Venice Seminars 28-30 May 2026
Virtue and Democratic Resilience
Listening to the Voice of Ethics in a Broken Polis
Day 1 – Thursday, May 28
09:30–10:00 Welcome remarks and introduction
- Pasquale Ferrara (Reset DOC)
- Jonathan Laurence (Boston College/Reset Dialogues US)
- Umberto Vattani (Venice International University)*
10:00 – 11:15 | Session 1 — From Conflict to Reconciliation: Religious Actors and the Ethics of Peace.
Through the analysis of concrete contexts of conflict, this panel explores the ethical and political roles of religious actors in processes of peacebuilding and reconciliation. It reflects on the conditions under which faith-based engagement can sustain trust, repair social bonds, and contribute to a just peace.
Chair: Jonathan Laurence (Boston College/Reset Dialogues US)
- Mauro Magatti (Catholic University of Milan) – Religious and Social Actors
- and the Ethics of Peace
- Uriel Simonsohn (University of Haifa) – What Happens When Trust Collapses? Religion, Conservatism, and Civic Responsibility in Post–October 7th Israel
11:15 – 11:30 Coffee Break
11:30 – 12:45 | Session 2 – Beyond Borders? Responsibility, Citizenship, and the Erosion of Global Solidarity
Focusing on the reconfiguration of citizenship in an interdependent yet fragmented world, this panel examines the decline of solidaristic commitments beyond national boundaries. It explores how shifting notions of responsibility reshape the ethical horizons of political community in a global age.
Chair: Sofia de Benedictis (Reset DOC)
- Catherine Cornille (Boston College)
- Eugenio Mazzarella (University of Naples Federico II) – The Silicon Leviathan: Cyber Power and the Crisis of Democracy
12:45 – 13:45 Lunch
13:45 – 15:15 | Session 3 – Inside/Outside. Polarized Polities, Populism, and the Erosion of Cooperative Ethics
This panel analyzes the dynamics of polarization and populism as forces that redefine the boundaries of political belonging. It examines how the construction of “insiders” and “outsiders” undermines cooperative ethics, weakens democratic norms, and fuels antagonistic forms of political identity.
Chair: Isaiah Sterrett (Boston College)
- Fadi Daou (Globethics Foundation)
- Giorgia Serughetti (University of Milano-Bicocca) – Rethinking Solidarity in the Age of Identity Politics
15:15 – 16:30 | Session 4 – The Broken Polis: Genealogies of Ethical and Democratic Regression
This panel reconstructs the normative and historical trajectories that have led to the erosion of public ethics in contemporary democracies. By tracing the weakening of civic virtues and the rise of instrumental rationalities, it interrogates the moral conditions under which democratic regression becomes possible.
Chair: Giancarlo Bosetti (Reset DOC)
- Marina Calloni (University of Milano-Bicocca) – Virtue, relationality, and the construction of the common: Christine de Pizan and an alternative geneaology of political modernity
- Hans-Peter Müller (Humboldt University) – The Polis Broken? Polycrisis and the moral agenda today
17:00 Boat tour of the lagoon. Departure from San Servolo dock at 17:00. Meet at 16:45.
Day 2 – Friday, May 29
10:00 – 11:15 Session 5 – Greed, Altruism, and the Moral Foundations of Economic Life
This panel revisits the moral underpinnings of economic behavior, questioning reductive models centered on self-interest. By examining the interplay between greed, altruism, and institutional design, it seeks to recover the ethical dimensions of economic life and their relevance for democratic resilience.
Chair: Pasquale Ferrara (Reset DOC)
- Massimo Borghesi (University of Perugia) – From globalization to polarization. The Church in a Manichean world
- Luigino Bruni (LUMSA University)
11:15 – 11:30 Coffee Break
11:30 – 12:45 Session 6 – Ethical Challenges of Digital Transformations: New Technologies and the Future of Civic Virtue
Addressing the impact of digital technologies on human agency and social relations, this panel explores how technological transformations reshape the conditions for the exercise of virtue. It critically assesses the ethical challenges posed by algorithmic governance, digital intermediation, and emerging forms of post-human interaction.
Chair: Marina Calloni (University of Milan-Bicocca)
- Fadi Chehadé (Pax Foundation)
- Wael Farouq (Catholic University of Milan) –Representations of identity and the rise of populism
12:45 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:15 | Session 7 – Interreligious Engagement and Public Ethics: Agency, Advocacy, and Civic Virtue
This panel investigates the ambivalent role of religious actors in the public sphere, as both potential sources of exclusion and agents of ethical renewal. Particular attention is given to interreligious engagement as a site for fostering civic virtue, responsibility, and inclusion.
Chair: Fulvia Giachetti (University of Milan-Bicocca/Reset DOC)
- Scott Appleby (University of Notre Dame) – Overcoming Ambivalence: How Religions Become Constructive Public Actors by Forging Alliances across Traditions
- Fabio Petito (University of Sussex) – Interreligious engagement and the strengthening of active-inclusive citizenship in Europe
15:15 – 15:30 Coffee Break
15:30 – 17:00 | Session 8 – Documentary screening and discussion: “From Violence to Virtue – Colombia‘s Path to Peace”
As part of the project “Exhibiting Virtue and Developing Character: The Ethical and Moral Routes to Democratic Success,” Reset Dialogues is producing three documentaries showcasing case studies where reconciliation processes and good-faith initiatives have helped restore public faith in government and democratic life. We are proud to present the first of these — a documentary on the Colombian peace process — followed by a panel discussion.
Chair: Giavana Jones (Templeton Religion Trust)
- Monica Cohen (Filmmaker)
- Jonathan Laurence (Boston College/Reset Dialogues US)
Day 3 – Saturday, May 30
09:00 – 12:00 Student-Led Panels
12:00 – 12:15 Coffee Break
12:15 – 13:30 | Final Roundtable – Integral Human Development and Democratic Resilience: Capabilities, Empowerment, and Global Justice
The roundtable brings together normative and empirical perspectives to reflect on the relationship between human development and democratic resilience. It explores how capabilities, empowerment, and justice-oriented frameworks can help renew the ethical foundations of political and social life.
Chair: Pasquale Ferrara (Reset DOC)
Keynote address: Alessandra Smerilli (Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development)
Roundtable Discussants:
- Scott Appleby (University of Notre Dame)
- Luigino Bruni (LUMSA University)
- Catherine Cornille (Boston College)
- Uriel Simonsohn (University of Haifa)
13:30 Farewell Lunch