About
What is to be human or to become human? What is a human individual, a collective, a social formation or even a whole “culture”? What binds our various social and natural identities together into a single life-form which realizes its potential in different shapes at different times and places? How can we synthesize the self-knowledge of the human life-form into a coherent conception of who we are and who we ought to be? And how can we create a sustainable value-system for the 21st century?
In our era of multiple, nested crises, humanity is facing a series of existential challenges. These crises are not merely real threats and dangers to human well-being, flourishing and survival. They touch the core of human being and co-becoming on our planet and in our highly connected societies. In light of this, our foundational program tackles the problem of how to think of the human condition in the 21st century in order to transcend harmful forms of dualism, binaries, and contradictions.
Our goal is to re-couple human co-becoming and nature; individual and social freedom; moral and economic value; quantitative and qualitative growth; humans and animals; human nature and technology. In order to achieve a better understanding of how we both fit and do not neatly fit into nature as an environment we share with other life-forms, our foundational program investigates the social, historical, and natural complexity within which we are embedded. Thus, the human condition program asks the existential life-and-death-questions in order to explore the possibility of transforming humanistic, philosophical, and social-scientific insight into our vulnerable condition into actionable projects in tandem with our other two programs.
Fellows
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Carole Bloch
PRAESA and University of the Western Cape, South Africa
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Geoffrey Harpham
Literary scholar and intellectual historian
GET INVOLVED
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Information
For questions regarding the program please contact Delicia Kamins at delicia.kamins@thenew.institute.
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Stay Informed
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Art
Art
Akinbode Akinbiyi, Bar Beach, Victoria Island, Lagos, 2006. From the series Sea Never Dry. Courtesy of the artist.
In the ongoing series “Sea Never Dry,” Akinbode Akinbiyi documents sacred ceremonies, communal gatherings and environmental degradation in the coastal zones of Europe and West Africa. The photographs featured in this edition are situated at Bar Beach on the shoreline of Lagos. Meditative and festive at once, his images capture intimate, seemingly timeless moments where the sacred and the profane are no longer separate.
Latest
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analysis
The Power of TrustIngo Venzke on the World Order
Ingo Venzke | The Human Condition in the 21st Century | Beyond the War |
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interview
The Future of ProgressMarkus Gabriel on Invisible Goods
Markus Gabriel | The Human Condition in the 21st Century | Beyond the War |
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dispatch
Confronting Climate LeviathanTobias Müller on Extinction Rebellion in Kenya.
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dispatch
Counting Giraffes in the Age of ExtinctionTobias Müller talks to activists in Malawi and Kenya.
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interview
The Politics of PlantsTobias Müller on Research and Activism.
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PAPER EDITION
On HopeHope is a promise, a contradiction, a quiet revolution.
Ece Temelkuran | Markus Gabriel | Lea Ypi | Jonathan White | Georg Diez | The Future of Democracy | The Human Condition in the 21st Century | Paper Edition vol.2 | Art |
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interview
Hope and ReasonMarkus Gabriel is an internationally acclaimed philosopher of the New Realism school of thought.
Markus Gabriel | The Human Condition in the 21st Century | Paper Edition vol.2 |
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interview
Justice for AnimalsCorine Pelluchon on the New Enlightenment.
Corine Pelluchon | The Human Condition in the 21st Century |
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interview
Community“Peek greed” – this is what Sir Paul Collier calls the present state of mind, both in business and society.
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interview
Covid and EcologyCorine Pelluchon is Professor for Philosophy, Paris, and incoming fellow THE NEW INSTITUTE
Corine Pelluchon | The Human Condition in the 21st Century | Paper Edition vol.1 |
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book
“Our Carnal and Earthly Constitution”: Corine Pelluchon’s Philosophy of the BodyHow would our perception of ethics and politics change if we were to understand the body as the starting point of our experience?
Corine Pelluchon | The Human Condition in the 21st Century |
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news
Values for Tomorrow – Markus Gabriel Will Become a Fellow at THE NEW INSTITUTEMarkus Gabriel, Germany’s most innovative contemporary philosopher, will become a fellow at THE NEW INSTITUTE.
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news
Values for the 21st Century – First fellowships at THE NEW INSTITUTETHE NEW INSTITUTE issues its first fellowship call – focusing on “The Foundations of Value and Values”.
Colin Mayer | Markus Gabriel | Sonja Vogt | Corine Pelluchon | Dennis Snower | The Human Condition in the 21st Century |
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essay
Rahel Jaeggi – Promise MeWhat does it mean to be committed? What kind of relationship is commitment and what does it involve? Commitment can be shown to a person, but also to a thing, an idea or an institution.
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essay
Wilhelm Krull – Keep on LookingCreativity is one of the most valuable tools we have as humans. To think creatively is to think laterally and make connections between seemingly disparate ideas or situations.
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essay
Corine Pelluchon – The Capacity to Feel FearWhy is courage a key virtue, especially in the context of the ecological, economic, social and political challenges of the 21st century?
Corine Pelluchon | The Human Condition in the 21st Century |
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essay
Tom Carlson – Love as CareCaught up in the rushed busyness of our countless everyday concerns — a cloudy stir of the truly pressing and deeply trivial — we often tend to forget and thus to neglect what we most care about.
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essay
Colin Mayer – Care as PracticeCare is central to human emotions, feeling and thinking. It is the essence of what it is to be human – to care for the well-being of others; to provide care for them; and to act with care in regard to them.
2023/24
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Governing the Planetary Commons
How are the planetary commons to be governed in an ecologically responsible, just, democratic, and resilient way?
The program "Governing the Planetary Commons: a Focus on the Amazon" examines how to responsibly and sustainably govern crucial Earth systems, using the Amazon Rainforest as an example, and explores different governance models that could work in an ecologically sound, democratic, and resilient way. -
Depolarizing Public Debates
How can we depolarize public debates on socio-ecological transformations?
The aim of the program „Depolarizing Public Debates“ is to develop tools for reducing polarization in public discussions about socio-ecological issues, engaging with practitioners from journalism, digital platforms, and civil society. -
Conceptions of Human Flourishing
How does a non-materialist conception of human flourishing inform the reformulation of the SDGs in 2030?
The program „Conceptions of Human Flourishing” explores how different cultures conceive of human flourishing, how the current materialist approach may limit it, and how to redesign the SDGs with a broader, more inclusive view of what human flourishing means.
2021/22
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The Future of Democracy
How can we transition to an ecologically responsible and democratically resilient future?
The program “The Future of Democracy” places its main focus on the prospects for comprehensive ecological democratization. The guiding rationale is that social transformations require a collective imaginary of a future worth striving for. -
Socio-Economic Transformation
How can the economy serve social well-being within planetary boundaries?
Our economy must serve our social needs and respect planetary boundaries. But this is currently not the case: we are on an unsustainable path. Our economic activities have contributed to societies growing more unequal across various dimensions, depriving some of meeting their basic human needs and putting political systems under stress. -
The New Hanse Project
How can cities use data to become more democratic and sustainable?
The program “The New Hanse” investigates the relationship between urban digital infrastructures, data justice, and sustainability, supporting the city of Hamburg’s transformation towards climate neutrality with tangible data-driven pilot projects.