Relational Normativity
Workshop • December 4–5, 2025 • Freiburg/Germany
Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law
The workshop focused on the concept of “relational normativity”. In recent years, theories describing themselves as relational have gained significance in both moral and legal philosophy. Despite sometimes considerable differences regarding what constitutes the relationality of these approaches, they share the initial conviction that norms, obligations, claims, and entitlements arise from our relationships rather than from abstract values alone. Fundamental to both legal and ethical standards is, therefore, the nature of the relationships between individuals or groups. These normative standards are not based exclusively on characteristics of individual agency but are also shaped by the roles, expectations, and responsibilities arising from the relationships between actors.
The workshop reflected on the latest developments in the debates on relational normativity and highlighted new paths for future research in this area. Based on a broad understanding of relational normativity, it brought together leading scholars from moral, legal, and political philosophy. To encourage a diverse and critical exchange, each presentation was accompanied by an in-depth commentary, with presenters and commentators coming from different camps and offering alternative perspectives on relationality.
Program
Thursday • December 4, 2025
| from 09:00 | Registration |
|---|---|
| 09:45–10:00 | Philipp-Alexander Hirsch and George Pavlakos Welcome and Introduction |
| 10:00–11:15 | Arthur Ripstein (Toronto): “Two Types of Relational Normativity” Comment by Christoph Möllers (Berlin) |
| – Coffee break – | |
| 11:45–13:00 | R Jay Wallace (Berkeley): “Relational Morality, Quality of Will, and the Problem of Moral Outcome Luck” Comment by Monika Betzler (Munich) |
| – Lunch break – | |
| 14:30–15:45 | Fabienne Peter (Warwick): “Relational Ethics: the Fittingness Dimension” Comment by Jonas Vandieken (Munich) |
| – Coffee break – | |
| 16:15–17:30 | “Bringing Relational Perspectives Together: An Open Reflexion” Moderation: Philipp-Alexander Hirsch (Freiburg) & George Pavlakos (Glasgow) |
| 19:00 | Dinner (speakers only) |
Friday • December 5, 2025
| 10:00–11:15 | George Pavlakos (Glasgow): “Democratic Law in the State of Nature: a Kantian Framework” Comment by Alexander Somek (Vienna) |
|---|---|
| – Coffee break – | |
| 11:45–13:00 | Nicolas Vrousalis (Rotterdam): “What's Unjust about Structural Injustice” Comment by Mirjam Müller (Glasgow) |
| – Lunch break – | |
| 14:00–15:15 | Philipp-Alexander Hirsch (Freiburg): “Public Censure and Normative Repair: A Relational Conception of State Punishment” Comment by Erasmus Mayr (Erlangen) |
| 15:15–15:30 | Philipp-Alexander Hirsch und George Pavlakos Conclusion and Next Steps |
| 19:00 | Dinner (speakers only) |
Next Steps
The conference papers are to be published as a special issue of Jurisprudence, bringing together key theses and controversies on “relational normativity” and expanding them with additional perspectives.
About us
The workshop is organized by Dr. Dr. Philipp-Alexander Hirsch and Prof. Dr. George Pavlakos.
- Philipp-Alexander Hirsch is Leader of the Independent Research Group “Criminal Law Theory” at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law in Freiburg. His research focuses on criminal law and criminal procedure, legal philosophy and legal theory, and the history and philosophy of criminal law in the Age of Enlightenment. One of his main research projects at present is the development of a relational understanding of criminal law.
- George Pavlakos is Professor of Law and Philosophy at the University of Glasgow (School of Law). His research focuses on legal theory and philosophy, law and metaphysics, political philosophy as well as Immanuel Kant’s legal and political philosophy. In recent years, his work has focused on understanding the existence of legal relations outside the context of state-based law.
Picture Gallery
