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.

 

 

Spring 2026

The standard time and venue for the seminar during the spring is Tuesdays at 16.15-17.45 (4.15-5.45 pm) at the Forest House, lecture hall 31 (5th floor). English is the main language unless otherwise announced.

Tuesday, January 20th

Arvi Särkelä (Zürich): "Unriddling in Adorno and Wittgenstein".

Tuesday, January 27th

Désirée Weber (Wooster College): "Wittgenstein in the Woods: On Grammar and the Non-essentialism of Nature".

Tuesday, February 10th

Mats Bergman (Helsinki): "Varieties of Propaganda".

Monday, March 9th

"Möten mellan konst och filosofi i Cia Rinnes verk"

- Introduktion av  Cia Rinne och Fredrik Hertzberg (Helsingfors)

- Presentation: Cia Rinne

plats: TBC, main language Swedish.

Monday, March 23rd

Henrik Lagerlund (Stockholm): "Skepticism and Fallibility: A Historical Perspective".

venue: TBC

Tuesday, March 31st

The Georg Henrik von Wright Lecture with David Stern (Iowa): "G.H. von Wright and the Creation of Wittgenstein's Papers".

Venue: Forest House, Unioninkatu 40, lecture hall 1, 1st floor

Time: 4.15 pm

Tuesday, April 14th

Inkeri Koskinen (Helsinki): Title TBC.

Tuesday, May 19th

Full day excurssion to the house where Rolf Lagerborg (1874- 1959) spent his summers. The house, sometimes called Lagerborg's temple, is located in Bromarv, Ekenäs / Tammisaari, 100 km West of Helsinki.

The programme will include presentations by university lecturer Olli Lagerspetz (Åbo) and docent Kimmo Sarje (Helsinki).