Fellow Lecture by Professor Dr Elif Özmen (Greifswald/Gießen)

The majority of contemporary philosophy does not make the "dark" sides of morality and justice (such as violence, cruelty, exploitation, slavery) the subject of philosophical reflection at all or only in a roundabout way. The lecture examines the historical, methodological and semantic reasons for these gaps and self-restrictions. The inadequacy of the widespread presentation of normative counter-concepts as mere negation and contradiction - for example, the equation of injustice with "non-justice" - will be analysed. Secondly, possible universal criteria of injustice are proposed. The history of the philosophy of justice, in particular the history of human rights after the break with civilisation, is interpreted as a history of the normative containment of violence. By viewing violence as a rational and attractive possibility of action - a "cheeky wickedness" that can be worthwhile individually or socially - one comes, according to the thesis of the lecture, a little closer to injustice as human fear and freedom.

Elif Özmen has been Professor of Philosophy specialising in theoretical ethics and political philosophy at Justus Liebig University Giessen since 2016. She studied philosophy, history of science and German philology in Göttingen and Frankfurt am Main. She completed her doctorate at HU Berlin in 2004 and her habilitation at LMU Munich in 2010; she held a professorship in Regenburg from 2012 until she moved to Giessen. Her current research interests include the much-cited crisis of liberal democracy, theories of (in)justice and fundamental communication rights, in particular academic and artistic freedom. Elif Özmen is a Senior Fellow at the Alfried Krupp Wissenschaftskolleg Greifswald for the 2026 summer semester.

Moderation: Professor Dr Micha Werner