Topic: "A history of meaning. In search of a new, old humanism"

Tuesday, 28 April 2026, 18:00
Campus Haarentor, Building A14, Lecture Hall 3

Abstract:
The late modern age. Endless possibilities. But which one makes sense? Man is a being in need of meaning. We derive meaning from the stories we tell ourselves. Stories of meaning tell us who people attach meaning to and for what reasons. They paint a picture of a person who creates meaning by telling stories of meaning. It is time for a new story that is not based on exclusion. Radical understanding, i.e. understanding that goes back to the roots, helps to reveal the existential constitution of the human being, namely the story of the radical freedom of the individual to tell stories of meaning, i.e. to attach meaning to the world. This story is about the existential freedom to tell stories of meaning, i.e. to make sense of the world.