Background

Out of crises comes the new: flood disasters, drought, heat waves, forest fires and other extreme events are accompanied by great uncertainty - the systemic connection of these crises and the consequences for our future thinking and actions are all too clear. What we need are proposals for sustainable change and new spaces for thinking and action. What we need is increased involvement of the humanities and their integrative power.

What should our common future look like? What values will guide us in the 21st century? How can we better harness the potential of the humanities? These fundamental questions are addressed in the essay "Towards a New Enlightenment. A Case for Future-oriented Humanities," co-authored by fellows of THE NEW INSTITUTE: What might a new understanding of the humanities look like, one that aligns its thinking and imagination with criteria for a livable future?

The humanities thus conceived put themselves at the service of life on our planet. They open up spaces and realization possibilities for a new universalism. They change and transcend the self-image and role of the university. They connect theory and practice in new ways. They can bring newly formulated, binding values into society and resolutely confront the destruction of our environment and limitless exploitation.

The humanities thus become a new kind of human science, whose humanity embraces the dignity of all life. The text is a call to action - not only for the humanities.

Authors:

Markus Gabriel  Christoph Horn  Anna Katsman  Wilhelm Krull Corine Pelluchon  Ingo Venzke  Anna Luisa Lippold