Gábor Gángó, scientific advisor of the Institute of Philosophy, held a lecture in Erfurt on 6 March 2025, titled Wolffianism and natural law in Gdańsk: Michael Christoph Hanov in East-Central European context. The lecture took place during the conference Wolffian Natural Law: A Contested Identity?.

The event was organised by the research network Natural Law 1625-1850, An International Research Project, the Max Weber Centre for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies, University of Erfurt, and the Interdisciplinary Centre for European Enlightenment Studies, University of Halle-Wittenberg.

In his lecture, Gábor Gángó outlined the general trends in the reception of Wolffianism in East-Central Europe. The reception occurred in Protestant colleges and academic gymnasia, which primarily integrated Wolff’s system and philosophical method into education. The presence of Wolffian ethics and politics, devoid of revealed theology, posed difficulties, for which various strategies were developed to bridge these gaps. Confessional theological perspectives could be enforced by excluding Wolffian natural law from education (Nagyenyed, Marosvásárhely), separating natural theology and natural law (Debrecen, Sárospatak), correcting Wolffian ethics during instruction (Elbląg), or “completing” Wolff’s oeuvre by considering theological aspects (Gdańsk).