Hans Joas - Universalism: World domination and human ethics

The welfare of all people as a guiding principle for political and moral action—until recently, this ideal seemed widely accepted, but it is now once again controversial and was by no means universally prevalent throughout history.

Where does this humanistic ethos actually come from? Is it a legacy of the West? And to what extent did imperial expansion contribute to its emergence and spread?

Hans Joas explores these questions in his groundbreaking book and asks what is perhaps the most important question of all today: Can there even be moral universalism without imperialism?

On this evening at MARKK, Hans Joas will discuss his book with Elisabeth Bronfen and Jan Weyand, moderated by Frank Adloff.

Frank Adloff is Professor of Sociology and Director of the DFG Research Group “Futures of Sustainability” at the University of Hamburg
Elisabeth Bronfen is Professor Emerita of English at the University of Zurich and Global Distinguished Professor at New York University
Hans Joas is Ernst Troeltsch Honorary Professor at the Faculty of Theology at Humboldt University in Berlin and a member of the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago
Jan Weyand is Acting Professor of Sociology at the University of Hamburg

Registration

This event takes place in German.