LIBERTAS PHILOSOPHANDI. Freedom of Expression, Conscience and Thought in Modern Philosophy

What does Libertas philosophandi mean for us today?

Libertas philosophandi is at the center of the 17^th-and 18^th-century European debate on the status and role of both science and philosophy with respect to theological authorities. From Spinoza to Bayle, from Locke to Voltaire, from Wolff to Kant, Libertas philosophandi became one of the central issues in philosophy to be put in act and defended. Therefore, it assumed a paradigmatic value in various fields of inquiry, from scientific culture to social history, from utopian political movements to religious reforms, from the birth of public opinion to the defense of human rights.

The fifth ESEMP conference, LIBERTAS PHILOSOPHANDI. Freedom of Expression, Conscience and Thought in Modern Philosophy, to be held in the Department of Philosophy and Communication Studies of the University of Bologna from 9^th to 11^th September 2019, will address some facets of this conceptual prism and its metamorphosis, from three perspectives: Thought and Expression, Gender and Identity, Theology and Science. Through an investigation of these conceptual pairs and the tensions that animate them, this conference aims to explore the different meanings of Libertas philosophandi in the rise of modern European culture, as well as its value for our present.