The belief that Europe was the harbinger of universal peace, freedom, and progress has long been ingrained in its modern identity. However, the tragic events of the twentieth century shattered Europe’s perceived centrality in what was supposed to be a universal and teleological history of mankind. Today, the philosophical discourse about the idea of Europe is laden with profound uncertainties regarding its historical legacy, contemporary conceptual categories, and future perspectives.
This two-day workshop aims to explore the philosophical and intellectual responses to the crises of the twentieth century, and how these philosophical discourses have influenced the post-WWII European project. While philosophy serves as the core focus, the event will also feature presentations from other disciplines in the theoretical humanities and social sciences.
Programme
Day 1: Thursday 18.4.
09.30–09.50: Coffee and registration
09.50-10.00: Marco Piasentier and Panu-Matti Pöykkö: Opening remarks
10.00–10.45: Nicolas de Warren: The Afterlives of Europe Nevermore
10.45–11.30: Kolar Aparna: Reading “post-WWII Europe” against the grain: Black feminist Poethical responses to Slavery and the crisis of Reason
11.30–12.15: Ville Erkkilä: The Images of Law and Society After the End Law - Two Visions of Justice and Tradition in a Divided Germany
12.15–13.30: Lunch break
13.30–14.15: Marianne Sandelin: “The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions”: The Enlightenment, Political Rationalism, and the Intellectual Origin of Totalitarianism?
14.15–15.00: Karolina Stenlund: Swedish answers to an American Dilemma? The influence of Gunnar Myrdal’s thinking in the American Civil rights Movement
15.00–15.30: Coffee break
15.30–16.15: Susanna Lindberg: Europe and the Wolves: Living with Strangers
16.15–17.00: Davide Tarizzo: Some Reflections on the Co-Originality Thesis
Day 2: Friday 19.4.
09.30–10.00: Coffee
10.00–10.45: Lee Braver: A Crisis Such as The Earth has Never Seen: Why Reading Nietzsche Is Our Destiny
10.45–11.30: Mirja Hartimo: Logic and the Crisis of Reason
11.30–12.15: Sami Pihlström: The Crisis of Pacifism: Pragmatist and Transcendental Reflections
12.15–13.30: Lunch break
13.30–14.15: Panu-Matti Pöykkö: Levinas and Europe as a Space of Peace
14.15–15.00: Marco Piasentier: Deconstruction, Disenchantment, and the Voice of Europe
15.00–15.30: Coffee break
15.30–16.15: Timo Miettinen: The Ordoliberal Dream of Europe
16.15–17.00: Tuija Pulkkinen: Exceptional Reason: Kant, Husserl and Derrida
17.00-19.00: Reception with a light dinner and drinks
Registration
Please register to the workshop using this link by April 10th, 2024.
For questions and inquiries about the event, do not hesitate to contact Anna Kananen (anna.kananen@helsinki.fi).