【IAS&FAH-DPHIL】UM Philosophy Forum Distinguished Scholars Series – 11: Professor Walter Schweidler (16 March 2026; 4:00-5:30 PM)

【高研院&人文學院哲學與宗教學系】澳大哲學名師系列講堂 - 11：Walter Schweidler 教授（2026年3月16日;下午4:00-5:30）

 2026-03-16     IAS     Lecture/Seminar / 講座    (Expired/已過期)
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Dear Colleagues and Students,

The Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences (IAS) and Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH-DPHIL) cordially invite you to participate in the UM Philosophy Forum Distinguished Scholars Series – 11. We have invited renowned philosophers and scholars from both local and international backgrounds to share their academic insights, with various professors from different departments within the university serving as hosts and discussants. This initiative aims to foster interdisciplinary communication and collaboration. Please see the details below:

  • Theme：THE SLAVE IN OURSELVES – Political Legitimation Under the Conditions of a Utilitarian Culture
  • Speaker：Prof. Walter Schweidler – Chair Professor of Philosophy, University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt, Germany
  • Discussant：
    Prof. Ellen Zhang     – Professor and Head of Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies of FAH
    Prof. Xiaobo Zhai – Associate Professor and Assistant Dean (Research) of Department of Global Legal Studies of FLL
  • Moderator：Prof. Hans-Georg Moeller – Professor of Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, FAH
  • Organisers: Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences; Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, FAH
  • Date & Time: March 16 (Mon); 4:00 – 5:30 PM
  • Location: Cultural Building, E34-G011
  • Language: English
  • Registration Link: https://umac.questionpro.com.au/t/ARuNlZSAwo 

Abstract：
There has been a long discussion about the Aristotelian thesis in the Politics that slavery belongs to human nature. There are at least two reasons why the question is still of systematic importance for political philosophy and indeed for politics itself. The first is historical, in that the real model of the Aristotelian theory, the Athenian polis, was a slave-state, and that the theory based on this model contains a concept of freedom which is indirectly decisive still for the understanding of political legitimation and rationality under the conditions of the modern state. The second is an intrinsically philosophical reason, namely that the Aristotelian theory refers essentially to an element of citizenship that is even defined by the difference between free people and slaves. According to this conception, a free man’s action and thinking is based on an experience which, by definition, the slave does not share with him. It is mainly the experience of a way of life that has its meaning or its end in itself, and not in its functionality for the goals of others. Anyone who wants to understand the actuality of the Aristotelian model of politics for the analysis of our current political system will have to reconcile this principle with the conditions of our social reality. 

Biography of Our Speaker
Professor Walter Schweidler held from 2009 to 2023 the chair for philosophy at the Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt, the only Catholic university in Germany. From 2000 to 2009 he was professor for practical philosophy at the Ruhr University Bochum where he succeeded Bernhard Waldenfels. From 1997 to 2000 Schweidler was professor for philosophy at the University of Dortmund where he succeeded Dieter Birnbacher. He was a guest professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis in 1989, Sydney (Macquarie University) in 1997 and Kyoto University in 1998, at the University of California at Berkeley (Graduate Theological Union) in 2002 and at the Sichuan University in Chengdu in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2024. His research fields are: philosophy of the 20th century, phenomenology, Heidegger, Wittgenstein, metaphysics and the critique of metaphysics, bioethics, intercultural philosophy, philosophical anthropology, ethics, and political philosophy.

We look forward to seeing you at these events! For more information about IAS, please visit the website of IAS at https://ias.um.edu.mo/. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at ias.programme@um.edu.mo.

Best regards,
The Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences

Students who attend on-site will receive 1 SP and 15 CS for “Knowledge Integration” in the Whole Person Development Award.