Guest Lectures by Dr. Mantas Davidavičius (Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas)
The Faculty of Philosophy at Sofia University cordially invites you to two lectures by Dr. Mantas Antanas Davidavičius (Philosophy, VMU, Kaunas, Lithuania).
Bio: Dr. Mantas Antanas Davidavičius is a lecturer at the Department of Philosophy at Vytautas Magnus University (Kaunas, Lithuania). His research focuses on environmental philosophy, political thought, intellectual history, and the transformations of ecological ideas in twentieth-century Europe, particularly within the Soviet context. He teaches courses in political philosophy, ecosophy, environmental ethics, post-structuralism, and introduction to philosophy. His recent work includes the monograph Nature’s Inventors: Transformations of Ecosophy in the Twentieth Century, which examines the philosophical and political reinterpretations of nature in modern ideological systems.
Marxism and Nature: From the Dialectics of Nature to Soviet Attempts to Change the Climate
Monday, 8 June, 3-5 pm, auditorium 63 (SU Rectorate, south wing, 3rd floor)
This lecture explores the relationship between Marxist thought and conceptions of nature in the Soviet Union, tracing the transformation of ecological ideas from classical Marxism to large-scale Soviet projects aimed at reshaping the natural environment. The lecture will examine how philosophical assumptions about humanity’s relationship with nature became translated into political and technological practices.
Particular attention will be given to the tensions between emancipatory visions of progress and attempts to subordinate nature to ideological goals. The lecture will also discuss how Soviet environmental policies and climate transformation projects reflected broader modernist ambitions to rationally reorganize both society and the natural world.
Moderator: Dr. Jana Tsoneva (Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences)
Contemporary European Democracy in the Light of the English Civil War: Reflections on Hobbes and Locke
Tuesday, 9 June, 11 am – 1 pm, auditorium 21 (SU Rectorate, south wing, 1st floor)
The lecture will examine how the political ideas about human nature that emerged during and after the English Civil War continue to shape contemporary understandings of democracy, authority, and human rights in Europe. By comparing Hobbes’ vision of strong sovereign power with Locke’s theory of government grounded in the social contract and natural rights, the lecture explores two competing models of political order that remain influential today.
The discussion will also address the contemporary resurgence of authoritarian political tendencies in Europe and argue that democratic societies must actively defend the principles of universal human rights. Drawing on Karl Popper’s reflections on the enemies of open society, the lecture raises the question of whether democracy can survive without defending its own foundational values.
Moderator: Assoc. Prof. Ognian Kassabov (Philosophy, Sofia University)
