Desacralizing Humanism and Democracy

Interviews
Published
Archipelago Radio
σκαλα

01.06.2024 — Athens

The Archipelago feat. Stathis Gourgouris • Desacralizing Humanism and Democracy

HOST ON MONTHLY SHOW The Archipelago

WITH RESIDENT Yannis-Orestis Papadimitriou

WITH GUESTS Stathis Gourgouris

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Despite its various mutations and transformations, we are still living under the paradigm of Enlightenment thought. This paradigm is flexible, though, subject to constant negotiation.

In his latest book, Nothing Sacred, Stathis Gourgouris decided to move a level up from current affairs and rethink some of the fundamentals of political thought in a way that is informed by contemporary politics. In this process, he re-examines two concepts that have remained stable and unquestioned for quite some time, proposing a new humanism that does away both with the dominant liberal version of it and the various anti-humanisms that have emerged over time, as well as a democracy that embraces its radical, anarchic character.

In this episode, Stathis Gourgouris, Professor of Classics, English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University talks about this new viewpoint on the basics of political thought in modernity, the 15-year process that produced the book, as well as the current events at Columbia University, with the student uprising in solidarity with Palestine.

Tracklist

  • SABA ALIZADEH Ladan Dead End (Kamancheh Version)

  • APHEX TWIN Heliosphan

    RESIDENT Yannis-Orestis Papadimitriou

  • HOST ON SHOW The Archipelago

  • Yannis-Orestis Papadimitriou is a freelance journalist from Athens, Greece. His work has appeared in various outlets including The Telegraph, Bloomberg Citylab, InsideStory et al. In the past he has worked as contributor, staff writer and editor in magazines, newspapers and websites in Greece, as well as researcher, assistant producer and editor in documentaries. He is a member of the Manifold, a cross-border investigative outfit with members in Athens, Nicosia and London, whose work has been featured in outlets such as Al Jazeera English, Deutsche Welle and the Columbia Journalism review. He is the co-creator of The Manifold Files, a platform for publishing in-depth investigations, supported by the Google Digital News Innovation Fund and launched in 2020.