Carlos Fraenkel is Associate Professor at McGill University, jointly appointed in the Departments of Philosophy and Jewish Studies. At the beginning of March, he came to ECLA of Bard to talk about his new book and project: “Teaching Plato in Palestine.” The book is based on his experimental method of teaching philosophy to five different
Playing Democracy
Willy Brandt, Germany’s first – malicious tongues might say only – left wing post-war chancellor was born in 1913. One hundred years later, the Deutsches Theater in Berlin showed the play “Democracy,” in which Michael Frayn tells of the rise and fall of one of Germany’s most important political figures of the 20th century. The
Lorraine Daston on: ‘History of Observation’
Lorraine Daston is Director at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin and Visiting Professor in the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago. Her expertise lies within the history and philosophy of science. On 28th February 2013, Prof. Daston came to ECLA of Bard to give a lecture on
The Extraordinary Easter Adventure with an Apple and an Egg
Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Prague… A 10-day spring break in the beginning of April gave ECLA of Bard students the time to explore the nearby European capitals. I could only sigh as I jealously observed some of my friends booking tickets and checking the attractions: due to my lack of advanced planning and some outstanding tasks,
ME Collector’s Room––The Olbricht Collection
ME Collector’s Room, located in the gallery–packed Auguststrasse, offers what might be the closest experience to a Renaissance Wunderkammer (‘cabinet of curiosities’). The Olbricht Collection, which features works from the Renaissance up to the present day, has had its permanent home here in Berlin since May 2010. For the collectors of the Renaissance era, their
Steinbeck and Spinoza
When I last went back home, I experienced something quite unique. My parents, having grown older, are now looking forward to an altogether different period in their lives. All my siblings, having settled in different parts of the world, have left the house rather empty. It was once a house where the five of us
Going Green: St. Patrick’s Day in Berlin
On the 17th of March, Berlin turned green for the third time: since 2011, people armed with glasses of Guinness and dressed like Irish Leprechauns disregard the freezing cold and hit the streets to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The festival started a few days earlier with Irish whiskey tastings, film screenings, costume-making workshops and culminated
Watch the Gods Falling: Backstage Visit to “Götterdämmerung” at the Schiller Theater
The typical image of a visit to the opera is associated with elegantly dressed ladies, men in tuxedos, glasses of sparkling champagne, and polite conversations. However, at the end of February, ECLA of Bard students had the rare opportunity to get a glimpse behind the curtains of the shiny art world, by attending a rehearsal