Vortrag – Aufklärung in Zeiten der Verdunkelung – Humanistischer Salon

In the organizer's words:

Our prosperity is still dependent on the use of fossil fuels, on an economy that relies on growth at all costs - and on a self-image that sees humans as rulers over nature. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that this attitude is reaching its limits. The planet is heating up rapidly, species are becoming extinct and social and political tensions are increasing worldwide. Democracy and human rights, the achievements of the Enlightenment, are increasingly under pressure, and the more acute the multiple crisis becomes, the more tempting the simple answers of the populists sound.
The philosopher Philipp Blom describes our present as a time of upheaval - a phase in which we must critically question the earlier promises of unlimited growth and technological progress. And that's a good thing! Because to doubt means to enlighten and ask: Are there better ways, are there better goals? Together, let us doubt outdated world views and face up to the complexity of real, existential entanglements. But how can we broaden our view and boldly take the Enlightenment further? How can we create species-appropriate conditions for the Homo sapiens species? What does a future narrative look like that tells of hopes beyond illusions? Florian Chefai talks about this with philosopher Philipp Blom live in front of and with the audience.

Philipp Blom is a philosopher, historian, author and journalist. He became a favorite of the secular scene in 2011 with his book Böse Philosophen über die halbierte Aufklärung and has been an advisory board member of the Giordano Bruno Foundation since 2015. Many of his books revolve around the Enlightenment: "Das vernünftige Ungeheuer. Diderot, d'Alembert, de Jaucourt und die Große Enzyklopädie", 2005; "Die Welt aus den Angeln", 2017; "Was auf dem Spiel steht", 2017; "Das große Welttheater. On the Power of Imagination in Times of Upheaval", 2020; "Subjugation: The Beginning and End of Human Dominion over Nature", 2022 and, most recently, "Hope. Über ein kluges Verhältnis zur Welt.", 2024. In addition, Philipp Blom hosts the program "Punkt Eins" on the Austrian cultural channel Ö1, makes films such as the multi-award-winning documentary series "Der taumelnde Kontinent" and curates exhibitions in Europe and the USA.
Philipp Blom lives in Vienna and will be joining our event live.

Florian Chefai is the scientific coordinator of the Hans Albert Institute and is responsible for press and public relations at the Giordano Bruno Foundation . He specializes in ethics, legal philosophy and the history of ideas. From 2015 to 2019, he was deputy editor-in-chief of the Humanist Press Service (hpd) and then wrote for the philosophy magazine, among others. He accompanied several humanitarian projects and advised institutions on the topics of radicalization and extremism.

Moderation: Eva Creutz
Moderation live chat and online discussion: Katrin Wiesemann
Livestream: Ricarda Hinz

A cooperation event of DA! and Hans-Albert-Institut and Heinrich Heine Salon.