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Special issue on war at the intersection of ethics, neurobiology, and philosophy, exploring violence, cognition, emotion, and normativity through interdisciplinary, philosophically grounded research.
War appears simultaneously as a moral problem, a social practice, and an expression of deep structures of human cognition and affectivity. Neurobiological research on aggression, fear, empathy, cooperation, and group dynamics suggests that conflict involves mechanisms rooted in evolutionary processes and neural architectures, while ethical reflection continues to interrogate questions of responsibility, justification, and the limits of violence. At the same time, philosophy is called upon to clarify the conceptual frameworks through which war is interpreted—whether as an accidental product of historical circumstances or as a structural possibility inherent in human forms of life.
This special issue aims to bring together contributions that examine war as a multidimensional phenomenon situated at the intersection of ethics, neurobiology, and philosophical inquiry. Particular attention will be devoted to studies exploring the interaction between cognitive structures, affective dispositions, and normative systems in shaping both the reality and the representation of conflict.
Interdisciplinary contributions with a strong philosophical orientation are especially encouraged.
Topics of Interest
Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
Ethical theories of war and peace (Just War Theory, pacifism, realism) Neurobiological foundations of aggression and cooperation Moral emotions in conflict (fear, anger, empathy, hatred) Cognitive and perceptual structures underlying violence Group identity, ideology, and in-group/out-group dynamics Representation and construction of the enemy Propaganda, misinformation, and epistemic distortion in wartime Responsibility, agency, and collective violence Phenomenology of violence and the lived experience of war Trauma, memory, and narrative identity Philosophical anthropology and the ontology of conflict War, technology, and transformations of human cognition Normativity and the moral limits of violence Submission Guidelines
Submissions must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere. Manuscripts may be submitted in English or Italian and must conform to the journal's editorial guidelines. All submissions will undergo double-blind peer review.
The 2025 issue of Arkete will be devoted to these themes and will include both papers selected through this Call for Papers and invited contributions from national and international scholars.
Manuscript Requirements Languages: English or Italian Maximum length: 40,000 characters (including spaces, abstract, footnotes, and references)
Each submission must include:
an abstract (maximum 150 words, in English); 5–6 keywords (in English); an anonymized manuscript prepared for double-blind review.
In a separate file, authors should provide:
name and surname; institutional affiliation; email address; title of the paper; abstract; keywords. Submission Deadline
30 June 2026 (please confirm the intended deadline; "31 June" is not a valid date).
Manuscripts should be submitted by email to:
Editorial guidelines are available at: