Department of Liberal Arts

University of Technology Nuremberg

The seminars take place on Thursdays between 15.00-16.30 hours

The 50-60 min talk is followed by a 30 min discussion

and ends with tea/coffee/cookies between 16.30-17.00

Venue: Ulmestrasse 52i, Ground Floor, meeting room 02

The seminars are in hybrid format; everyone is welcome, no registration needed

Zoom link to the seminars

Organizer: Miklos Redei (m.redei@lse.ac.uk)

February 19, 2026
- Balazs Gyenis (Institute of Philosophy, ELTE RCH, Budapest, Hungary)
  - Title: "Defusing philosophical hopelessness"
  - Abstract: This talk examines three skeptical arguments about philosophy's apparent lack of progress: a meta-inductive argument from philosophy's poor historical track record of solving philosophical problems, a related argument from persistent disagreement of philosophers, and a third argument from the nature of philosophical problems. I argue that the first two arguments fail due to survivorship bias, and that the third argument fails due to adopting an inappropriately restrictive understanding of what counts as a solution of a philosophical problem and ignoring underdetermination of propositions by epistemic attractions. I further argue that the account of philosophical problems on which the third skeptical argument is based entails, instead, a continuity thesis between philosophy and the sciences.