CALL FOR PAPERS XII, 30, 2026: WHAT IS A GENOCIDE? PHILOSOPHICAL (RE)DEFINITIONS

 

Dead line: June 30,  2026

 

The question underlying this monographic issue of ‘Logoi’, although arising from the provocations of current events—or perhaps precisely for that reason—aims to be distinctly philosophical. It seemed to us too easy (and at the same time too difficult) to focus on the Palestinian and/or Israeli question. Instead, precisely in order to understand the reasons for what is happening, we considered it appropriate to take some distance from the present, sine ira et studio, and to return to exercising one of philosophy’s fundamental competences: defining and redefining words and concepts.
Politicians and jurists are certainly called upon to ask whether, in the face of this or that military event, we are dealing with a genocide that can be ascertained and declared as such. But as philosophers, we are called to ask whether the legal definition of genocide is the only possible one; whether it is still philosophically tenable today—and, if so, why; and if not, why not. And whether other definitions are possible. Whether “genocide” is a word that can still be used today. How are we to inhabit the historical–conceptual distance that separates us from Raphael Lemkin, the Polish jurist of Jewish origin who coined the word genocide? What is a genos? How many de facto unrecognized genocides are there in history, and why? What triggers this type of crime? Can one speak of genocide only starting from the coinage of the word, and if not, to what extent—and if so, why? Where should we draw the line between what happened in the twentieth century and what happened before it? And the line between what happened in the twentieth century and what continues to happen today?

Authors interested in responding to this Call for Papers are invited to:

1. consult the ‘Submit’ section where they will find instructions for submitting materials;
2. read the editorial guidelines [pdf], Proposals not conforming to these guidelines will not be accepted;
3. Submit proposals to info@logoi.ph.

Please note that only unpublished contributions relevant to the monographic themes selected by the Editorial Board will be considered.

 

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CALL FOR PAPERS XII, 29, 2026: DISTANCES AND HORIZONS: PERSPECTIVES ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF HANS BLUMENBERG

 

Dead line: June 16,  2025

 

This issue of ‘Logoi’ is edited by Matteo Marcheschi and Tommaso Parducci.
In the past two decades, Hans Blumenberg’s thought has garnered significant interest, especially in philosophical debates surrounding the concept of modernity. This interest stems primarily from Blumenberg’s ability to challenge antithetical conceptual pairs. In his philosophy, nothing is straightforward: things are never fully illuminated, for complete clarity would be blinding. For Blumenberg, the shadow of things is an essential part of reality and experience; to perceive the contours and boundaries of reality, one must observe the world obliquely. Accordingly, Blumenberg’s thought—and the form of reason he examines—does not proceed linearly but through discontinuities.
A central aspect of his philosophy is the relationship between metaphor and concept: not only can metaphor not be reduced to the concept, but it also cannot be observed through conceptual forms. This creates a tension expressed in his metaphorology and particularly in his theory of inconceptuality, as effects of what Blumenberg calls the “rationalization of deficiency,” which “consists in complementing the consideration of what we must do as the fulfillment of the intentionality of consciousness with the more anthropological consideration of what we are capable of doing in terms of fulfillment” (An Outlook on a Theory of Inconceptuality, 1979).
The relationship between metaphor and concept also raises questions about myth, a human creation born from the anthropological and intellectual exercise of distance. Myth is a practice of distance, a detachment from reality that enables us to endure the most burdensome aspects of experience. For this reason, myth seems to oppose modern reason. Modernity, after all, defines itself through the concept of horizon: the position consciously adopted by the observer to comprehend surrounding reality. In one case, the contours of experience are blurred; in the other, they are defined.
From this emerges an idea of logos expressed through various ways of perceiving, living, understanding, and producing the world. The world, according to Blumenberg, is understood through attempts he defines as “reoccupation” (Umbesetzung) and “counter-occupation” (Gegenbesetzung), which relate to a conception of truth as the child of time. However, this time is not linear but folded upon itself, continually revisiting similar problems resolved through attempts partly drawn from the past yet firmly determined by the times from which they emerge, legitimizing or opposing them.
The intertwining of key categories in Blumenberg’s thought allows, as the author’s own metaphor suggests, not for an intensive illumination in a single direction but for the creation of light beams from diverse origins, enabling the delineation of varied contours and opacities. Against this backdrop, it becomes possible to focus on the many forms and functions of Blumenbergian reason in its complex relationship with modernity.
This issue of Logoi aims to explore new aspects of Blumenberg’s philosophy, encouraging interaction between key categories of his thought that have often been examined separately. The discourse will develop along lines that may include topics such as:

• Metaphorology and inconceptuality
• The anthropology of the lifeworld
• Attempts to define historical processes through the notions of “reoccupation” and “counter-occupation”
• The theory of myth based on the issue of distance
• The theory of modernity developed through the notion of horizon
• Reflections on teaching modern philosophy using problematic notions such as “secularization”
• The educational use of Blumenberg’s metaphorological method

Authors interested in responding to this Call for Papers are invited to:

1. consult the ‘Submit’ section where they will find instructions for submitting materials;
2. read the editorial guidelines [pdf], Proposals not conforming to these guidelines will not be accepted;
3. Submit proposals to matteo.marcheschi@cfs.unipi.it; tommaso.parducci@phd.unipit.it, with a copy to info@logoi.ph.

Please note that only unpublished contributions relevant to the monographic themes selected by the Editorial Board will be considered.