About the seminar
We live in a world suffocated by negativity. This negativity expresses itself essentially on three levels: in the interpretation of phenomena, in behavioral propositions, and in moral justifications. This hasn't always been the case. It goes back to the nihilistic reversal of modernity's real meaning from the 19th century onwards. But to understand what this reversal has lost us, we first need to understand what modernity had really promised us. Real modernity is an appeal to what Raphaël Liogier calls "raw transcendence", without representations, without religious refinement, and which can be expressed in terms of subjectivity and freedom, on which the modern vision of democracy and human rights depends. The seminar will examine why and under what conditions the nihilistic reversal has occurred and how it has contaminated our world, essentially in two vicious cycles: that of technique for technique's sake and that of identity for identity's sake. Finally, Liogier will show that what is presented today as a weapon against the excesses of industrialism, commodification and objectivism - that is, ethics - is not only strictly ineffective but symptomatic of nihilism and one of its most deadly expressions. The aim is to show how and why only aesthetics, whose nature and properties have yet to be defined, can save the human world, in other words can help us escape the two vicious circles of technique for technique’s sake and that of identity for identity’s sake.
About the speaker
Raphaël Liogier is a distinguished French philosopher and sociologist renowned for his influential contributions to contemporary thought on Islamophobia, technology, Transhumanism and Democracy. He has authored numerous influential works, including Le Mythe de l'islamisation, Une laïcité "légitime", Sans Emploi, Heart of Maleness and Souci de soi, conscience du monde. His latest book, "Khaos: La Promesse Trahie de la Modernité," is the first in the four-series release of the Khaos Project. The series focuses on modern society's unfulfilled potential and addresses the crises of democracy, unsustainable industries, ecology, the erosion of meaning and the inability to construct a positive vision of the future.
Liogier’s research primarily focuses on the construction and evolution of individual and collective identities in the context of globalization and technology. Over his career, he has published approximately one hundred scientific articles and twenty books, making him one of the leading modern thinkers and advocates for systemic change. His expertise is frequently sought by various French and English television and radio channels. Currently, Liogier is a philosophy and sociology professor at Aix-Marseille University in France and UM6P in Morocco. He holds the Chair of Transitions at the Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Morocco, of which he is the Scientific Director. He is a scientific advisor to the Human Energy Project and the lead organizer of the upcoming Noosphere and the Global South Conference 2024 in Morocco.
Liogier’s latest book: Khaos: La promesse trahie de la modernité
IAS Website: Chair of Transitions
Contact details: Raphael.LIOGIER@um6p.ma
Practical
The CLEA seminars are taking place simultaneously at the VUB campus and online (via Zoom) and are open to everyone interested.
When. Tuesday May 28, 2024 from 15:00 until 17:00h
Where. VUB campus Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Elsene. Building I, room I.1.01
Online. You can follow the seminar online via Zoom. You may need a Meeting ID and passcode to enter.
Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82883606028?pwd=7mrb1GS1Y4oV3D4yG2flofP2Pc3Mxk.1
Meeting ID: 868 9758 9222
Passcode: 0dGEQ7
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