The rapid rise to prominence of Q-Anon and the close associations between its conspiracy claims, authoritarian political discourse, and certain forms of (Christian and Islamic) eschatology have driven the Enlightenment Project into a most severe legitimacy crisis (much more so than “postmodernism” was ever able to accomplish). Not just regarding debates over climate change or the Corona Pandemic, but an ever-growing range of issues related to questions over the relationships between technology, nature and society have triggered fundamental questions over the assumed distinctions between scientific, religious and political “truths”.
The aim of his interdisciplinary research seminar is to analyze the various trajectories of thought that might explain the rise of the so-called Post Truth Society. Starting with a closer analysis of the “Science Wars”, which were also deeply entrenched in divergent political epistemologies (e.g. Hacking, Haraway, Harman, Latour), followed by encounters with political philosophy and political theology (e.g. Arendt, Schmitt, Agamben) and finally debates around the “end of society” (Beck, Zizek, Virilio, Deleuze/Guattari), the sessions will be based on shared readings of particular texts which should support more focused debates on the transformations of thought regimes and their consequences for how to engage with issues around incompatible truth claims.
All sessions will take place in an online format via Zoom.
Fridays 10:15-12:00
Contact and registration: Prof. Dr. Joost van Loon, Stefan Raich