The von Wright and Wittgenstein Research Seminar

The von Wright and Wittgenstein reseach seminar is co-organised by the philosophy unit and The von Wright and Wittgenstein Archives at the University of Helsinki. The seminar is open to scholars, to students at all levels and to all interested. The working language of the seminar is English unless otherwise announced.
Description

The von Wright-Wittgenstein seminar is inspired by the legacy of the Finnish philosopher Georg Henrik von Wright (1916 - 2003) and his wide-ranging contributions to many areas of specialisation in philosophy, to inter- and trans-disciplinary research and to the diagnosis of our times. Hence, the programme will during each academic year typically include sessions on current issues in Wittgenstein scholarship, analytic philosophy and critical theory as well as on more general themes. Some sessions of the seminar are dedicated to issues related to archival research and development and to issues in digital humanities. In this field the seminar often addresses questions pertaining especially to Wittgenstein and von Wright scholarship and to the development of e-resources in cooperation with like-minded research units in Finland and globally.

 

Seminar presentations 2017-2024

 

Schedule spring 2025

The seminar convenes on Tuesdays at 4.15-5.45 pm (16.15-17.45) at Forest House (Unioninkatu 40), seminar room 31 (C505, 5th floor) unless otherwise announced.

 

Tuesday, January 14th

Mirja Hartimo (Helsinki): "Husserl’s and Frege’s Antipsychologism and the Two Paradigms of Logic and Logical Analysis".

Tuesday, January 21st

Peter K. Westergaard (Copenhagen): "'– Life Can Force This Concept on Us' (MS 174,2r) - A Note on Wittgenstein's 'Philosophy of Religion'".

Tuesday, January 28th

Mindaugas Gilaitis (Vilnius): ""P. F. Strawson’s notion of philosophical analysis".

!Thursday, January 30th

William Wood (Pardubice): "Nietzsche's View of Socrates in The Birth of Tragedy".

Time: 4.15-5.45 pm (16.15-17.45).

Venue: Forest House, seminar room 31 (C505, 5th floor)

Tuesday, February 4th

Alf Hornborg (Lund): The presentation will be based on professor Hornborgs new book: Liquidate: How Money is Dissolving the World (Routledge 2025).

Time: 4.15-5.45 pm (16.15-17.45).

Venue: Forest House (Unioninkatu 40), lecture hall 4 (2nd floor). 

Tuesday, February 25th

Philip Strammer (Pardubice): Social and Political Togetherness (TBC).

Tuesday, March 18th

Karolina Enquist Källgren (Stockholm): "Xavier Zubiri and the problem of frame in dynamic reality structures: a revisit to the measurement problem in early quantum physics." 

Monday, March 24th

Arvi Särkelä (ETH, Zürich): "The Truly Apocalyptic View: Physiognomy of a Critical Gesture in Wittgenstein" 

Time: 4.15-5.45 pm (16.15-17.45).

Venue: Forest House, seminar room 26 (B524, 5th floor). 

Tuesday, March 25th

Moritz Pretzsch (Kassel): "The Grammar of Reason - Rationality and Scepticism of Rationality in Wittgenstein's Thought"

Tuesday, April 1st

Tuukka Tanninen (Helsinki): "Jaakko Hintikka's Nachlass" 

Tuesday, April 8th

Maria Lasonen-Aarnio (Helsinki): The Epistemology of Concepts (TBC).

Time: 4.15-5.45 pm (16.15-17.45).

Venue: Forest House, seminar room 35 (C527, 5th floor)

Tuesday, April 15th

Arne Vinje, författare, gårdbrukare, Norge (Norway): "Sigmund Kvaløy Setreng – økofilosofen og økofilosofien" (in Norwegian).

Comment by Tord Björk, Historiker, fri skriftställare och miljöaktivist, Sverige.

Time: 4.15-5.45 pm (16.15-17.45).

Venue: Forest House, seminar room 35 (C527, 5th floor)

Tuesday, May 6th

Hannes Nykänen (Åbo), "In the Silence of the Heart: Wittgenstein and the 'Inner'". 

Time: 4.15-5.45 pm (16.15-17.45).

Venue: Forest House, seminar room 35 (C527, 5th floor)

Tuesday, May 13th

Smaranda Aldea (DePaul University, Chicago): Besinnung and the Performativity of Phenomenological Work.

Time: 4.15-5.45 pm (16.15-17.45).

Venue: Forest House, seminar room 35 (C527, 5th floor)