Department of Social Philosophy

Research by the Chair members focuses on the broadly understood social philosophy, with particular emphasis on the philosophy of politics and culture. They deal with both contemporary and historical-philosophical issues. In terms of political philosophy, they focus, among other things, on:

• modern concepts of justice,
• a philosophical critique of neoliberalism, capitalism’s relations to cultural patterns of behavior and on the philosophical foundations of social liberalism,
• the issue of epistemic democracy and the status and role of expert knowledge in democratic practice,
• feminist philosophy.

In the field of theory of culture, the research includes:

• twentieth-century French thought – especially its existential trend,
• cultural anthropology,
• a practical approach to philosophical reflection (existential and phenomenological study) in medical sciences and psychology (philosophy of psychiatry, philosophy of medicine, philosophical therapy, existential psychology),
• broadly understood constructivist philosophy (from Richard Rorty’s neo-pragmatism to Bruno Latour’s actor-network theory).

Other studies conducted by the Department members include philosophical foundations of animal rights, Polish philosophy of the Romantic period, and the first half of the 20th century. Chair members also deal with the theory and practice of translating scientific texts, primarily philosophical ones.