Living through Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainians have worked to make meaning of their experience, for themselves and for the broader world. In moments such as these, we can imagine the act of thinking as an enlightening force that breaks through the darkness of war. Abstract concepts take on an acutely real tenor: life and death, evil, social solidarity, humanity's relationship to nature. In this talk, Ukrainian philosopher Volodymyr Yermolenko will reflect on the significance of ongoing intellectual work in times of existential threat.
Volodymyr Yermolenko is a Ukrainian philosopher, essayist, translator, and journalist based in Kyiv. He holds a doctorate in political studies from the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS, Paris) and teaches at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. He is president of the Ukrainian PEN Club and hosts the podcast Explaining Ukraine, a key platform for international understanding of the war. He also leads Ukraine World, a multimedia initiative that began during the 2013–14 Euromaidan. Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, both the podcast and the platform have become vital sources of analysis and information for the global community. A recipient of the Yurii Sheveliov Prize (2018) and the Petro Mohyla Award (2021), Yermolenko wrote his first philosophical work at age of 15.
IWM Permanent Fellow Ludger Hagedorn will moderate the lecture.
