As I open the door to his office, Florian greets me with a frisson of excitement. His office, brightly lit, clean, cool, copacetic, is large but not too grand. There are three pieces of art on the wall and then a kaleidoscope of books — Bacon, Burke, Bertolt Brecht, Nabokov, Nietsche, Müller, Max, Kant etc.
CategoryAcademic Events
The Pierre Boulez Saal: Tracing a History
I walked into the Pierre Boulez Saal on a chilly Saturday night, I found my music class among the crowd and exclaimed to them, “Everything around here looks so new!” I’d just walked over from the U2 stop at Hausvogteiplatz and was surprised by the tall, modern buildings, smooth concrete, and shops that seemed to
Not Believing in Science
The Science and Religion Project at Bard College Berlin provides interested students with an opportunity to expand their knowledge of the history of science, the history of religions, and the issues that arise when the two are considered together. Over the course of the academic year, student fellows participate in a series of seminars led by world-renowned
Reclaiming the Lost Legacy of Suqrat
As the last semester drew to an end, I attended a lecture titled “Suqrat: The Muslim Socrates” delivered by the President of Zaytuna College, Berkeley, CA, Professor Hamza Yusuf. The theme of the lecture was the way Greek philosophy was received, revived, and absorbed by the Muslim civilization during the Golden Age of Islam. For
The Socrates Project: A Transformative Experience
“I felt welcomed, I felt that my ideas were valued. Writing was a continuation of classroom conversations. I learnt a lot about writing academic essays, and I enjoyed the critical texts we discussed with the other participants. In the past, I felt excluded from philosophy but the Socrates project fulfilled my dream of studying philosophy,
The Century-Long Quarrel between Politicians and Scientists
When it comes to major modern crises—climate change, anti-vaxxers, the proliferation of weaponized technology, to name a few—it becomes clear how science and politics are intimately connected to one another. In our discussion with Siarhei Biareishyk, we looked back to the infamous Lysenko affair as a relevant chapter in history in examining questions at the intersection of science and politics.
Feminist Resistance to Modern-Day Fascism: An Interview with Dr. Ewa Majewska
Dr. Ewa Majewska is a feminist philosopher of culture and activist living in Warsaw. She has taught at the University of Warsaw and the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and was also a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, ICI Berlin, and the Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen in Vienna. She is the
Pankow, Old and New: An Interview With Prof. Aya Soika
Walking around our college’s neighborhood, I find myself trying to trace a history through the different styles of architecture. Whether you stop to glance at the stoic church next to our administration building, or the newly constructed apartment buildings on the way to the supermarket slowly filling up, it is clear that Pankow holds a