Department of Philosophy and Religious studies University of Pardubice cordially invites you to attend the conference Neoliberalism Without Critique?
In terms of wealth distribution, the Czech Republic is currently one of the least egalitarian countries in the world. Traditionally, right-leaning philosophical and economic theorists argue that such economic inequalities are an inevitable outcome of a neoliberal society that consistently upholds the value of individual freedom. Left-leaning authors, however, point to an internal tension within this position: empirically, economic inequalities in fact undermine freedom. This becomes particularly evident when wealth can be translated into political power, for instance through advertising, political donations, or private ownership of the media. Under such circumstances, the wealthy hold greater political influence, which stands in direct contradiction to the democratic ideal of equal political influence. If this argument is sound, one might expect Czech political-economic philosophical literature to show a deeper interest in analyzing the impact of the neoliberal order on democratic values. Yet such critical engagement is conspicuously lacking in the Czech philosophical discourse. This conference invites contributions that explore why this is the case and what might be done about it.
