COURSE WAS IN DUTCH | Who are the Ukrainian and Georgian equivalents of Socrates? In what ways does Eastern European philosophical thinking differ from that of the West? How are religion, politics and philosophy related in Eastern European intellectual history? What can the Eastern European tradition of thought teach us about Slavic identity? Join philosopher Evert van der Zweerde for this six-part course and explore Eastern European philosophy.
November - December 2025 | Latin School, Nijmegen | Radboud Reflects | This course has been rated with an average score of 8,9. See announcement
Very interesting, excellent teaching, a wonderful selection of literature, a great choice of philosophers, and highly appreciated additional information about contemporary Eastern Europe and Russia.
It was interesting to learn more about relatively unknown philosophers.
We are familiar with Eastern Europe through its current political unrest and classic Russian novels. These portray a rich political and mystical history. But what philosophical ideas lie behind this? What does the Eastern European philosophical tradition look like? And how does this rich tradition shape Eastern European intellectual life today?
In the Russian-speaking world, the practice of philosophy was banned for a long time. Philosophical thinking therefore took place 'underground'. During this period of oppression, critical thinking survived in the form of poetry or mystical texts, for example. How can these texts be interpreted as examples of critical thinking? And is this important for the role of critical thinking in society?
Is there a clear distinction between continental and Anglo-Saxon philosophy, and between these and Eastern European philosophy? Do they draw from the same origins? Do the ways of thinking in different Eastern European countries differ greatly from one another? This course covers Eastern European philosophy from Skovoroda, the earliest known Russian-speaking philosopher, to today's most important thinkers.
Evert van der Zweerde is a political philosopher who conducts research into democracy, focusing on ideology, Marxism, and civil society. He is also an expert on Russia and has published on Russian philosophy both in Russia and abroad.
Evert van der Zweerde is a regular guest speaker at Radboud Reflects public lectures. His 2016 lecture ‘The philosophers behind Putin’ has been viewed more than 428,000 times on YouTube. Watch the video.
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