News

Communication seems simple… until you realise you’re talking to a wall. We invite you to a conference where we ask when dialogue is actually needed in society and which shared agreements form the basis of good dialogue.

On Friday, 30 January, at 14:15, an English-language colloquium will take place at the University of Tartu Philosophicum (Jakobi 2–336), exploring how Stoic ideas and practices can be applied in contemporary psychotherapy to help people cope more effectively with difficulties.

The role of the critical friend is discussed by Kristina Mägi, Director of Kohila Kindergarten Sipsik since 2006, and Kätlin Kaljas, Director of Põlva Lõunakaare Kindergarten since 2019. Their experience shows that initial caution is soon replaced by understanding: the critical friend does not come to impose change, but rather to help create clarity and support existing work.

We wish our university community and friends a joyful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

On November 24, the early-career researchers' workshop, "Ethics and Emotions", will take place in Jakobi 2-114. The workshop brings together Susimetsa Philosopicum’s visiting scholars from the University of Geneva and the University of Lund, as well as local researchers from the University of Tartu. Everyone interested, including students, is most welcome!

On 31 October, the senate of the University of Tartu decided to award the University of Tartu Grand Medal to former rector, Professor emeritus Jaak Aaviksoo, Professor Marlon Gerardo Dumas Menjivar, Professor Kalle Kirsimäe, and Professor Ivo Leito. The recipients of the University of Tartu Star of Appreciation, Medal, Badge of Distinction and the decoration “100 Semesters at the University of Tartu” have also been selected.

The University of Tartu was founded on 25 October 393 years ago. This year, the anniversary was marked by memorial ceremonies, a concert and other events.

On 27 October from 13–18, the University of Tartu development conference “A university for us, Estonia and the world” took place at the assembly hall of the university's main building and online to initiate a discussion on topics important for society and the university. The discussion were be based on the new University of Tartu strategic plan approved in June.

The conference “Law’s Many Users: Legal Interpretation Within and Beyond Legal Institutions” will take place on 12–14 November 2025 at the University of Tartu. It will focus on how professionals in various roles interpret legal norms within the constraints and affordances of their organisational contexts.

On 16 June, the council of the University of Tartu approved the new strategic plan, which sets the direction for the university’s activities for the next ten years.

On 25–26 August, the workshop on the ethics of artificial intelligence, "Ethics of AI: Navigating Challenges to Values, Society, and Human Welfare," was held at the University of Tartu.

On Monday, 2 June at 16:15 an English-language colloquium will take place at the University of Tartu Delta Centre (Narva mnt 18–1008) and on Zoom, discussing the adoption of generative AI in medicine as a large-scale social experiment. The presentation will highlight the need for ethical conditions that support responsible and gradual implementation.

On Tuesday, 27 May at 16:15 at the University of Tartu Delta Centre (Narva mnt 18–1025), an English-language colloquium will take place, exploring how surveillance capitalism and AI algorithms restrict individual autonomy by turning human behaviour into data that is predicted, directed, and monetised.

On Friday, 25 April at 14:15, an English-language colloquium will take place at the University of Tartu’s Philosophicum (Jakobi 2–336), exploring the links between suicide, considered decision-making, and the stigma surrounding mental health.

The children's book on values and philosophy „Mis on sulle kallis?“ („What do you hold dear?“), by Tiia Kõnnussaar (writing under the pen name Tia Navi) and Kadri Simm, has been selected as one of the 25 gems of Estonian children's literature featured in Estonia’s catalogue at the Bologna Children's Book Fair.

On Monday, 14th April at 16:15, a colloquium in Estonian will take place at the Philosophicum of the University of Tartu (Jakobi 2-336), focusing on Nietzsche's attitude towards ancient philosophy.

On Tuesday, 8 April, at 16:15, an Estonian-language colloquium will take place at the University of Tartu’s Delta Centre (Narva mnt 18, room 1008), discussing the impact of artificial intelligence on childhood.

On Friday, 14 March, from 14:15 to 15:45, there will be an English-language colloquium on Zoom discussing the definition of pregnancy, the ambiguity of its beginning and end, and the philosophical and societal implications of pregnancy loss.

On 1–2 April 2025, the Philosophy Graduate Workshop in Tartu will be hosted by the Department of Philosophy and the Centre for Ethics at the University of Tartu. The event will bring together experienced philosophers from across Europe.

On March 3 at 16:15, at Delta building, room 1008 (Narva mnt 18), Dr. Nikhil Mahant will deliver a talk titled “Two Dogmas of AI Doomsayers”. The lecture can also be followed live via Zoom. Dr. Nikhil Mahant is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellow at Uppsala University and is currently a resident at Susimetsa Philosophicum.