The Emory University Institute for the History of Philosophy (IHP) will host its Tenth Annual Summer Seminar through May 20-30, 2019, on the topic of Leibniz’s Philosophy of Law. Co-Directors are Ursula Goldenbaum (Emory University) and Daniel Garber (Princeton University).
IHP Summer Seminars are designed to bring together a group of faculty scholars specializing in specific areas of the history of philosophy for seminars focused around a shared reading list. Ten participants and the two co-directors meet in two mornings sessions over the course of two four-day weeks for discussions based upon close readings. The afternoons are free for reading and preparing. The Emory Library has collected Leibniz literature since the time of Leroy E. Loemker and also holds the original of Robert Mulvaney’s dissertation on Leibniz’ philosophy of law, defended at Emory in 1965. The IHP seminar format eschews the delivery of conference-style papers in favor of open, group-based engagement. In so doing, the IHP seeks to foster conversations that will inform future scholarly work. For the IHP’s past seminars see http://philosophy.emory.edu/home/news/IHP%20v.2.html.
The 2019 readings will focus on Leibniz’s Philosophy of Law, an area that has not been in the focus of Anglo-American Leibniz scholarship so far. Our central texts will include Leibniz’s Elementa juris naturalis, the Nova methodus, and the Theodicée. We will use translations if possible, and also texts in their original language. Fortunately, we recently got translations of the Nova methodus. The Akademieedition will be available in our seminar space. In addition, our discussions will take into account texts of philosophers that were of particular impact on Leibniz’s thinking about natural right, law, and on his concept of justice, especially of Grotius, Hobbes, Spinoza, and Plato.
Interested scholars should email a cover letter, addressing the relevance of the topic of Leibniz philosophy of law to their — current and/or future — scholarly work, and a CV to Professor Ursula Goldenbaum at ugolden@emory.edu. We would like to encourage especially younger scholars to apply. The deadline for applications is December 31st, 2018 with decisions announced by January 15th, 2019.
More information is available at Leibniz IHP 2019-1.
