11.12.2025, 15–17, HSSH Seminar room 524, Fabianinkatu 24A, 5th floor. Reception with drinks and snacks will be held after the talk.
The Open Society in the Age of Identity
How are we to live together in a diverse society? In a time of polarization, fragmentation, and inequality, the liberal answer to this question requires a new defense. Democratic institutions are under threat. Identity groups seeking recognition often encounter resistance. In response, Frank Hindriks defends the significance of institutions that foster freedom, equality, and autonomy. And he argues that this age of identity calls for an inclusive and open mentality.
Famously, Karl Popper identified holism as the enemy of the open society. It leads to tribal communities with credulous and closeminded members. But the holist ontology defended here reveals how irreducibly social structures can support the basic rights that lie at the heart of liberal democracy. Crucially, they need not impair, but can in fact enhance critical reflection, toleration and epistemic modesty, which are vital for the resilience of a liberal democracy. To defend these ideals, Hindriks proposes that a society is a cluster of social structures. Their two building blocks are equilibria, which reflect the incentives people have, and rules, which give meaning to and govern their actions. In principle, social structures enable them to interact in mutually beneficial ways. Yet, they also constrain their behavior. To secure basic rights, an appropriate mix of constraints and enablements has to be supported by a culture that recognizes their significance for a sustainable society.
Frank Hindriks is professor of Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Groningen. He is a member of the Centre for Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) and a PI of the interdisciplinary research project Sustainable Cooperation (SCOOP). His research concerns social ontology and collective ethics, which come together in his book The Structure of the Open Society (OUP, 2025). Hindriks is a founding editor of the Journal of Social Ontology (JSO) and a founding member of the International Social Ontology Society (ISOS).