Truth and untruth in History of Political Thought
Call for papers
Convegno
Truth and untruth in History of Political Thought
Scadenza: 15-03-2026
Referente: Society History Poiitical Thought vicepresident patricia.chiantera@uniba.it
Email :
eurohpt@eurohpt
Link:
https://europoliticalthought.wordpress.com/2025/08/19/human-nature-humans-and-nature-seventh-biennial-conference-of-the-european-society-for-the-history-of-political-thought-central-european-university-vienna-25-27-september-2024/
The European Society for the History of Political Thought (ESHPT) invites proposals for its 8th
international conference. The conference will focus on themes related to “Truth and Un-Truth in
the History of Political Thought.” It will be held at the University of Naples “Federico II” in Naples,
Italy, on 5-7 October 2026.
The concepts of “truth” and “untruth,” as well as the many implications linked to them, have long
been central to the practice of politics and the history of political thought. Far from being a purely
epistemological concern, they have consistently been entangled with the dynamics of power,
legitimacy, and authority. Indeed, political thinkers have recognized that truth-claims can serve
not only as a foundation for justifying or challenging a political order, but also as a tool for
domination, persuasion, control, or governance. This tradition is evident in Plato’s justification of
the “noble lie” (“γενναῖον ψεῦδος”, Republic, III), medieval theories of natural law, early modern
raison d’état, modern visions of deliberative democracy, and Hannah Arendt’s reflections on
totalitarianism and lying, to name just a few examples.
Proposals for individual, 20-minute presentations should be no longer than 250 words. Proposals for panels should not exceed 1,000 words (including all constituent paper proposals). Short CVs
of the speakers should be added (name, institutional affiliations, major publications – no more
than five). Panels at the conference will normally last 90 minutes, with 3 papers each.
(Exceptionally, panel proposals consisting of more than 3 papers may be accommodated.) Please
send your proposals by 15 March 2026 to eurohpt@eurohpt.
Segnalato da: PATRICIA CHIANTERA
