Ist unsere moderne Gesellschaft säkular oder postsäkular? Martin Endreß geht den Hintergründen der gegenläufigen Diagnosen von Jürgen Habermas und Charles Taylor nach und setzt sie kritisch zueinander ins Verhältnis. >>> More...
Auf dem Weg zu einem globalen Diskurs über die Moderne
Hans Schelkshorn, Jameleddine Ben-Abdeljelil und Cornelia Klinger im Gespräch. Seit der Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts sind in Lateinamerika, Asien und in jüngerer Zeit auch in Afrika eigenständige Diskurse über die Moderne entstanden, die jedoch von der europäischen Philosophie bis vor kurzem weitgehend ignoriert worden sind. Die gegenwärtigen Umbrüche in verschiedenen Weltregionen, insbesondere in der arabischen Welt, machen jedoch in bedrängender Weise bewusst, dass ein globaler Diskurs über die Moderne ein Gebot der Stunde ist. Aus Anlass des Erscheinens des Bandes "Die Moderne im interkulturellen Diskurs" (Velbrück Verlag) werden an diesem Abend Theorieansätze in den Modernedebatten der arabischen, lateinamerikanischen und europäischen Philosophie der Gegenwart miteinander verglichen. >>>More...
The Depiction of Space in 14th Century Maps and Icons
Byzantine iconography of the 14th century explored the question of representation of sacred space, especially in the new type of the icon of the Transfiguration, which was influenced by hesychastic theology. This new type tries to represent space according to theological principles, Biblical doxology, and also the cartographic principles of the time. In his lecture Andreas Andreopolous, Reader in Orthodox Christianity and Programme Leader of the MTh in Orthodox Studies, University of Winchester, will explore the secular background of this sacred map. >>> More...
The Elder Zosima’s Secret: Patočka and Monotheism
In one of Jan Patocka's last writings (1976), an essay on the philosophy of religion in Masaryk, Patocka remarks that the lessons from the life of the Elder Zosima in Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov may provide essential clues for responding to the contemporary crisis of Christianity. In this lecture, Nicolas de Warren, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Leuven, will critically explore the possible meanings of Patocka's insight by way of an interpretation of The Brothers Karamazov centered on the problem of evil and marked by Patocka's own reflections on the philosophical meaning of Christianity as the truth of Monotheism. >>> More...
Beyond Myth and Enlightenment. Phenomenological Reconsiderations of Religion
Like a spectre, the “return of the religious” haunts recent intellectual debates. Whether sociological fact or phantasmagorical fiction, whether one regards it as an auspicious promise for the future or the revival of ideologies of the past – the phenomenon challenges, even in its denial, contemporary thought. Much of the
debate has focussed either on sociological observations about the place of religion(s) in modern societies, or on questions of its immediate political implications. The crucial question, however, is a genuinely philosophical one: What does the new presence of religion mean for the modern self-conception that conflates the “modern” with the “secular”? Does it reveal a deficiency in the secular worldview, or call into question its hegemonic pretensions? At this conference at IWM (September 11-14, 2012) these questions will be put in perspective and debated.
>>> More...
Ist unsere moderne Gesellschaft säkular oder postsäkular? 
Hans Schelkshorn, Jameleddine Ben-Abdeljelil und Cornelia Klinger im Gespräch. Seit der Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts sind in Lateinamerika, Asien und in jüngerer Zeit auch in Afrika eigenständige Diskurse über die Moderne entstanden, die jedoch von der europäischen Philosophie bis vor kurzem weitgehend ignoriert worden sind. Die gegenwärtigen Umbrüche in verschiedenen Weltregionen, insbesondere in der arabischen Welt, machen jedoch in bedrängender Weise bewusst, dass ein globaler Diskurs über die Moderne ein Gebot der Stunde ist. Aus Anlass des Erscheinens des Bandes "Die Moderne im interkulturellen Diskurs" (Velbrück Verlag) werden an diesem Abend Theorieansätze in den Modernedebatten der arabischen, lateinamerikanischen und europäischen Philosophie der Gegenwart miteinander verglichen. 
Byzantine iconography of the 14th century explored the question of representation of sacred space, especially in the new type of the icon of the Transfiguration, which was influenced by hesychastic theology. This new type tries to represent space according to theological principles, Biblical doxology, and also the cartographic principles of the time. In his lecture 
In one of Jan Patocka's last writings (1976), an essay on the philosophy of religion in Masaryk, Patocka remarks that the lessons from the life of the Elder Zosima in Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov may provide essential clues for responding to the contemporary crisis of Christianity. In this lecture, Nicolas de Warren, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Leuven, will critically explore the possible meanings of Patocka's insight by way of an interpretation of The Brothers Karamazov centered on the problem of evil and marked by Patocka's own reflections on the philosophical meaning of Christianity as the truth of Monotheism. 
Like a spectre, the “return of the religious” haunts recent intellectual debates. Whether sociological fact or phantasmagorical fiction, whether one regards it as an auspicious promise for the future or the revival of ideologies of the past – the phenomenon challenges, even in its denial, contemporary thought. Much of the
debate has focussed either on sociological observations about the place of religion(s) in modern societies, or on questions of its immediate political implications. The crucial question, however, is a genuinely philosophical one: What does the new presence of religion mean for the modern self-conception that conflates the “modern” with the “secular”? Does it reveal a deficiency in the secular worldview, or call into question its hegemonic pretensions? At this conference at IWM (September 11-14, 2012) these questions will be put in perspective and debated.
