Vienna Humanities Festival

The theme of the fourth Vienna Humanities Festival was "Hope and Despair." Focal points included the year 1989 and its consequences, scientific innovation, and the future of society. Religion and radicalization, as well as the relevance of humanism for the present political situation were also discussed in depth.

We are in the midst of several interlinked global crises. Longstanding principles of rational politics have given way to ever increasing emotionalism; democracies seem to dismantle themselves in the face of authoritarian regimes; fears of economic recession and the effects of new technologies and automation loom large. Thirty years after the end of communism in Eastern Europe, liberal democracy has long ceased to be a self-evident goal. With so much despair, the prospects for hope are more urgent than ever. How can we move toward realizing more desirable futures? And what are the lessons we can learn from earlier forms of resistance. The fourth Vienna Humanities Festival took up these burning questions in 40 events that bring together leading figures from the world of academia, art, and culture.

Program and details: www.humanitiesfestival.at 

A project of the IWM, Time to Talk and Wien Museum.