Humanity is in a bind. Caught between war, human rights abuses and the pandemic. “It wasn’t so long ago that big projects were put forward: ending hunger, ending the arms race, ending the overexploitation of nature. But we now seem very far away from that,” says Michael Fuchs, Professor of Philosophy and Ethics and Vice Rector of the Catholic Private University (KU) Linz. The latter is celebrating its 350th anniversary this year. On the occasion of its “Kubiläum” the university invites you to an eleven-part series of events, supported by the OÖNachrichten. On Thursday evening, “Humanity in Crisis” was discussed in the Linz tobacco factory.
Good or bad tool
Even if the overall construct humanity crumbles, it is a counter-model to the current crises. Humanity has to adapt again and again, develop again and again, said Fuchs. The cracks in the overall construct are needed because light can penetrate through them. It is only through them that further development is possible, added Chris Müller, the artistic director of the Linzer Tabakfabrik. Is digitization the glue? “Digitization is a tool. Whether it is used well or badly is ultimately up to us,” said Müller. Using the example of Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, one can decide how much power over opinion-making one wants to place in one person’s hands in the future.
Don’t lose hope
The abbot of Wilhering Abbey, Reinhold Dessl, recalled Pope Francis’ demand for a new concept of humanism. To do this, you have to accept other ideas and conceptions, other images of people and of community, such as those of non-Western cultures. A few days ago, Dessl visited Francis with the Cistercian abbots and abbesses. He had advice for her: “Even if we all feel the fragility of society at the moment, don’t let hope be taken away from you.” And face reality and try to improve it.
Source: Nachrichten
