The question “Can metaphysics break bricks?” has already been asked, albeit in a slightly different form. In the film “Can Dialectics Break Bricks?”, the situationists, members of the international and revolutionary art movement Internationale situationiste, reflect upon whether dialectics can make changes in the material world.

During this reading workshop, we will adapt this unusual question to ongoing debates in analytic philosophy, specifically social metaphysics. In this sense, the aim of this workshop is to consider the power of metaphysics in the fight for social justice. At first glance, this goal is controversial since metaphysics is traditionally conceived as a discipline that deals with the fundamental forms of reality while being allegedly politically neutral. In this workshop, we will critically approach these assumptions. We will consider what metaphysics can tell us about social forms of reality like gender or race, and why and how engaging with social metaphysics can contribute to grasping real, tangible, and concrete changes in the social world. To achieve this, we will deal with social construction, ameliorative analysis, and new approaches to the metaphysics of the social.

Organizers and moderators:
Yorgos Karagiannopoulos (University of Amsterdam)
Aleksandra Knežević (IFDT)

Registration for the workshop is not required. The invitation is open to students of all study levels and all researchers interested in this topic. The workshop will be conducted in English.

If you need reading material and if you have any questions, please write to: aleksandra.knezevic@ifdt.bg.ac.rs

The event will be photographed and recorded due to publishing on social networks, the website and other information channels for the purpose of promoting the event and activities of the Institute.