Hermeneutical Rationality and the Future of the Humanities | Call for Papers

The set of challenges facing the Humanities today is an opportunity to rethink their future. Over and again the diagnosis of crisis resurfaces, with departments, research centres or programs in the Humanities facing budget cuts, and their usefulness being questioned. Against that backdrop, their defence often appeals to the intrinsic value of a humanistic education (Ordine, The Usefulness of the Useless) and points to the virtues of critical thinking and democratic citizenship that the Humanities foster (Nussbaum, Not for Profit). At the same time, this is a field that undergoes deep transformations, given the appearance of the ‘new Humanities’ (Braidotti et al., New European Humanities), including multi- and interdisciplinary developments (Digital, Environmental or Medical Humanities). And while this is happening, a self-reflexive effort to (re-)define the Humanities and think the role they can have in tackling the urgent societal issues of our time is undergoing.

On the occasion of the celebration of the 75^th birthday of the CIPSH and of the World Philosophy Day and given the need to keep reflecting on the future of the Humanities, the Conference “Hermeneutical Rationality and the Future of the Humanities”, which will take place on 26-28 November 2024 at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Coimbra, puts forward a twofold objective. On the one hand, it intends to explore the extent to which the hermeneutical paradigm of the Humanities (Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Gadamer, Ricœur, Taylor), which emphasizes the interpretive core of these disciplines and their contribution to human moral development can still provide meaningful answers to these challenges.

Guest speakers: Jesus Conill Sáncho (University of Valencia), Kurt C. M. Mertel (American University of Sharjah), Luiz Oosterbeek (IPT / CIPSH), Patrícia Vieira (Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra), Paula Barata Dias (University of Coimbra), Willem B. Drees (Leiden University / Tilburg University), Yves Citton (Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint Denis)

Hosted by: CECH, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Coimbra, in partnership with the Conseil International de la Philosophie et des Sciences Humaines (CIPSH), the Portuguese Philosophical Society (SPF) and The Philosophy Program of the Department of International Studies, American University of Sharjah