22.09.2026 – 27.09.2026
Compared to the past, our lives today are far more comfortable and convenient, simpler and yet more complicated. For almost every aspect of daily life, there are apps, bots and algorithms available to advise us, give us instructions or even make the decision for us altogether. The influencer knows what’s trending, the smartwatch counts our steps and calories for us, the ‘social bot’ lets us know which morning rituals will help us get through the day, and the ‘spiritual guide’ leads us towards spiritual growth. More and more people are delegating a large part of their work to AI. Anyone who wishes to can now enjoy all-round care, both in their thinking and in their daily lives. There is always someone on hand to suggestively assure us that they know the way forward. And how readily we succumb to these siren songs of influencers, ideologues and propagandists. One might well ask: what, in fact, has become of the ideals of the Enlightenment? What significance does Immanuel Kant’s call to summon the courage to think independently and without being patronised still hold today? Where does this eager willingness to relinquish one’s own sovereignty and entrust oneself to other authorities and to AI stem from? Is it merely down to our own laziness – which Kant himself criticised – or does this rejection of the ideas of the Enlightenment signal a societal shift that radically calls into question our hard-won notions of the independent pursuit of truth, personal freedom and democratic politics? Speakers from the fields of philosophy, social and cultural sciences and related disciplines will address these and similar questions at the 29th Philosophicum Lech and discuss them with the audience.
Philosophicum Lech 2026
22.09.2026 – 27.09.2026
Various locations, Lech am Arlberg
www.philosophicum.com
