The Institute of Philosophy is a research and teaching unit of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Wrocław. It consists of 10 departments and 6 centres (as below).

Our main purpose is to develop research and teaching programmes focused upon traditional philosophical disciplines (epistemology, ethics, aesthetics, political and social philosophy, philosophy of culture and religion, etc.) at the historical and systemic level.

Together with the systematic research we reinforce the pluralism of philosophical perspectives in academic practice by running interdisciplinary research and inaugurating projects which include practical, empirical and unexplored approaches in contemporary philosophy and its disciplines.

The goal of the Institute is pursued at different levels (theoretical development, application, outreach, international cooperation) through three distinct strategies, namely:

• aiming at high quality academic research (through diverse projects, conferences, seminars, publications, popularisation of philosophy, etc.);
• high quality education in human and social sciences (at BA, MA, PhD and post-doc level of studies);
• international and inter-institutional cooperation with cultural, artistic, educational, social, political, and religious organisations in Wrocław, Poland and abroad.

In order to achieve these goals we develop research and teaching programmes on the themes of development and investigation of philosophical theories and their application to cultural and social practices and problems.

Teaching programmes:

Courses in the bachelor programme form two main blocks. The historical block offers the diachronic introduction into the main philosophical currents: from Ancient, through Medieval and Modern Philosophy, to German Idealism and the 19th and 20th Century Philosophy. Parallel to that, the programme involves courses in the major philosophical subdisciplines: Ontology, Epistemology, Ethics, Aesthetics, Social Philosophy and Logic (https://www.klmn.uwr.edu.pl). These two blocks are supplemented by methodological and propaedeutic courses, as well as optional seminars dedicated to more specific topics.

The master programme is also arranged in two main sections. It offers courses in more specific philosophical subdisciplines: the Philosophies of – Nature, Science, History, Economics, Religion, Culture; Political Philosophy, Philosophical Anthropology. Apart from that, there are courses dedicated to the review of the main themes in basic philosophical subdisciplines – Ontology, Epistemology, Ethics and Aesthetics. Optional seminars on more specific topics are also offered.

Research activities – overview

The Institute of Philosophy actively supports research initiatives in the following fields:

International activities:

International conferences organised by the Institute of Philosophy facilitate the exchange between scholars from different institutions. During the conference Imagination between Art, Science, & the Social World (May 2018) the keynote addresses were delivered by Professor J.-J. Wunenburger, the President of l’Association Internationale Gaston Bachelard, and Professor B. Sokolov from the Institute of Philosophy of the Saint Petersburg State University.

To support young researchers, the Institute of Philosophy co-organised the Wrocław edition of Philosophers Rally (June 2017) – the international conference for early career philosophers held annually in one of Polish university cities.

For the past four years, the Institute of Philosophy has been organizing a cyclical (November) multi-day seminar in philosophy and aesthetics, covering the areas of philosophy of culture, politics, aesthetics and ethics. The Institute of Philosophy continues to expand the geographical boundaries of the project – in addition to Czech and Portuguese universities, in 2022 and beyond, it is planned to include new partners from Germany and Spain. The seminar is addressed primarily to staff and students, as well as doctoral students of philosophy, humanities, art and culture.

The American Philosophy and Culture lecture series is intended to foster international dialogue and research on classical American philosophy, such as pragmatism (and variants of neo-pragmatism), transcendentalism, and personalism, as well as on other traditions originating in or related to American thought and culture. As part of the series, Wrocław will be visited by world-renowned scholars who will give lectures on issues from various philosophical sub-disciplines: from the philosophy of science, through the philosophy of politics and ethics to aesthetics, metaphilosophy and philosophy of public philosophy.

Regional heritage:

In recognition of the complex history of the Lower Silesia region, the Institute of Philosophy cultivates the regional contributions to European philosophy in cooperation with German partners. To celebrate the 250th birthday anniversary of Wrocław (Breslau)-born Friedrich Schleiermacher, the conference with the participation of Professor Gunter Scholtz from Ruhr-Universität Bochum was held (November 2018). The Institute of Philosophy also actively supports the Jakob Böhme centre in Zgorzelec (former Görlitz).

Philosophical journal:

The Institute of Philosophy is home to the philosophical quarterly Studia Philosophica Wratislaviensia (Editor-in-Chief: Professor Adam Chmielewski). Founded in 2005, the journal cultivates the best traditions of Polish philosophy, while exploring new grounds in both Polish and international research. The quarterly welcomes contributions from all philosophical subdisciplines and logic. Starting from 2019, Studia Philosophica Wratislaviensia is be bilingual, accepting papers in Polish and English.