Philipp Blom

During my fellowship at the IWM I will be working on the translation of my current book Was auf dem Spiel steht, which is scheduled to be published in English in 2018 under the title What is at Stake. In this wide-ranging philosophical and political essay, I describe Western societies as intent on avoiding the future and living in an eternal present. Climate change and digitization are destroying this self-imposed stasis and this constellation creates dangerous energies for democracy, liberal ideas, and human rights. Trapped between the visions of a liberal market and an authoritarian fortress, Western societies will suffer the impending transformations if they cannot muster the will to shape them.