Ethical Liberalism in Contemporary Societies

In July 2007 a conference entitled Ethical Liberalism in Contemporary Societies was hosted by the Collegium Polonicum in Slubice, Poland. The conference was organised through collaboration between the Interdisciplinary Centre for Ethics at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) and the Collegium Polonicum, a joint institution of the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) and the Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan. This volume collects the contributions to this conference. The problematics of liberalism affects ethicists and philosophers not only in Europe but also in Latin America and the Middle East. Scholars from these three regions met to discuss the role that the ethical aspect of liberal thought can play in the contemporary world. They also approached ethical liberalism from a historical perspective. Focusing on ethical liberalism’s interconnectedness with politics, globalisation and culture, the conference participants not only elaborated on theoretical approaches, but also turned their attention to empirical case studies. This volume presents their thoughts and contributions which, although naturally fragmentary, are symptomatic of the present day and age.