New Presidium

Dear Members of Societas Ethica,

During the General Assembly at our 60th Annual Conference held at the wonderful Sigtunastiftelsen in Sweden I have been elected as the President of Societas Ethica. I am both honored and excited to assume this role, and I would like to take this opportunity to provide an update on our plans as the new presidency, as well as to introduce myself to those who were unable to attend the conference.

First and foremost, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to my predecessor, Elena Namli, and her scriba, Martin Langby, and quaestor, Johanna Ohlsson, as well as to the entire board for their great work. Their efforts have facilitated a smooth transition into the new presidency. Under their leadership, the Society has experienced growth in membership and has maintained a stable financial status, enabling a rich environment for scholarly exchange at exciting conferences. Societas Ethica has been a society of scholars engaged in ethical discourse across various and diverse academic disciplines, transcending the boundaries of theology, philosophy, and applied ethics and we are looking forward to contributing to this tradition.

I would also like to acknowledge my colleagues in the new leadership team: Sebastian Mense has been appointed as our new Scriba. He is a Protestant theologian and research fellow involved in the “GenderVariations” project of the German Research Foundation at the Protestant University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt, as well as a PhD candidate at Amsterdam University. Lea Schlenker has been confirmed as Quaestor. She is a Protestant theologian and Islamic studies scholar, currently pursuing her PhD at Tübingen University. Together, we are committed to serving Societas Ethica and maintaining ongoing communication with all of you. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions, suggestions, or contributions.

During the General Assembly, we also elected new board members, Michelle Becka and Elena Namli. We look forward to collaborating with them and with our current board members: Michael Coors, Christof Mandry, Johanna Romare, and Lars Lindblom in the coming years.

Picture shows the new and former presidency, from left to right: Sebastian Mense, Lea Schlenker, Gotlind Ulshöfer, Elena Namli, Johanna Ohlsson, Martin Langby.

In my introduction at the Assembly, I shared my academic background for those unfamiliar with my work and gave an outlook on my ideas and motivation for the presidency of the Societas Ethica:

“Since April of last year, I have been serving as a professor of diaconical studies, ethics, and digitalization at the Protestant University of Applied Sciences in Darmstadt, alongside my role as an extraordinary professor at Tübingen University. My academic foundation encompasses Protestant theology and economics, with studies undertaken at Tübingen and Heidelberg in Germany, Princeton Theological Seminary in the United States, and at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. My journey in ethics began at Heidelberg and continued through my doctoral studies at the Centre of Ethics at Tübingen University, culminating in a Ph.D. at Heidelberg University and focused on process theology and economics. My habilitation at Tübingen University explored social responsibility from a Protestant perspective. Currently, my research encompasses economic, business, and finance ethics, the ethical implications of digitalization, 20th-century Protestant ethics, social politics and ethics, diaconical management, and interreligious ethics.

I believe Societas Ethica plays a crucial role in fostering ethical discussions across diverse academic backgrounds and interests. As a European society, our mission is to enhance intellectual discourse on ethical matters in relation to the pressing global and European developments we observe today. We, as ethicists, possess the skills necessary to analyze moral dilemmas and illuminate issues in applied ethics, such as migration, new nationalism, and assisted suicide, etc., etc. etc. while also refining theories of normative and metaethics. Our unique position allows us to address ethical concerns at both intellectual and societal levels particularly in response to European and global developments.

Looking ahead, I would like to outline five key priorities that will guide our future endeavors:

1. Developing Societas Ethica: Our society thrives on the contributions of its members, and I am committed to nurturing this collaborative spirit. The annual conference remains a cornerstone of our activities. We are pleased to announce that the next annual conference will be held in Germany, at the Evangelische Akademie Hofgeismar, from August 21 to 24, 2025, focusing on the theme “Ethics in Diversity. Intercultural and Interreligious Ethics”.

2. Intensifying the Europeanization of the Society and the Membership: Given our diverse backgrounds and strong presence in Northern and Western Europe, we aim to enhance our connections with Southern and Eastern Europe. My university will support this initiative through a research project examining our membership structure, including a membership survey planned for next year.

3. Enhancing International Outreach: Recognizing that ethical research transcends borders, we will work to strengthen our relationships with organizations such as the Society of Christian Ethics in the United States and the European Academy of Religion, fostering a global exchange of ideas.

4. Securing Financial Resources: While we currently maintain financial stability, we will seek additional funding opportunities to support conferences and assist colleagues from the Global South who may encounter barriers to participation.

5. Expanding Our Social Media Presence: In today’s digital age, it is imperative for Societas Ethica to establish a robust presence on social media platforms. Together with the board, we will develop strategies to enhance our visibility on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, ensuring our work reaches a wider audience.”

Currently, we are preparing for the next conference by securing funding and inviting keynote speakers. The call for papers has been distributed, and I encourage you to submit your abstracts and share the Call for Papers within your networks. Attached, you will find the Call for Papers as a PDF.

We are reaching out to our partner universities across Europe to expand our network further. Additionally, we are enhancing our social media presence and will let you know when we extended our presence on the different channels. Part of this initiative is that we have new Email-addresses for the presidency and the newsletter. This newsletter is still sent from Sebastian Mense as scriba directly, but we already sent the CfP out from the new address and will do so in future, so please: check also your spam mails and allow these addresses to reach you:

president@societasethica.info
scriba@societasethica.info
quaestor@societasethica.info
newsletter@societasethica.info

Societas Ethica thrives on the active participation of its members. If you have further ideas to promote our Society or enrich our academic pursuits, please do share. We are also open to including information about conferences, publications, and open positions in our newsletters.

I appreciate the efforts made by the Young Societas, particularly their Preconference Workshop at the Annual Meeting and the Young Scholar’s Award, which provide valuable support for emerging scholars. If you know of any young scholars in ethics, please encourage them to engage with the Young Societas Ethica.

As we embark on this journey over the next three years, I look forward to working together with all of you to advance the field of ethics in Europe and to further develop Societas Ethica for the future.

Sincerely,
Gotlind Ulshöfer

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