Where is humanity headed in these confusing and uncertain times? What are we to do, now that ‘the people’ are increasingly turning away from ‘the elite’, and even experienced politicians and supposed experts find themselves at a loss, not knowing where to go next? Where can we still find something to hold onto, when the distinction between truth and falsehood is becoming ever more blurred? As the road before us is growing increasingly foggy, as political extremism is on the rise everywhere and as a deep-seated sense of insecurity is taking hold, the need for a new vision of the future is becoming greater than ever.
But who can still provide us with that vision, and what should that vision be? The vision of a neoliberal market society, or that of social democracy? The vision of postmodern relativism, or that of Europe’s humanistic tradition? Or has it now fallen to us to formulate an entirely new paradigm? Have the already existing frameworks of thought truly lost their significance, or do we need to learn once again to look into the mirror of history to better understand our own time?
Now, the need for a new vision is beyond any doubt, in light of the growing economic and social inequality (and the social unrest that goes with it), and given the huge challenges posed by human-caused climate change (and approaching catastrophes, if we are to believe the predictions). But the big question, which is dividing the world of economic power, still remains: what should that new vision be? And since everything has its price, how much are we prepared to pay for it?
These and many more questions will take center stage at the Nexus Conference 2024, ‘The Quest for Vision in the Era of Confusion, Corruption and Foolishness’, on 16 November at the Dutch National Opera & Ballet in Amsterdam.
Il programma dell’evento è disponibile al seguente link: https://nexus-instituut.nl/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Conf-brochENG-0824-04-3-1.pdf