Universalism: A Global History

Hans Joas

Lecture by Hans Joas: Universalism: A Global History

Keynote Address, Institute of Global Value Inquiry (IGVI) Inaugural Conference

Date and Time: Monday, September 15th, 18:15 – 20:00

Location: Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften

                        Einstein-Saal, Jägerstraße 22/23, 10117 Berlin

Format: hybrid (in-person & online participation)

Attendance: Registration required; in-person participation is limited, so anyone interested in attending must register via email at [email protected]

This lecture offers an introduction to my newly published book „Universalismus. Weltherrschaft und Menschheitsethos“ ("Universalism: World Domination and the Ethos of Humanity"). This book presents an attempt at a global history of moral universalism from the so-called Axial Age (800-200 BC) to the present day – including the history of colonialism, fascism, and communism. My central argument is that the history of the moral demand to take into account the well-being of all people, and not just those in any sense close to us, can only be understood in the context of the history of empires, i.e., the struggle for world domination.

This is the keynote address for the inaugural conference of the Institute of Global Value Inquiry (IGVI). Information about the conference, including the full program, can be found here: https://igvi.org/igvi-inaugural-conference-berlin-september-15th-16th/

Anyone interested in attending either the lecture by Hans Joas or the entire conference must register, as places are limited; please email us at [email protected]

IGVI was founded in 2024 to promote intercultural and comparative research into the nature and variety of values and norms. Material and institutional support is specifically directed to scholars pursuing this research in the Global South. IGVI funds fellowships and research projects, offer travel grants, organizes conferences and workshops, and will soon launch a peer-reviewed, open-access scholarly journal, the Journal of Global Value Inquiry. More information on IGVI can be found here https://igvi.org/