Department of Philosophy

The Significance of Suffering in Theory and Practice
Call for Abstracts/Papers and Registration

Annual Conference of the German Society for Utilitarian Studies
Bielefeld University (hybrid), 19-21 November 2026
https://aktuell.uni-bielefeld.de/event/the-significance-of-suffering-in-theory-and-practice/
https://philevents.org/event/show/153729

This year’s annual conference of the German Society for Utilitarian Studies will focus on the significance of suffering in theory and practice. What is suffering, and which entities can suffer? What is severe or unbearable suffering, in particular, and should it take priority over happiness and other prudential, moral, or political values and reasons? If so, what kind of priority and why?

Our speakers include Roger Crisp (Oxford), David Enoch (Oxford), Felicia Knaul (UCLA), Jennifer Corns (Glasgow), Michael Brady (Glasgow), Jonas H. Aaron (Zürich), Leonard Dung (Bochum), Bjørn Morten Hofmann (NTNU), Claudia Bozzaro (Münster), and Dieter Birnbacher (Düsseldorf).

To participate in person or online, please email adriano.mannino@hm.edu (deadline: 2 November 2026). Participation is free. The conference will start Thursday afternoon, November 19, and end Saturday afternoon, November 21, 2026 (schedule TBA). You are welcome to attend only part of the conference.

Our schedule has room for additional speakers. Please attach your abstract or paper if you would like to give a talk; we will notify you within a few days of submission. We can fully cover travel costs within Europe, and at least partly from elsewhere.

Suitable topic areas include but are not limited to: the concepts and mental phenomena of pain, suffering, aversion, etc., and the concepts of severity and unbearability; pain and suffering as they relate to the theory of illbeing and wellbeing, value and disvalue; to intra- and interpersonal (non)aggregation, nonidentity, and population-level choices; to Kantian dignity, contractualism, virtue ethics, and other nonconsequentialist perspectives; to the concept of illhealth and issues in biomedical ethics or normative health economics more broadly (e.g., unbearability and end-of-life care, the measurement of suffering and the QALY/DALY/WELLBY metrics, patient prioritization and triage); to other areas of applied ethics (e.g., research ethics, animal ethics, AI ethics, applied population ethics/future ethics); to issues in political philosophy/theory and practice; and to the history of utilitarian thought and rivaling traditions.

The German Society for Utilitarian Studies (Gesellschaft für Utilitarismusstudien) is an association of scholars interested in utilitarian thought. Its aim is to foster engagement with the utilitarian tradition in philosophy and adjacent disciplines. Needless to say, the association welcomes utilitarians and non-utilitarians alike.

We thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for supporting our 2026 annual conference.

Read the original article (in German).

On Tuesday, 21 July, the Bielefeld University Society (UGBi) honoured the best doctoral theses at Bielefeld University. The prize was awarded for the best dissertations completed in 2025. All 15 theses received the highest possible grade, “summa cum laude” (outstanding achievement).

Dr. Hanna Metzen (Faculty of History, Philosophy and Theology)
I investigated the basis on which laypeople can trust scientific experts. In my dissertation, I show, for example, that the trustworthiness of experts rests on shared values as well as on scientific objectivity. Trust should also be compatible with mechanisms of democratic control, especially when experts appear in public or advise policymakers.

Dissertation title: Public Trust in Scientific Expertise – Its Nature, Value, and Strategies to Promote It

 

Hanna Metzen has been a research associate at the University of Konstanz since October 2025.

On behalf of the entire Department of Philosophy, we wish her all the very best for the future.

Gina-Marie Tschampa, a Master of Education student, has been awarded third place in the Hans Albert Institute's essay competition for her essay "The Politics of Happiness: Promoting Happiness as an Objective of Government Action."

The essay argues for the necessity of considering citizens' subjective well-being in political decision-making. It demonstrates why happiness should be at the center of every political decision and develops the concepts of “happiness-promoting” and “happiness-inhibiting” political action. Tschampa contends that it is the responsibility of governments to shape life within society in such a way that every individual has the best possible opportunity to achieve happiness.

The overarching theme of the competition was “What Would a Good Future Look Like?” Further information about the call for submissions can be found here: https://hans-albert-institut.de/essaywettbewerb-wie-waere-eine-gute-zukunft

The Department of Philosophy warmly congratulates Ms. Tschampa on this outstanding achievement.

 

 

 

***Only in German***

Dr. Kinga Golus und Prof. Dr. Christian Nimtz berichten im DAADeuroletter, wie sich Inklusion und Philosophie vereinen lassen und wie Erasmus+ den Prozess ergänzt.

DAADeuroletter-Artikel