Symposium 2021 on the topic: Knowledge – Power – Action

The relationship between the three concepts of knowledge, power, and action can be articulated in many different ways. Philosophy itself has never ceased to explore the interdependence of these three phenomena. Born from the ambition to give substance to knowledge and affirm its intrinsic value, philosophy has, since antiquity, continually sought to understand itself in relation to practice. It has therefore addressed questions such as: What role does philosophical thinking play in defining and guiding ethical and political action? What role does it play in human life, in shaping everyday conduct, and in grounding one's way of life?

The relationship between knowledge, power, and action concerns many areas of social life and individual existence. Consider, for example, politics, healthcare, or education: What forms of knowledge are used by and for structures of power? Where, in clinical practice, is the intersection between having to know and not wanting to know? How can we teach the capacity to act?

In all these areas, philosophy can accompany a careful reflection on these three concepts with the aim of deepening our understanding: of knowledge in its various forms (theoretical and practical knowledge, universal and individual knowledge, rational and sensory knowledge); of power as the capacity to act and produce effects, but also as authority and domination; and of action in its many implications, above all the responsibility it always entails towards others.

The aim of the Symposium is to bring different perspectives on these three concepts into dialogue through the tools of philosophical inquiry. Throughout the history of philosophy and across different schools of thought, these concepts have been interpreted, developed, and intertwined in a variety of ways. By fostering this dialogue, the Symposium seeks to shed new light on the contemporary world.

The event, promoted by the Swiss Philosophical Society, is organised in collaboration with the Società Filosofica della Svizzera italiana, with the support of the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI)—in particular the «Eventi Ricerca DEASS» Fund of the Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care (DEASS)—and the Canton of Ticino. The online component of the Symposium is also supported by the philosophie.ch portal.