Grenoble-Tartu workshop on memory and imagination, titled "Thought in Time" will take place 27–28 February 2025 at the University of Tartu, Jakobi 2-336. This workshop will bring together philosophers from Tartu and Grenoble to discuss themes of common interest related to the philosophy of memory and imagination. The talks will cover both empirically informed approaches in contemporary philosophy of mind and historical perspectives.
On October 25, 2024, the University of Tartu Senate appointed Associate Professor of Practical Philosophy, Kadri Simm, as Professor of Practical Ethics. This new professorship is distinguished from practical philosophy and theoretical ethics by its focus and interdisciplinary approach, particularly its integration with social science research methods and applicability. In recent decades, demand for expertise in the field on practical ethics has increased significantly both within the university and in society.
13 November Andreas Ventsel will give his inaugural lecture "The semiotics of deterrence and strategic communication in the field of security" in the White Hall of the University of Tartu Museum.
Our revamped English-language Philosophy Master's programme Philosophy in Practice opens for admissions in January 2025. The updated programme has been designed to teach philosophy in a way that supports both academic and non-academic career paths.
The issue 52(1/2) of Sign Systems Studies has been published. It contains articles on, starting from cell biology and diagrams to semiocide and the welfare of cats.
In the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the academic peer-reviewed journal Studia Philosophica Estonica has launched a groundbreaking special public edition, “Reflections on the Russia-Ukraine War”. It is the first issue of a philosophy journal to exclusively cover Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The renowned public intellectuals and distinguished scholars who contribute to this volume have written essays that combine rigorous academic analysis of the conflict with an accessible and engaging style. As a result, this special issue on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine offers insight that will resonate with professional academics and the general public alike.
On October 16 at 16:15, J. Michael Ryan will give a guest lecture titled "McDonaldization and Semiotics". Ryan is a professor of sociology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú). He has studied the phenomenon of McDonaldization and co-edits the book "The McDonaldization of Society" with George Ritzer.
On 15 October at 10:15, Jordan Zlatev will give a guest lecture titled 'Phenomenology and Cognitive Semiotics in an Extended Life World'. Zlatev is a professor at Lund University, one of the leading cognitive semioticians in the world and one of the foremost semioticians in Sweden.
The discussion game developed by researchers at the Centre for Ethics of the University of Tartu has received a remake – the game is now available in English.
On October 3, Daria Arkhipova defended her doctoral thesis "How Artificial Intelligence Recommendation Systems Impact Human Decision-Making" in semiotics and culture studies with cum laude at the joint committee of the University of Tartu and the University of Turin.
On Tuesday, 15 October, from 4:15–5:45 pm, Nigel DeSouza, Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa, will give a guest lecture at the University of Tartu. The topic of the lecture is "Herder and Kant on the philosophy of life and the foundations of morality: two models of German enlightenment, with a modern perspective". The lecture will take place at Jakobi 2-114.
All University of Tartu students are welcome to join us and focus on mental health together! We here at the Student Union want to contribute to students' mental well-being.
The photo exhibition „Shimmer“ by Ave Mets opens on Friday, 4 October at 12.00 in the University of Tartu Philosophicum Hall Gallery (Jakobi 2, Tartu). The exhibition offers shimmer, impressions and plays of light from different locations in Estonia and all over the world for viewers to discover.
On 20 November, the University of Tartu Library hosted a conference focusing on the particulars of interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary cooperation.
On September 20, 23 and 24 September Andreas Ventsel and Mari-Liis Madisson from the University of Tartu's Department of Semiotics, along with other colleagues participating in the Erasmus+ project "S.HI.E.L.D. vs Disinfo" (2023-2025), will organize a webinar to share practical techniques for addressing the growing challenge of disinformation.
The exhibition "Alchemy: The Intersection of All Things" is open in the exhibition hall of the university library. The exhibition explores alchemy as a universal knowledge that seeks to unite everything that exists - elements, nature, humans, planets, and the spiritual world - into a holistic system.
All students and employees of the Institute of Philosophy and Semiotics are invited to the traditional autumn party on September 19! This year we will meet at the Kultuuriklubi Salong from 20:00.