Fortschritt und Regression

Author Rahel Jaeggi in conversation with Gert Scobel

The abolition of slavery, the introduction of social security systems and the sanctioning of marital rape are generally regarded as social progress - as a change for the better. Nevertheless, the idea of a general progress movement has lost its former luster, and even evokes skepticism. The diagnosis of regression, on the other hand, is on everyone's lips. It is applied to various contemporary phenomena, from right-wing authoritarian populism to democratic fatigue.

In her book, Rahel Jaeggi defends the concepts of progress and regression as an indispensable socio-philosophical tool for the critique of our time. She sees progressive or regressive not only as the result, but above all as the form of social transformation itself.

Rahel Jaeggi is Professor of Practical Philosophy at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, where she has headed the Center for Social Critique since 2018. Her topics are political philosophy, ethics, anthropology and social ontology. Jaeggi is considered a representative of contemporary critical theory. Publications include "Kritik von Lebensformen" (2013) and, with Nancy Fraser, "Kapitalismus: Ein Gespräch über kritische Theorie" (2018).

Gert Scobel studied philosophy and theology in Frankfurt am Main and at the University of California in Berkeley. He is presenter and director of the 3sat program "scobel" and author of several philosophical books. Scobel teaches philosophy and interdisciplinarity at the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences.

An event in cooperation with the Klaus Bittner bookstore.