Relational Normativity
Workshop • December 4–5, 2025 • Freiburg/Germany
Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law
The workshop addresses the concept of “relational normativity.” In both moral and legal philosophy, theories that describe themselves as “relational” have gained prominence in recent years. Despite sometimes significant differences in what the “relationality” of these approaches amounts to, they share the starting conviction that norms, obligations, claims, and permissions arise from our relationships rather than from abstract values alone. On this view, the nature of the relationships between individuals or groups is fundamental to legal as well as ethical standards. These normative standards do not rest solely on features of individual agency, but are also shaped by the roles, expectations, and responsibilities that emerge from the relationships among the actors. The workshop aims to reflect on the latest developments in debates about relational normativity and to chart new directions for future research in this area. Beginning from a broad understanding of relational normativity, it brings together leading scholars from moral, legal, and political philosophy. To foster a diverse and critical exchange of perspectives, each talk will be followed by an in-depth commentary, with presenters and commentators belonging to different “camps” and offering different 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 |
Herlinde Pauer-Studer (Vienna): “Kantian and Relational Accounts of Morality: A Comparison”
Comment by Holmer Steinfath (Göttingen) |
| – Lunch break – | |
| 14:30–15:45 |
R Jay Wallace (Berkeley): “Relational Morality, Quality of Will, and the Problem of Moral Outcome Luck”
Comment by Monika Betzler (Munich) |
| – Coffee break – | |
| 16:15–17:30 |
Fabienne Peters (Warwick): “Relational Ethics: the Fittingness Dimension”
Comment by Jonas Vandieken (Munich) |
| 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) |
Venue
The Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law (MPI-CSL) is located in Freiburg in the suburb of “Wiehre” and can be reached from the main train station/city center by tram line 2 (stop “Holbeinstraße”), by taxi as well as on foot (around 20 minutes). The workshop will take place in an annex building of the MPI at Fürstenbergstraße 19. It is a new building with barrier-free access.
Address
Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law
Fürstenbergstraße 19
79102 Freiburg
Germany
Directions can be found on Google Maps.
There are numerous accommodation options available in Freiburg. For more information, please refer to the local tourist information pages.
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.
Registration
We are pleased to announce that registration for the workshop is now open. To register, please send an email to p.hirsch@csl.mpg.de, stating your name and institutional affiliation. Participation is free of charge. Please note that the number of participants is limited.