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
The standard time and venue for the seminar during the autumn is Tuesdays at 4-6 pm at the Forest House, seminar room 18 (4th floor, B-wing, room B402). English is the main language unless otherwise announced.
Tuesday, September 9th
Artur Koterski (Maria Curie-Sklodowska University): "The Forgotten Forerunner of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions".
Tuesday, September 16th
Niklas Toivakainen (Helsinki): "Human Wisdom, Fear of Death, and Piety: Notes on Plato's Apology".
Tuesday, September 23rd
Mattias Lehtinen (Helsinki): "Far-right Political Epistemology: Imaginary Institutions of Truth in Dugin, de Benoist, Faye and Yarvin".
Tuesday, September 30th
A session on Henrik Stenius' book Vapaus, veljeys, tasa-arvo -- Joukkojärjestymisen suomalainen (on the role of people's movements in modern history). Introduction by Henrik Stenius (Helsinki) with comments by Eeva Luhtakallio (Helsinki). The working language will be mainly Finnish.
Time: 4.15-5.45 pm (16.15-17.45).
Venue: TBC
Tuesday, October 7th
Bernt Österman (Helsinki), "G.H. von Wrights biografiska skiss av Ludwig Wittgenstein". The working language will be mainly Swedish.
Tuesday, November 11th
Jonas Ahlskog (Åbo), "Who needs the practical syllogism? G. H. von Wright and the logical form of historical explanation".
Tuesday, December 16th
Mats Bergman (Helsinki), title TBC.