The Philosophical Legacy of Dietrich von Hildebrand

October 12 & 13, 2007

An International Conference Presented by The Dietrich von Hildebrand Legacy Project and The M.A. Philosophy Program at Franciscan University

Recent years have seen a renaissance in interest for the thought and personality of Dietrich von Hildebrand. The Dietrich von Hildebrand Legacy Project, established in 2004, exists to encourage and stimulate this renewal, primarily by translating and publishing the writings of von Hildebrand in English, but also through sponsoring regular events to facilitate the wider reception of his many contributions.

On this, the 30th anniversary of von Hildebrand's death in January 1977, the Legacy Project is happy to join with the MA Program in Philosophy at Franciscan University of Steubenville to sponsor an international conference on the theme, "The Philosophical Legacy of Dietrich von Hildebrand."

Our aim is to commemorate the life and thought of Dietrich von Hildebrand, not through an uncritical celebration of his ideas, but by creating a setting where, in a spirit of profound respect and gratitude for the master, conference participants will be able to enter into a lively engagement of von Hildebrand's many rich and seminal contributions to the fundamental questions of philosophy. Anything less than this would not be fully philosophical and therefore would not be in the spirit of von Hildebrand himself. Our consideration should be guided by the same quest for truth which is the golden thread of von Hildebrand's thought and personality.

While there are many important religious writings for which von Hildebrand is known, our conference will focus on the philosophical writings because these are widely neglected and stand in some respects at the heart of the von Hildebrand legacy.

We believe that submitted papers can best serve this purpose if they are cast in one of two basic formats. In the first place, we would welcome submissions that aim to unpack and critically engage an idea or theme in von Hildebrand, with a view to deepening the general understanding of his contributions in ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, political and social philosophy, aesthetics, and so forth. A second basic format lies in a comparative or critical reading of von Hildebrand from the perspective of one or more philosophical traditions. We are particularly interested in hearing from those working within the Thomistic and analytic traditions as well as from those who represent strands of phenomenology other than that of von Hildebrand (for example, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, etc.) One fruitful possible line of development, for example, would be a comparison of von Hildebrand and his slightly younger classmate, Edith Stein (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross).

We of course look forward to receiving those who are deep into von Hildebrand studies, yet we also extend a warm welcome to those who, sensing the importance of von Hildebrand's thought, are beginning to engage his work.

Those interested in presenting a paper should submit their abstracts as soon as possible since space and time limitations will only allow us to accept a limited number of papers.

Source: Dietrich von Hildebrand Legacy Project