Philosophers have long aimed to understand the nature of history and our place in it. In antiquity, Heraclitus said the world is in a constant flux, while Parmenides argued that reality was unchanging. Plato and Aristotle often saw history as cyclical, while Christian thinkers had a more linear view. On the other hand, the Enlightenment focused on the idea of progress thanks to science and better political institutions. In the 19th century, Hegel viewed history as a grand narrative, the unfolding of human freedom through dialectical progress. In contrast, Nietzsche introduced the idea of eternal recurrence. The 20th century saw Martin Heidegger warn of technology’s alienating effects and Hans Jonas call for moral responsibility towards future generations.

Today, reflections about the future of humanity are also put in the context of issues like technological developments and AI, transhumanism, climate change, new geopolitical and nation-state challenges, etc. To properly address these issues, we may find inspiration in past thinkers and intellectual traditions — by re-evaluating them from modern perspectives. In doing so, we may also consider distancing ourselves both from certain narratives on the one hand, and from the persistent modes of suspicion and deconstruction on the other, as inherited from previous generations of intellectuals.

In order to shed light on our future prospects, we would like to invite PhD students and young researchers from various disciplines to contribute to The Future of Humanity: Philosophical and Interdisciplinary Perspectives, which will be held at the Institute of Philosophy of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava.

By bringing together diverse perspectives, we hope to discuss questions like:

• What are the ethical challenges posed by AI and how can we address them?
• What responsibility do we have to future generations in the face of climate change?
• How might transhumanism and biotechnology impact human identity?
• How can politics and law help with these issues?
• Is humanity in a state of ongoing progress, or is it rather a fixed entity?

To participate, please submit an abstract (100–200 words) for a 15 to 20-minute presentation to mlada.filozofia@savba.sk no later than May 15, 2025. Submissions may be in English. Abstracts will be reviewed by our committee, and successful applicants will be notified by the end of May. The conference itself is scheduled for the 17th–18th of June.

We look forward to your contributions and are excited about your participation.