Philanthropy or equitable distribution

On 9 June 2022, the Institute De Republica and the Faculty of Law, Canon Law and Administration of the Catholic University of Lublin are organising a scientific conference “Philanthropy or equitable distribution”.

The theme of the event will be the idea of philanthropy – its role, significance, forms and functions in the contemporary world. The invited speakers and experts will relate the principle of action aimed at satisfying the material, spiritual and moral needs of individuals, communities and specific societies to the (variously defined) idea of justice. The participle “or” included in the title of the conference may be extended by a conjunction “and” or an opposite conjunction “and”.

The purpose of the conference is to initiate a broad discussion concerning the connection between philanthropy and/or social justice, between charity and/or equitable distribution, between support and/or unjust allocation of social privileges, as well as between charity and/or social solidarity. In order to search for the answers to these questions, experts from various fields such as law, sociology, economics, political science and philosophy (ethics) have been invited to join the discussion. The imperative of helping people in need may stem from various motivations – humanitarian (philanthropy) or religious (charity, mercy). The conference programme also includes the presentation of historical perspective of this issue and the reflection of this idea in literature and art.

The conference will be followed by a peer-reviewed scientific publication.