10/14 Albert-Talk
13 October 2014, 7 p.m.
What is man's center? The question concerning the "ego"
5th Albert- Discussion
Like hardly any other of his contemporaries, Albert the Great deals with all areas of human knowledge. In the framework of the debates on the essence of the soul triggered by Aristotle, for him the question concerning the "center" of man is posed under changed signs. Due to modern biology, and in particular brain research, the question concerning the "ego" as the center of man has become pressing once again. Can we continue to interpret the soul as a vegetative, animal, and rational life principle, and thus as the "center" of man, and location of the "ego"? Or must this interpretation, which appears to reduce everything to physical and chemical processes, be regarded as pre-modern? Contrary to the reductionist assumptions of the Modern Era stands the notion, which confronts the organic center by departing from the subjective "ego" experience and proffering the narrative ego that educates itself in telling its experiences. But is it not the case that both of these interpretations come up short with respect to the multi-dimensionality of man? From today's point of view, how might a convincing design of the psycho-physical unity of man look, one which would take up the experience of the ego in our living world yet not contradict the most recent scientific findings?
Discussion Participants:
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Ludger Honnefelder (Professor em. for Philosophy at the University of Bonn, former Director of the Albertus-Magnus-Institute)
Felicias Hoppe (Visiting Professor at various Universities, writer, Büchner-pricewinner)
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Franz-Xaver Kaufmann (Professor emeritus for Social Policy and Sociology at the University of Bielefeld)
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Karl Zilles (Professor eremitus for Medicine at Institute of Clinical Neuroscience University of Düsseldorf, forme director of the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine Jülich)
Moderation: Dr. Michael Köhler
What is man's center? The question concerning the "ego"
5th Albert- Discussion
Like hardly any other of his contemporaries, Albert the Great deals with all areas of human knowledge. In the framework of the debates on the essence of the soul triggered by Aristotle, for him the question concerning the "center" of man is posed under changed signs. Due to modern biology, and in particular brain research, the question concerning the "ego" as the center of man has become pressing once again. Can we continue to interpret the soul as a vegetative, animal, and rational life principle, and thus as the "center" of man, and location of the "ego"? Or must this interpretation, which appears to reduce everything to physical and chemical processes, be regarded as pre-modern? Contrary to the reductionist assumptions of the Modern Era stands the notion, which confronts the organic center by departing from the subjective "ego" experience and proffering the narrative ego that educates itself in telling its experiences. But is it not the case that both of these interpretations come up short with respect to the multi-dimensionality of man? From today's point of view, how might a convincing design of the psycho-physical unity of man look, one which would take up the experience of the ego in our living world yet not contradict the most recent scientific findings?
Discussion Participants:
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Ludger Honnefelder (Professor em. for Philosophy at the University of Bonn, former Director of the Albertus-Magnus-Institute)
Felicias Hoppe (Visiting Professor at various Universities, writer, Büchner-pricewinner)
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Franz-Xaver Kaufmann (Professor emeritus for Social Policy and Sociology at the University of Bielefeld)
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Karl Zilles (Professor eremitus for Medicine at Institute of Clinical Neuroscience University of Düsseldorf, forme director of the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine Jülich)
Moderation: Dr. Michael Köhler