Jakob-Fugger-Zentrum
Moral Universalism: Humanity Ethos and Global Dominance - Hans Joas in Augsburg
Hans Joas in Augsburg
The International Visiting Professorship at the Jakob Fugger Centre offers students and teachers of the University of Augsburg as well as interested citizens the opportunity to experience internationally renowned personalities from politics, business, science and the arts in Augsburg. With lectures, seminars and discussions on central questions of our time, the International Visiting Professorship promotes exchange between lecturers, the University of Augsburg and the municipal community. The International Visiting Professorship is a joint initiative of the faculties of humanities, cultural studies, social sciences and the Jakob-Fugger-Zentrum.
For the summer semester of 2022, Hans Joas, one of the most important sociologists of our time, has accepted our invitation to hold the International Visiting Professorship. His lectures in Augsburg will be focusing on the topic of "Moral Universalism: Human Ethics and World Domination" and will offer insights into his latest book project.
The starting point of his reflections is the observation that for most of its history, humanity presumably did not think of itself as a unified species and certainly did not have the moral standard to place the well-being of humanity as a whole above that of one' s own social group. But when, where and why then did such an " ethos of humanity" emerge and how did it evolve? Is it unique to Christianity and/or the Enlightenment and the West, or can it also be found in other traditions and cultures?
The main thesis of Hans Joas' research is that we can only understand this "moral universalism" in its many forms from an historical perspective in relation to the history of empires, i.e. from the reactions to their claims to global domination or as attempts to justify these very empires. While the first lecture in the series is devoted to establishing the basic ideas of the whole book project, it is followed by two case studies. The second lecture examines the struggle for the abolition of racial segregation in the southern states of the USA, with emphasis on the role of Christianity on both sides of the conflict; the third lecture looks at Mahatma Gandhi's religious and political vision, which consisted of developing a moral universalism from Indian traditions that could be directed against the domination and civilisational superiority claims of the British Empire.
Moral Universalism: Human Ethos and World Domination - LECTURES AND WORKSHOPS
Admission is free of charge. The event will take place in compliance with the Covid-regulations in effect at the time. Please register via our homepage. Unfortunately, participation in the events is not possible without prior registration. The lectures will be held in German.
June 28th, 2022, 6:30 p.m.
Moral Universalism: Thoughts on its Emergence and Development
University of Augsburg, Building H (Law), Lecture Hall 1009
June 30th, 2022, 6:30 p.m.
Christianity between racism and the struggle against it: Martin Luther King
S-Forum of the City Library Augsburg, Ernst-Reuter-Platz 1, 86150 Augsburg
July 5th, 2022, 6.30 p.m.
Anti-colonial resistance and religious vision: Mahatma Gandhi
Rococo Hall of the Government of Swabia, Fronhof 10, 86152 Augsburg
Workshop series for Master's and PhD students
July 6th, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
University of Augsburg, Building D, Room 2056
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Hans Joas
is a sociologist and social philosopher. Since 2014, he has been holding the Ernst Troeltsch Honorary Professorship for the Sociology of Religion at the Faculty of Theology at Humboldt University in Berlin. He was awarded his doctorate in 1979 with a thesis on "Practical Intersubjectivity: The Development of the Work of George Herbert Mead" at the FU Berlin, where he also habilitated. In 1987, he accepted an appointment at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. From there, he moved to the professorship for Sociology and North American Studies at the FU Berlin in 1990. In 2002, Hans Joas took over the Max-Weber-Professorship and thus the direction of the Max Weber College for Cultural and Social Studies at the University of Erfurt. From 2011 to 2014, Joas was a Permanent Fellow at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS). He has also been Visiting Professor of Sociology and Social Thought at the University of Chicago since 2000. Visiting professorships have also brought him to other US universities, Canada, Austria, Sweden and South Africa. His research focuses on the history of the emergence and change of moral values, the sociology of religion and the sociology of war and violence. He has received many awards, including the Bielefeld Science Prize, the Werner-Heisenberg-Medal, the Hans-Kilian-Prize, the Max-Planck-Research Prize and the Prix Paul Ricoeur. Hans Joas' work has been translated into many languages and is highly acclaimed. The most recent publications by Hans Joas are: "Die Macht des Heiligen. Eine Alternative zur Geschichte von der Entzauberung" (2017), "Friedensprojekt Europa?" (2020), "Im Bannkreis der Freiheit. Religionstheorie nach Hegel und Nietzsche" (2020) and "Warum Kirche? Selbstoptimierung oder Glaubensgemeinschaft" (2022).