepts to understand domination and power asymmetries. Similarly, sociologists often draw on philosophical concepts to sharpen their analyses. In recent years, this dialogue has gained new momentum through the so-called "practice turn" in epistemology and philosophy of science. Contemporary philosophy of science and applied epistemology increasingly incorporate empirical methods originally developed within the social sciences such as interviews and ethnographic studies. But while empirical approaches from sociology are frequently adopted, social-theoretical concepts remain rarely integrated within epistemology and philosophy of science.

It is the goal of this workshop to explore the potential of social theory for empirical approaches in philosophy of science and epistemology. What are instances of fruitful applications of social theory to philosophy of science and epistemological scholarship? How does social theory transform when it is resituated in a different disciplinary setting? What are caveats and best practices when using social theory as a philosopher of science/epistemologist?

Global Health Justice: Principles and Practice
2026-05-28 13:00 - 2026-05-29 17:00 (Europe/Berlin) | Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
We are very pleased to invite you to the conference Global Health Justice: Principles and Practice, which will take place on 28–29 May 2026 at Goethe-Universität Frankfurt.

The conference brings together leading scholars and practitioners working at the intersection of global health, ethics, and justice. The event is organized by the Global Health Justice Postdoctoral Programme, led by Prof. Rainer Forst and Prof. Darrel Moellendorf, at the Normative Orders Centre and coordinated by Derek Andrews and Romina Rekers.

We are honored to host keynote lectures by Jonathan Wolff, Kanchana Mahadevan, and Caesar Atuire.

The conference will also feature a distinguished group of international speakers, including Derek Andrews, Mónica Cano Abadía, Mirjam Faissner, Christin Hempeler, Alexandra Phelan, Sarah Potthoff, Romina Rekers, Mercury Shitindo, and Diego Silva.

We are also glad that Katarina Pitasse, Sonja Riegler, and Francesca Cesarano will chair the debates.

You can find the conference programme, further information, and registration details here:

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/ghj-2026

Registration: https://forms.gle/1b37E67DzNFJk3M99

Location: Eisenhower Room IG 1.314 (Day 1) and PA Lobby (Day 2)

Contact: globalhealthjustice2026@gmail.com

Frankfurt Ethics Summer School: Contractualism and Claims of Recognition
2026-07-20 10:00 - 2026-07-24 17:00 (Europe/Berlin) | Norbert-Wollheim Platz 1, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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 fess@em.uni-frankfurt.de

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.
