Vortrag – The World to Come, The World to Mourn – Goran Vranešević

In the organizer's words:

We fear that the world will come to an end. However, this fear is not just about its physical destruction. Rather, it reflects a crisis of shared meaning, stability and historical orientation. What we have in common is beginning to disintegrate. At this moment, reflection easily gives way to fear, uncertainty and despair. These emotions shape our perception and ultimately form our reality. The fear of the end of the world does not remain abstract, but takes on historical form. The devastation of the world wars led to nuclear unease, which today has resulted in visions of ecological collapse and concerns about planetary destabilization. The future seems increasingly uncertain and fragile. As Hamlet lamented: "How disgusting, stale and shallow and unsprung / Seems to me the whole goings-on of this world!" We mourn not only for a world that is lost, but also for worlds that have never existed and perhaps never will. Faced with this bleak outlook, the old question arises once again: what to do?